SWINDON darts ace Dennis Smith believes he will be playing double world champion Adrian Lewis at the perfect time after drawing the Stoke player in the first round of the World Championship.

The two players have met five times in the past, with Smith only victorious once, but the 44-year-old now has the chance to spring a major upset on the biggest stage in world darts.

Lewis is a notoriously slow starter in big tournaments but finds his feet as the rounds go on, leading Smith to believe he is facing ‘Jackpot’ at the perfect time.

“I’ve got to beat them all in the end so why not in the first round, it’s the best time to have them,” he said.

“Anything can happen in the first round and it could have been worse anyway, I could have drawn the guvnor (Phil Taylor).

“I’ve played him a couple of times, although not for a while, and I have beaten him in the past so I’m looking forward to it.

“It’s the best time to play them, in the first round, because it’s a shorter distance.

“I know what he’s capable of so I need to go up there and do a good job.

“I will do the same routine I usually do but put a few more hours in, a few more each day, and I just need to concentrate on the one match because it’s not as if I’m going to have five or six in the same day like other events.”

The two players approach the game with conflicting styles, with Lewis throwing fast and Smith considerably more calm, and the Swindon man knows he can’t be dragged into playing at the world number three’s pace.

“He’s quite a fast player and I’m quite a slow player so I need to get into a routine,” he said.

“I don’t want to speed up to his game because I am naturally a bit slower so need to not be sucked in at all and go up there and play my own game.”

The tournament begins on December 13 with Smith finding out when his game will be played in the coming days.