Spent much of yesterday evening knocking together the betting preview for our sister site bettingzone.co.uk.

The upshot is that our cash will be riding with 'code-crosser' Raymond van Barneveld on his PDC World Championship debut and in-form youngster James Wade.

Of course Phil Taylor gets a big mention in the preview as he chases an almost unbelievable 14th world title but we're cautious of siding with him as he's a renowned slow starter and one of these days he'll be punished for it.

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Having formed an apparently unlikely friendship with former Hear'Say singer Kym Marsh a couple of years back it appears 'The Power' has set his sights somewhat higher ahead of this year's tournament.

Speaking after Sunday's Sports Personality of the Year awards ceremony, Taylor revealed he will have royalty - rather than a Coronation Street barmaid - in his corner when the tournament gets under way next week.

For Zara Phillips, who scooped the top prize at the NEC while Taylor had to be content with sixth, is apparently an 'arrers' fan.

Taylor said: "Zara said she watches the darts and she told me she'd like to come to Purfleet. I never thought I would get to the stage where I was asking the Queen's grandchildren to come and see me play!"

Quite.

As Mike Walters put it in the Daily Mirror: 'Portly men lobbing spears in a lap-dancing club where the carpet sticks to your feet may not be the obvious setting for the Royal family to have a night out.'

They're hardly spears, Mike, but point taken.

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Dennis Priestley has been working overtime in the lead-up to the tournament, but old-school legends like Jocky Wilson and 'Big' Cliff Lazarenko won't be impressed to hear 'the Menace' has not been sinking a couple of extra pints a night...or even putting a couple of extra hours in on the oche.

No, the figurehead of the 'Mexborough Mafia' has been putting in the work on his new exercise bike, cycling up to 20km a day to improve his stamina.

Having tipped Wade to emerge from the quarter of the draw that includes both men, I can only hope the 56-year-old has tired himself out.