Welsh Wonder Warren Upstaged by Daughter!

EXCLUSIVE Wayne Warren admits his glory run to the BDO Worlds quarter-finals has been overshadowed by his Daughter! The Welsh wonder had never won a World Championship match until this year but now faces Mark McGeeney in the quarter-finals tonight (Friday). However Warren, 57, has been shocked that his daughter Lisa, a Little Mix Jesy Nelson lookalike, is being talked about more than his darts after her loud celebrations at Lakeside. He revealed: “Everyone is talking about Lisa on the TV and on social media. Channel Four and BT Sport I think show her more than me actually playing! “Let’s just say that Lisa is boisterous. My family are such a massive inspiration and so passionate as you can tell from Lisa’s celebrations. “When things aren’t going so well I do glance across to where they are sitting just for a bit of motivation and it’s been working so far. “Lisa came to watch me the first time I was at Lakeside a few years ago and I watched it on You Tube the other day and you could hear her on that. “It’s strange because my partner Nicola is sitting next to Lisa but she is cool and calm, well, on the outside anyway. Lisa does enough shouting and screaming for the both of them. “I think if I get to the final that we might need to give her Valium to keep her calm!” Warren, from Tynewydd, is the first Welshman to reach the quarter-finals in seven years and is another sign of the resurgence of the dragon in world darts. With Gerwyn Price now in the PDC Premier League and up and coming stars like Jamie Lewis, Jonny Clayton and Dean Reynolds, Wales are getting back to the glory days of oche legends like the first-ever World Champion Leighton Rees and Alan Evans. Warren now hopes a world title win can help him go professional and he can quit being a roofer. He added: “Playing darts is much better than standing on rooves for a living, it’s warmer and safer! “But seriously if I won the world championship it would be life changing for me. I played the tour last year and it’s made a huge difference. “Then getting through my first match here at Lakeside has really calmed me down, I feel like I’m in the tournament now. I feel relaxed and ready for my quarter-final. “I’ve beaten the No 7 and No 10 seeds, so why not the World No 1? I think it is anybody’s title now, so many top names have gone out. “Mark is a terrific player, I’ve played him a few times and I’ve won and lost. It will come down to who performs on the night. “It’s such a huge tournament. Being on that stage is different for the Worlds. I’ve won the Gold Cup at Lakeside and now I’ve shown I can win matches in the World Championship. “Now I’ve got three more to win. That will give Lisa more to shout and scream about!” LISA WARREN admits that the support for her dad in Wales is like something from the X Factor. The stunning daughter of Wayne has revealed that the pubs are packed out and they have been swamped with messages of backing. Lisa, 30, said: “We are a very passionate family and to see my dad up there winning is amazing, that’s why I’ve been so happy. We are all so proud of him. “I’ve been back and forth down the M4 so much I could probably drive it with my eyes shut to be honest. But I’ll be back on Friday night for the quarter-final. “The local pubs are full when he’s playing and they’ve even called off matches so they can just watch his matches on TV, the support has just been overwhelming. “It would be life-changing for dad if he went further. I’m backing him. I’ve packed my bag for another three days because I’m hoping he goes all the way to the final. I know he can do it.” By Phil Lanning (@lannomedia) Photography courtesy of BDO / DGmedia