Date of birth: 17.10.69
Home town: Belinog
Nickname: Batesy

2006 was Bates' breakthrough year as a darts player, with his crowning as 'Best Floor Player' at the PDC Awards dinner just reward for the Welshman.

A final appearance at the UK Open was backed up by tour wins in the John Smiths Singles and May's Le Skratch Sarantos Retsinas Memorial and a victory over Phil Taylor to win the Players' Championship in Holland.

By those standards, 2007 hasn't been the best - a surprise first-round exit in his World Championship debut was followed by a second-round defeat at the World Matchplay - but Bates has struggled with his fitness.

Having hobbled his way through the tournament in Blackpool (and the Las Vegas Desert Classic), Bates was thought to be suffering with gout, until a return trip to a specialist revealed he had broken his foot!