Hampshire's hot-shot trio will be back in the limelight in January to extend their Embassy World Darts Championship record.

Teammates Les Wallace, Colin Monk and Andy Jenkins will be back on the most famous oche on earth when they take part in the captivating televised competition which starts on January 8, 2000 - a record no county can match.

It will be the sixth year in a row that the trio have taken up three of the coveted 32 places.

And it will be the seventh year on stage for Basingstoke player and former Winmau World Master Monk who started the record-breaking trend in 1994.

He was joined by best friend and fellow England international Andy Jenkins, from Cosham, the following year - along with Southampton's Scottish international Les Wallace, who has made the biggest impact.

Wallace, the current Winmau World Master, polished off Welshman Marshall James in the 1997 final to bring the sport's biggest trophy back to Hampshire.

He has vowed to repeat the performance again and is seeded seventh for next year's battle at the Lakeside Country Club, Frimley Green.

Proud Hampshire county Organiser Frank Branscombe said: "This feat can't even be matched by the top days of Surrey when they had superstars like Bob Anderson and Cliff Lazarenko in their ranks.

"It is one of the biggest boosts we have and gives great credibility to the county system that we have in place - it proves it works.

"And of course it is a matter of great pride to have them in Hampshire.

"They are the role models and it is because of them that we have such great support. Youngsters know if they try hard enough they can achieve the same and it is all credit to them."

Dutchman Raymond Barneveld is favourite to retain his title and equal Eric Bristow's record by winning three Embassy crowns in a row.

The British Darts Organisation has named 26 of the 32 players and the final six will be decided on December 2 at a qualifying tournament at Frimley Green.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.