BASINGSTOKE darts star Paul Hogan is looking forward to a weekend at Butlins after qualifying for the UK Open.

The 51-year-old, who lives in Buckskin, fought his way through seven matches at Riley’s in Southampton to earn a spot at this weekend’s UK Open, which will be screened on ITV4.

Hogan was in top form on the south coast, only being taken to the last leg once during his run to the final, which saw him beat, among others, former PDC player Jason Crawley.

The final itself was a rather one-sided affair, with Hogan beating Danny Cox 5-1 to earn himself a place at the UK Open, but it wasn’t all plain sailing for the Basingstoke man.

Hogan said: “To start with, it was a bit of a nightmare. I got down there for 10am but because there were so many players, I didn’t play a match until about 6.30pm.

“It was a bit of a marathon after that, playing seven matches in about four hours, but I played pretty well and managed to get through, which is the main thing.”

The UK Open gets under way at Butlins in Minehead, Somerset, tomorrow afternoon.

It’s a venue that Hogan knows well. Last year, he beat three-time world champion John Part en-route to the fourth round, where he was narrowly beaten by another former world champion, Mark Webster.

This year, ‘Crocodile Dundee’ will face Lee Russell in the preliminary round, with the winner meeting Derek Brand, who won a qualifier in Aberdeen, in the first round proper. A second round tie against either Darren Johnson or Ricky Sudale awaits Hogan if he can get through two matches.

“I’m really excited about the weekend,” Hogan said. “I’d like to go a long way in the competition again, but I always try to take it one game at a time.

“I don’t know anything about my preliminary round opponent, but that could be a good thing because it will force me to concentrate on my own game. I’m playing well and go there with plenty of confidence.”