HOLCOMBE Rogus darts star Ryan Searle begins his 2019 PDC Darts World Championship campaign at London's Alexandra Palace at the weekend.

Searle, seeded 70, will fancy his chances taking on Steve Burton (90) in their first round clash on Saturday evening.

If triumphant, Searle, who still plays for Wellington League champions HTA, will meet World No 7 Mansur Suljovic.

Burnham-on-Sea's Gary Anderson, meanwhile, is on the hunt for a third World Championship title.

Anderson is seeded fourth and gets his campaign underway in Friday’s evening session, when he will play the winner of the first round tie between Paul Nicholson and Kevin Burness.

The 47-year-old won the trophy in successive years in 2015 and 2016 but has come away empty handed from his last two visits to the capital, losing to eventual runner-up Phil Taylor in last year’s quarter-finals.

Anderson has been in good form so far in 2018, however, winning the Champions League, the UK Open and World Matchplay as well as reaching the semi-finals in the recent Players’ Championship in Minehead.

That event saw him knocked out by a familiar foe in world number one Michael van Gerwen, and the pair are in the same half of the World Championship draw, meaning they could meet in the semi-finals.

Van Gerwen is the clear bookies’ favourite, priced as low as 11/8 to win the trophy in some places, with Anderson the second favourite at around 10/3.

Defending champion Rob Cross and Anderson’s fellow Scot Peter Wright are among the other contenders.

The World Championship runs from December 13 to January 1.