By Alex Moss
5 DECEMBER 2016 • 10:31PM
Mark Frost is aiming to pull off one of the biggest shocks in the history of the William Hill World Darts Championship next week.
The 45-year-old, ranked 72nd on the PDC Order of Merit, came through a field of more than 100 players to win the PDPA Qualifier in Wigan last week, and with it secure a place in the first round at Alexandra Palace.
Moments after booking his place in a World Championship for the first time in his career, Frost was drawn out against the defending champion, and his good friend, Gary Anderson in the first round.
It is a clash which Frost will be the underdog for, with Anderson having walked away with the Sid Waddell Trophy in the last two stagings of the lucrative event.
And with Frost knowing he will need to beat the second seed to finish the year inside the top 64 to keep his tour card, it is a challenge which the recent Players Championship semi-finalist is ready to embrace.
“I’ve heard he’s not bad,” Frost joked when reminded of the opponent he will face on his Alexandra Palace debut a week on Thursday.
“We always sit on the same table (at Pro Tour events). I’ll be trying my best to beat him.
“It’s going to be hard. I’ve obviously played Barney at the Matchplay which was a fantastic atmosphere.
“I believe it’s supposed to be even more special at this one though.
“I’ve never been. It will be my first time and it’s the first time I’ve ever played Gary I think.”
Frost played 53 legs of darts during last Monday’s qualifier, with a 5-2 win against Kevin Simm in the final putting him straight through to the first round at the Alexandra Palace.
Simm, along with beaten semi-finalists Simon Stevenson and John Bowles will all start in the preliminary round.
“It was nice to know I’d already qualified (when I got to the semi-finals) but I still wanted (to win the qualifier) to get to the first round,” Frost said. “It was a long day. I was shattered by the time it finished.
“My phone hasn’t stopped as you can imagine. It’s amazing really.
“I played really well on the day. I was awesome, that’s not me blowing my own trumpet, I played that well.
“I just played consistent and I was averaging 100 all day.”
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