Scott Waites loses in the final after tremendous Grand Slam

Congratulations to Red Dragon Darts Scott Waites who put in a superb performance all week at the grand Slam of darts, before finally succumbing to Phil "The Power" Taylor.

However, although he was given a lesson in the final it was very understandable to see that Scott’s effort all week may have taken more out of him than everyone expected.

He played superbly in the group stages beating Hankey, Whitlock and Mardle to top the group.

In the last 16 Scott faced a very tough prospect in the on form Gary Anderson, who pounded the treble 20 with reckless abandon, but Scott’s mettle was more than up to the task and he showed no respect for reputation nailing crucial double after crucial double to set up a big quarter final head-to-head with his fellow Team Red Dragon Player Simon "The Wizard" Whitlock.

Simon Whitlock had visited the Red Dragon Darts Headquarters on his day off from the Grand Slam to develop his new range of darts, and the ink was still wet on the contract as he went toe to toe with Waites.

For Team Red Dragon it was a tough game to watch, but Scott emerged showing the same class and determination he’s used to beat Gary Anderson and his reward was a semi-final spot against the vastly more experienced PDC Veteran Terry "The Bull" Jenkins.

Again, it was a game that the pundits never truly backed Scott in, as he’s not been seen this far in such a truly world Class field, and you could be forgiven for thinking that Jenkins was expected to let his experience show.

However, it was Scott Waites that continued the greatest week of his darting career with a superb 16-11 semi-final win, earning him a minimum £50,000 pay-day.

Scott said "It^s amazing, I can^t believe I^ve made it this far," said Waites, a joiner by trade and a former World Masters runner-up.

"It^s always been my ambition to play against Phil and I get to do it for the first time in the final. Given the way this week has gone, anything could happen!"

Waites, ranked number two in the BDO, led 2008 runner-up Jenkins 4-1 and 10-6 before the Ledbury star hit back to level at 11-all.

However, Waites reeled off five successive legs, including finishes of 117 and 10, to progress to the final.

When the dust settles Scott will learn a lot form facing the world’s greatest darts player, and the 31 other Lakeside World Professional qualifiers may have just increased their practice routines.