Chris Dobey says Premier League darts debut at Newcastle's Utilita Arena will be a 'dream come true'

Bedlington darts ace Chris Dobey says it will be a 'dream come true' when he makes an unexpected Premier League debut at Newcastle's Utilita Arena on Thursday evening.

Each year the cream of the darts crop do battle in a 10-player league to be crowned Premier League darts champion and take home the £250,000 first prize

'Hollywood' will get his first taste of Premier League action when he takes on Mensur Suljovic in front of his home town crowd.

The news came as somewhat of a surprise on Monday, after two-time world champion Gary Anderson pulled out of the 16-week event with a back injury.

Instead of replacing Anderson with a tenth player in the league, the PDC decided to offer nine players a wildcard entry across the first nine weeks of the competition.

“First of all everyone at the PDC would like to wish Gary Anderson a speedy recovery back to full fitness as soon as possible,” said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn.

“Gary’s withdrawal has opened up an incredibly exciting opportunity for the nine contenders to go out and show what they’ve got on some of the biggest stages in world darts.

“The young players who impressed at Alexandra Palace have already shown they can cut it in darts’ biggest ever tournament.

“The local favourites have earned their chance to entertain the crowds and TV viewers, with every one of them will bringing something different to the Premier League party in 2019, and I’m sure they’ll cause a few shocks along the way.

“The PDC has always been about giving opportunities to players and we felt this was the perfect chance to do something revolutionary, as we now look forward to an exciting year of Premier League Darts ahead in 2019."