Scott Waites had appeared to be the player to beat during the early rounds of the BDO tournament at the Lakeside Country Club, although there’s no accounting for experience and Martin Adams has once again landed the spoils.

The man nicknamed Wolfie was given several scares during Sunday’s final in Surrey, with Dean Winstanley cruising into a 5-4 lead and threatening to cause a big shock in this tournament.

However, Adams has won this title on two previous occasions and the Wolfman reeled off three sets to claim a 7-5 victory and make history in the process.

“I had to dig deep,” Adams told BBC Sport afterwards. “Deano had me in all sorts of problems.

“I thought ‘what do I have to do now?’

“It means it’s number three and that equals one or two records. I want to win a third one next year for the hat-trick.”

Yorkshireman Winstanley was disconsolate although he has produced some excellent performances and held his hands up at the end of the final.

“The better man won on the night, he deserves it. But it was nice to see the man with the beard shake,” he admitted.