Irwin to enter the snake pit

Tahuna Irwin hit two maximums. File Picture

Gisborne's Tahuna Irwin has drawn colourful world No.2 Peter “Snakebite” Wright in the first round of the Auckland Darts Masters, starting tonight.

Irwin, 21, qualified for the tournament which features 16 players, including six of the world’s top 10 led by world champion Michael van Gerwem of the Netherlands.

Irwin went to the Masters as a spectator last year and that motivated him towards qualification for the 2018 edition and the world champs in London in December.

“When I was there, the atmosphere was amazing and that inspired me to want to get up there — and here I am now,” he said in a story on the Professional Darts Association website.

“I hope to just be the best I can, I don’t want to be wasting the time that I have. I’m very excited to play Peter, to test myself and experience everything before the world championship.

“Win or lose, I am still happy that I even got there. But of course the goal is to win — and I know I have the talent to do that, I just have to use it.”

Scotsman Wright, whose trademark is his usually brightly-coloured mohawks, has an arm’s-length-long list of achievements at the highest level. Van Gerwen is the only player to have made more money than him in the past two years.

The Auckland Masters starts at 7pm tonight and is live on Sky Sport 1.