Delight For Chinese Qualifier

LIU CHENG-AN will represent China at the 2006 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship.

Liu was victorious in the Chinese World Championship qualifying competition, which was sponsored by Coors Light, and he will now follow 2005 winner Tang Jun in heading to the Circus Tavern in December.

Having only begun playing darts in 1998, 32-year-old Liu has risen steadily up the Chinese rankings, coming second in the National Elite Championship last year before winning the China Open.

That victory secured him a place in the 2004 Global Cup, where he played Canadian John Part in the first round.

This year has seen him win the 2005 National Elite Championship as well as the World Championship qualifiers, which will allow him to join 63 other hopefuls in Purfleet.

Liu will not have a chance to test his skills against the PDC's top players before he visits Purfleet, following the postponement of the proposed 2005 Global Cup.

Yasuhiko Matsunaga will be the Japanese qualifier for the second successive year, after he played in the opening game of the 2005 World Championship, going down 3-0 to PDPA qualifier Jason Clark.

He has topped the Japanese rankings this year and will return to the UK in December.