Potteries darts stars head for UK Open in Bolton

Phil Taylor beat Colin Osborne in the 2009 final at the Reebok Stadium

Four players will fly the flag for Staffordshire at the UK Open in Bolton, which runs from 3-6 June.

Defending champion Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis, Andy Hamilton and Mark Frost are among the 138 players competing for the first prize of £40,000.

Frost will face either Stuart Monaghan or William O'Connor in the first round, while Taylor, Lewis and Hamilton enter the event in the third round on Friday.

World number one Taylor, 49, won the title for a record third time in 2009.

He beat Colin Osborne 11-6 in the final, having also been victorious in 2003 and 2005.

The 15-time world champion will be a strong favourite to retain the trophy, having won the Premier League title for a fifth time on 24 May and hitting two nine-dart finishes in his final victory over James Wade.

The UK Open, which is staged at Bolton Wanderers' Reebok Stadium, has a format similar to football's FA Cup, with no seeding system in place.