At least two former world darts champions will be on the oche in the increasingly popular Daily Echo Hampshire Open next week.

Southampton's Les Wallace, Embassy world champion in 1997, has promised to defend the title he won last year but two times world title holder, Canadian John Part, is also intent on winning the £1,000 first prize.

Part, pictured, who secured his first crown with a convincing win over Bobby George at Frimley Green's Lakeside Country Club in 1994 before picking up the Professional Darts Corporation title in 2003, is among a field of about 400. Included are several other top names and plenty of club and pub standard players.

Former winners Paul Carter, Paul Hogan and Colin Monk have their names down for the Novotel competition on May 7 along with PDC players Andy Jenkins, Kevin Painter, Peter Evison and Mick Manning.

More stars are likely to put in last-minute applications after the collapse of a tournament scheduled for the same day in the north of England.

Frank Branscombe, spokesman for the Hampshire Darts Organisation, who are staging the event, said: "The Hampshire Open has a good name on the darts circuit and more top players are taking part.

"But they only make up a small part of the field and there is no guarantee of them getting to the latter stages as there are many players who are more than capable of causing upsets and who are equally determined to win the title.

"But I can't think of another sport where 'Joe Public' can go along and enter and have the opportunity to take on people they would only normally see on the television."

Games will be the best of five legs of 501 up to the quarter-finals. From then on it is played over seven legs with the final the best of nine. Closing date for entry, which costs £5, is April 30. Details on 023 9232 1140.