Kent star Pip Blackwell will look to claim the Darts World Trophy having only been playing tournaments for the past three years.

Blackwell, from Gravesend, has taken the darts world by storm in the past few years and has already climbed to number 11 in the BDO World rankings.

This Friday he will begin his assault on the Darts World Trophy title backed by 2004 BDO World Darts champion Andy Fordham, with whom he attended his first Invicta Dynamos game on Sunday night.

To be screened from Manchester live on Eurosport, Blackwell will take on Paul Jennings for a place in the next round with the top 32 battling it out for the prize pot of £50,500 on offer.

The tournament will see the top 32 in the world go head to head starting from Thursday with the final to be staged on Sunday.

The competition is headed by the newly crowned Lakeside champion Scott Mitchell ‘Scotty Dog’ and his opponent from the epic final, the three-times former BDO World Champion ‘Wolfie’ Martin Adams.

‘The Count’ Ted Hankey, this year’s wild card and a real crowd puller, is making a welcome return to the BDO big stage when he takes on 2013 Lakeside World Champion ‘Scotty 2 Hotty’ Scott Waites, who has to date won 19 BDO ranking titles.

Hankey is one of the most colourful characters in darts and is hoping the World Darts Trophy will kick-start his game which has brought him so much success over the last decade.

Stephen Holland, managing director of BDO Events, said: “This is an exciting time for darts. The World Darts Trophy will see the very best players within the British Darts Organisation and from around the world competing for the title at this new and amazing venue.”

“The First World Trophy in Blackpool was a huge success and it is now established as a major event on the BDO calendar. We know that the fans will come to Manchester and will enjoy some excellent darts and, undoubtedly, some nail-biting finishes.”