CWMBRAN’S Nick Kenny will follow in the footsteps of darts’ biggest names when he makes his BDO World Championship debut on the Lakeside Country Club stage early next year.

Kenny, ranked joint 19th in the world, secured his berth at the tournament after a run to the quarter-finals of the British Open in Bridlington.

And the 23-year-old isn’t the only Welshman to qualify for the event, which takes place from January 7-15, with Martin Phillips, Jim Williams and Dean Reynolds also making the trip to Surrey.

Kenny won his first major title this summer when sealing the BDO International Open in Somerset – and he cannot wait to show what he can do at Frimley Green.

“I’m buzzing,” he said. “I thought I was going to have to play a preliminary round match at the Lakeside but I’m straight into the first round.

“I was a bit nervous chasing qualification at the British Open but once I’d beaten Darryl Fitton in the last 32 I knew I was definitely there.”

He added: “I’ve not qualified for the World Championship before but I have played at the Lakeside so hopefully that will help me.

“I’m going to be playing one of the top 16 seeds but I’m not scared of anyone, and I’ve beaten most of them over the last few years. There are only a couple who I haven’t played or beaten before.

“Having watched the tournament while growing up it’s quite surreal that I’m going to be playing in it a couple of months from now.”

The BDO (British Darts Organisation) championships, first held in 1978, has had a strong Welsh presence down the years, with Leighton Rees winning the inaugural event, Richie Burnett triumphing in 1995 and Mark Webster following suit in 2008.

Stars such as Phil Taylor, Eric Bristow and John Lowe lit up the Lakeside in the 1980s and 90s, before the likes of Raymond van Barneveld, Ted Hankey and Martin Adams went on to claim multiple titles in the years proceeding their successes.

Kenny will find out who his first opponent is during the Winmau World Masters, which also take place at the Lakeside, in early December.

“There is so much history at the Lakeside,” said Kenny. “When you play at the world championships your picture goes up on the wall there and I’m looking forward to mine going up.

“I’m really looking forward to it and hopefully I will be able to rise to the occasion.”