Fleet Closing On Circus Tavern Ambition

ANTHONY FLEET has put himself within touching distance of achieving his ambition in 2006 - winning a place at the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship.

Fleet has put himself at the top of the Australian Grand Prix rankings this year, winning three events so far.

The player at the head of the AGP standings wins a place in the World Championship at the Circus Tavern, Purfleet, with Brian Roach last year's qualifier.

With two events remaining, Fleet is confident he can stay ahead of Barry Jouannet and book his place on the place to the UK in December.

"It has always been an ambition of mine to play in England," he said. "The AGP events give every player an opportunity (to qualify).

"The exposure for Simon Whitlock, Barry Jouannet and Brian Roach, and what they have achieved for darts in Australia, is out of this world."

Fleet will get a chance to come up against leading PDC stars Bob Anderson, Keith Deller, Richie Burnett and Jamie Harvey in the William Cross Pro-Am next month.

The event is AGP-ranked and boasts a record prize fund for an Australian darts tournament, but Fleet is remaining focused.

"My first priority is to qualify [for Purfleet]," he said. "That's my only goal right now, I have no allusions about winning the William Cross Pro-Am."

Should he miss out in the AGP, Fleet's final chance to qualify for the World Championship would come in the Oceanic Masters, which is staged in October.

He has yet to get further than the quarter-finals in that event, losing out to eventual champion Warren Parry at the last eight stage last year.

"You have to take games like that on the chin," he said. "Warren threw brilliant, I threw really well.

"Someone had to win and someone had to lose, but I can't remember throwing so many tournament level darts as I have this year.

"I've had a ball, it's given me so much fun."