Quartet Confirmed For World Championship

CHINA's Shi Yongsheng, Japan's Akihiro Nagakawa, Guyana's Sudesh Fitzgerald and Holland's Co Stompe will all compete in the 2009 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship.

Yongsheng has played twice before in the World Championship, winning his preliminary round clash with Ashfaque Sayed before losing to Alan Warriner-Little last year.

The 38-year-old has won the Chinese National Championship to secure his spot at Alexandra Palace, with Nagakawa claiming the Japanese National Championship title to ensure his return to the event.

The 36-year-old from Hashima was a 5-2 loser to Anthony Forde in last year's preliminary round.

Sudesh Fitzgerald, a 22-year-old from Georgetown, Guyana, won last weekend's Carib Beer Caribbean & South American Masters to earn him a World Championship place.

The Guyanese National Champion, he defeated fellow countryman Norman Madhoo in the semi-finals 4-3 before taking the Caribbean & South American Masters title with a 4-1 defeat of Mark Cummins in the final.

Dutch star Stompe, meanwhile, will make his debut at Alexandra Palace as the SBS6 Wildcard, six months after moving onto the PDC circuit.

The full field will be confirmed on December 1, following the German Darts Championship.

Tickets for the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship are still available - click here for full details.

Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship
Preliminary Round Competitors

Warren French - New Zealand National Champion
Shi Yongsheng - Chinese National Champion
Akihiro Nagakawa - Japanese National Champion
Lourence Ilagan - Philippines Champion
Marko Kantele - Finnish ProDart Champion
Sudesh Fitzgerald - Caribbean & South American Masters Champion
Shane O'Connor - Irish Matchplay Champion
David Fatum - PDC North American Order of Merit Third Place
Co Stompe - SBS6 Wildcard
Charles Losper - PDC South African Open Champion

To Be Confirmed
GDC number one ranked player (or next highest non-qualified player)
Indian qualifier

International Representatives in First Round
Darin Young, Bill Davis - PDC North American Order of Merit First and Second Place
Paul Nicholson - Australian Grand Prix Champion
Russell Stewart - Oceanic Masters Champion
Per Laursen - Danish Series Champion
Nandor Bezzeg - Eastern European Champion

To Be Confirmed
Top four non-qualified players from Continental Europe Order of Merit