THREE weeks ago, Davey Dodds was watching James Wade compete in Newcastle in the 888.com Premier League Darts - and on Thursday night he will take on the world number four in the first round of the Speedy Hire UK Open.
Dodds won his place in the UK Open at the Rileys Middlesbrough knockout in April, as he earned a spot in the £200,000 event to be held at Bolton's Reebok Stadium from June 2-5.
The 40-year-old gardener from Stanley in Co Durham has plenty of experience of playing in local events, but picked up one of the toughest draws for his UK Open debut when he was pulled out against Wade - the 2008 UK Open winner.
Ironically, the draw was made on the same day that Dodds saw Wade live in action when the Premier League Darts visited Newcastle's Metro Radio Arena, as the left-hander defeated Terry Jenkins 8-4 with a fine display.
"I was in the arena with a few friends and when the draw came up on the big screen, there was a big roar in our section," said Dodds.
"We had a laugh because he came out firing against Terry Jenkins, averaging about 120 in the first four or five legs. But that was a different day.
"You could have been thinking 'why couldn't I get an easier draw?' but at the same time everyone's there to be beaten.
"I've played darts for a long time and it won't faze me much. I think I've played just about every dart player other than Phil Taylor through the years"
Should Dodds complete a giant-killing by knocking out Wade, he would face another amateur in either Jon Jukes, John Donaldson or Dave Prins in the second round.
Whilst the best-of-seven leg format in the early rounds may suit the amateur stars, Dodds is taking nothing for granted against Wade.
"I'm a pretty confident player and obviously everybody is looking for a good run, but I know who the people are that I'll be playing against," he added.
"I know it's not easy but I'll just see how I go against James and see what happens.
"I don't think the format will make much of a difference against James because he's one of the quickest starters.
"If I had drawn a couple of the other bigger names you know that they sometimes need a few legs to get warmed up and into the game, but Wadey's normally straight out of the blocks - as he showed against Terry a few weeks ago!
"I'm really looking forward to it though."
Tickets for the Speedy Hire UK Open are still available by calling 08448 712 932 or by visiting the Reebok Stadium Box Office.
The Premier Suite at Bolton's Reebok Stadium hosts the four-day tournament, with coverage live through Sky Sports HD in the UK.
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