"fifth successive year, taking his overall tally to seven World Championships. He had now eclipsed both Eric Bristow, who won five World Darts titles and Steve Davis and (at the time) Stephen Hendry six times World Snooker champions – both targets of Taylor when he began accumulating world championships. The 1999 World Championship featured a prize fund of £104,000. The prize money was allocated as follows: This table shows the number of players by country in the World Championship. Five countries were represented in the World Championship, one more than in the previous championship. 1999 PDC World Darts Championship The"
"John Lowe John Lowe (born 21 July 1945 in Chesterfield) is a former World No. 1 English retired professional darts player who was one of the most talented and best known darts players during the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the United Kingdom. Lowe is one of only six players to have won the World Championship three times, having done so in 1979, 1987 and 1993. He is the first player to have won the World Championship in three separate decades. Lowe's titles and achievements span a career of almost forty years, but he is also well known for being"
"Eric Bristow Eric John Bristow, (25 April 1957 – 5 April 2018), nicknamed ""The Crafty Cockney"", was an English professional darts player. He was ranked World No. 1 by the World Darts Federation a record six times, in 1980 and 81, 1983 to 1985, and in 1990. He was a five-time World Champion, a five-time World Masters Champion and a four-time World Cup singles champion. He won 22 WDF and BDO Major titles and 70 career titles overall. In the 1980s, Bristow's skill and personality helped turn darts into a worldwide spectator sport. In 1993, Bristow was one of sixteen"
"top players who broke away from the British Darts Organisation to form their own organisation, which became the Professional Darts Corporation. He retired from competitive darts in 2007 and subsequently worked as a commentator and pundit on Sky Sports darts coverage. In 1957, Bristow was born in the London Borough of Hackney, where his father was a plasterer and his mother worked as a telephone operator. Bristow left school at age 14. Bristow won his first world championship in 1980, defeating fellow Londoner Bobby George, and so began a decade's worth of domination, in which he would retain his title"
"them all. British Professional Championship The Unipart British Professional Championship was a darts tournament organised by the World Darts Federation and televised by the BBC between 1981 and 1988. After the 1988 championships, the BBC withdrew their coverage of the event and it left UK terrestrial television with only one televised tournament - the World Championships. The game was at an all-time low and players eventually went on to set up the World Darts Council in an attempt to bring back sponsors and television. Jocky Wilson won the title a record four times - John Lowe also reached four finals"
"was at an all-time low and players eventually went on to set up the World Darts Council in an attempt to bring back sponsors and television. Jocky Wilson won the title a record four times – John Lowe also reached four finals but lost them all. The British Matchplay ran from 1976 to 1983 with a brief revival in 1986. The tournament was broadcast on the ITV network in 1978, but usually broadcast regionally including Anglia Television in 1977 and Central in 1986. Not to be confused with the long-running game show Bullseye, this was a BBC2 tournament which ran"
"has dominated the competition, last winning it in 2013. Other than Taylor, there have only been seven other champions. The only other players to win it more than once are John Part (2003 & 2008), Adrian Lewis (2011 & 2012), Gary Anderson (2015 & 2016) and Michael van Gerwen (2014 & 2017). The one-time winners are the inaugural champion Dennis Priestley, the Dutchman Raymond van Barneveld (2007), and reigning champion Cross. In 1992, some high-profile players, including all previous winners of the BDO World Darts Championship still active in the game, formed the WDC (now PDC), and in 1994, held"
"in darts before the World Championship began in 1978. When the Darts World Cup began in 1977, the Welsh team of Evans, Leighton Rees and David ""Rocky"" Jones won the Team Championship and Overall Championship. Evans was a participant at the inaugural Embassy World Championship in Nottingham in 1978. He defeated Alan Glazier before losing to eventual champion, Leighton Rees in the quarter-finals. At the 1979 World Championship, at Jollees in Stoke-on-Trent, Evans won a very fiery quarter final match against Eric Bristow, by 3–1 in sets. In the semi finals, Rees defeated Evans at the World Championship for the"
"British Professional Championship The Unipart British Professional Championship was a darts tournament organised by the World Darts Federation and televised by the BBC between 1981 and 1988. After the 1988 championships, the BBC withdrew their coverage of the event and it left UK terrestrial television with only one televised tournament - the World Championships. The game was at an all-time low and players eventually went on to set up the World Darts Council in an attempt to bring back sponsors and television. Jocky Wilson won the title a record four times - John Lowe also reached four finals but lost"
"Phil Taylor (darts player) Philip Douglas Taylor (born 13 August 1960) is an English retired professional darts player, nicknamed The Power. He is widely regarded as the greatest darts player of all time, having won 214 professional tournaments, including 85 major titles and a record 16 World Championships. He won eight consecutive World Championships from 1995 to 2002 and reached 14 consecutive finals from 1994 to 2007 (both records). He won the PDC Player of the Year award six times (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012) and has twice been nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year,"
"Phil Taylor (darts player) Philip Douglas Taylor (born 13 August 1960) is an English retired professional darts player, nicknamed The Power. He is widely regarded as the greatest darts player of all time, having won 214 professional tournaments, including 85 major titles and a record 16 World Championships. He won eight consecutive World Championships from 1995 to 2002 and reached 14 consecutive finals from 1994 to 2007 (both records). He won the PDC Player of the Year award six times (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012) and has twice been nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year,"
"a visit to Santa Monica, California. Bristow wore a shirt (which he received from the same pub) depicting a uniformed British policeman, a Union Flag and the title ""Crafty Cockney"" whenever he took part in a tournament. Bristow emerged as the most successful and consistent darts player of the 1980s, reigning as number one in the world rankings from 1980 until 1987. He was fortunate to have been around at the right time as television began showing increased interest in the sport in the late 1970s, with the first world championship occurring in 1978. This, allied to the fact that"
"played at a World Professional Darts Championship, Daniels defeated the top seed of the event, highly favored Eric Bristow. Bristow, who would go on to become World Champion five times, later admitted in his autobiography that “[Daniels] got to me mentally.” ESPN has described Daniels’ upset of Bristow as “one of the great shocks in darts.” Daniels suffered first round defeats in the 1980 World Championship to Rab Smith of Scotland and in 1981 to Doug McCarthy of England. He never qualified for the event again. Daniels also played in the 1978 Winmau World Masters, beating Dave Lee to reach"
"Keith Deller Keith Kelvin Deller (born 24 December 1959 in Ipswich) is an English retired professional darts player. Who won the Embassy World Professional Darts Championship in 1983 and Unipart British Professional Championship in 1987. He was the first qualifier ever to win the championship and remains one of the youngest champions in history. For his world championship win, Deller used 18-gram spring-loaded darts, later banned for tournament play but now legal again. He no longer uses these darts. Deller is the manager of two-time PDC World Champion Adrian Lewis. Deller's victory over Eric Bristow in the tournament by 6"
"World Matchplay (darts) The World Matchplay, also known as the BetVictor World Matchplay for sponsorship purposes, is a professional . It is played in a legs format, and is run by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Gary Anderson is the current champion after winning the 2018 edition. The World Matchplay has been played annually since 1994 in the Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool. The first ever winner was Larry Butler, who beat Dennis Priestley 16-12, and the current holder is Gary Anderson. It is regarded as the second biggest PDC Tournament, status shown by the fact the whole"
"acting as a ""spotter"" for the cameras. His knowledge of the players and scoring shots helps the director and cameramen anticipate where the next dart will be thrown. Deller is married to Kim and they have two children, daughter Lauren (born 1991) and son Matt (born 1992). Keith Deller Keith Kelvin Deller (born 24 December 1959 in Ipswich) is an English retired professional darts player. Who won the Embassy World Professional Darts Championship in 1983 and Unipart British Professional Championship in 1987. He was the first qualifier ever to win the championship and remains one of the youngest champions in"
"legs, George had a golden opportunity to level the match and take it to a decider but bust his score and nonchalantly threw his third dart into the board before putting his darts into his top pocket in anticipation of Bristow checking out to win the title. Bristow did so. The prize fund was £15,000. 1980 BDO World Darts Championship The 1980 Embassy World Darts Championship was the third year that the British Darts Organisation had staged a world championship. Again the field was 24 players, with the top seeds receiving a bye to the last 16 stage. For the"
"reached the semi-finals of the 1984 Winmau World Masters, beating Locke, Jocky Wilson and Alan Evans before losing to reigning champion Eric Bristow who eventually retained his title. He retired in 1999 due to health problems. Fred McMullan Fred McMullan (born 31 July 1950) is a retired Northern Irish professional darts player who competed in the 1980s. McMullan played at the World Darts Championship three times. In 1985, he beat Peter Locke of Wales in the first round and then beat Bobby George to reach the quarter-finals but was defeated by Cliff Lazarenko. In 1986 he beat Willie Mands in"
"to win the Masters in three successive years. Only Martin Adams has since emulated this feat by winning the 2008, 2009 and 2010 tournaments (albeit long after the split in darts and in a much weaker field). Anderson won other tournaments during the 1980s, considered darts' most glorious televised era when tournaments were regularly broadcast on BBC and ITV. Two years after his world title success he underwent surgery to fix a back problem that threatened his darts career. He returned to the game professionally but never reached the same heights he had achieved in the 1980s. Anderson was amongst"
"1996). Dennis is also a massive football fan. He supports Barnsley and Manchester United. He also enjoys other sports including Horse Racing and Golf. Dennis Priestley Dennis Priestley (born 16 July 1950) is a retired English professional darts player. He has won two world championships, and was the first player to win both the BDO and WDC (now PDC) world championships, in 1991 and 1994 respectively. He is nicknamed ""The Menace"", after the cartoon character Dennis the Menace, and reflects this by wearing red and black, and using red and black flights. Born in Mexborough, South Yorkshire, Priestley was originally"
"Masters in 1981 and won the News of the World Darts Championship twice in 1978 and 1980, becoming the first (and only) overseas player to win the tournament and one of seven players to win it more than once. He finished runner-up in the 1983 North American Open. Stefan Lord Stefan Lord (born 4 December 1954) is a retired Swedish professional darts player, who competed in British Darts Organisation events, and is one of the country's most successful players. He competed at ten BDO World Darts Championships with his best run coming in 1982 where he finished in third place,"
"The World Championship is a single-elimination seeded tournament beginning in late December and finishing in early January. It is the biggest of the PDC tournaments and has the largest prize fund of any darts competition. Held at the Circus Tavern, Purfleet between 1994 and 2007, the championship moved to a bigger venue at Alexandra Palace from 2008. Phil Taylor has dominated this tournament, reaching the final for the first 14 years between 1994 and 2007 and winning fourteen titles, including eight successive titles between 1995 and 2002. The PDC World Champions have also shared eight BDO World Championships between them,"
"but had a bounce-out on his first turn and Taylor comfortably sealed the win. Gregory would become the only man to have lost a World Championship final having had darts at double to win, and remained so until Mark McGeeney did so in 2018. Whilst he was never a World Champion, he won many televised titles of the era, including the 1984 Unipart British Professional (beating both Jocky Wilson and John Lowe), the 1986 MFI World Matchplay, as well as becoming one of only seven players to win the News of the World Darts Championship twice (in 1987 and 1988),"
"the WDC's legitimacy and the right of players to choose which body they competed for. In return the WDC dropped its claim to being the sport's governing body and renamed itself the Professional Darts Corporation Since there have been two World Championships from 1994 onwards, there have been calls for head-to-head matches between the two Winners. There have been two head-to-head matches between the reigning champions of the two organisations. The challenge matches, held in 1999 and 2004, were officially recognised as undisputed championship matches. In their respective matches, the incumbent BDO champions Raymond van Barneveld and Andy Fordham were"
"1983 BDO World Darts Championship The 1983 Embassy World Darts Championship was staged at Jollees Cabaret Club in Stoke-on-Trent from 1–8 January 1983. The tournament saw one of the World Darts Championship's biggest upsets, when Keith Deller defeated Eric Bristow, by 6 sets to 5 in the final, to become the youngest ever World Darts Champion and the first qualifier to win the World Championship. Deller also beat world number 3, John Lowe in the quarter-finals and defending champion and world number 2, Jocky Wilson in the semi-finals, making him the only player in history to defeat the world's top"
"for three years during the peak of darts boom period at the turn of the eighties. Jocky Wilson was twice the winner. ATV broadcast the Butlins Grand Masters between 1977 and 1988. Matches were played over the best of nine legs. The tournament was held at a pub in Birmingham. Bobby George was twice the winner and Eric Bristow won a hat-trick of titles. The MFI World Matchplay championship was short-lived but historic in darts as it featured the first ever televised nine dart finish on 13 October 1984 when John Lowe won £102,000 for the perfect game of darts"
"Singles Champion on the PDC in 1994. Dan Valletto Daniel Louis ""Danny"" Valletto (4 November 1935-November 24, 2007) was an American professional darts player who played in the British Darts Organisation in the 1980s & 1990s. He left the Professional Darts Corporation in 1994. Valletto reached the final of the 1982 North American Open, losing to fellow countryman Nicky Virachkul. Valletto played in the 1984 Winmau World Masters, losing in the first round to popular Scot Jocky Wilson. He then qualified for the 1986 BDO World Darts Championship, but was beaten in the first round 3-0 by Welshman Ceri Morgan."
"major PDC and BDO tournaments over a two-year period were invited, and all but one (the then BDO World Champion Martin Adams) accepted the invitation until 2015. Phil Taylor won the competition in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011. BDO member Scott Waites won the title in 2010. Opinion is split as to which is the most prestigious title to win. The prize money is far greater in the PDC World Championship and the field contains the majority of the best players in the world. However the British Darts Organisation title has been in existence since 1978 and is generally better"
"any darts competition. In 2010, the prize fund reached £1 million for the first time, with the World Champion collecting £200,000. The 2014 and 2015 PDC World Champions collected £250,000 for their respective wins. In 2018, the prize fund will be increased to £1.8 million, with the World Champion receiving £400,000. The PDC World Darts Championship has been held at Alexandra Palace in London since 2008, having previously been held at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet, Essex, from 1994 to 2007. Nine nine-darters have been thrown at the World Championship. The first one was in 2009. Since the breakaway of"
"World Championship (correct as of 14 January 2018). British Darts Organisation (current sponsors: Lakeside) Professional Darts Corporation (current sponsors: Unicorn) The following sortable table lists all winners of both versions of the World Championship (correct as of 13 January 2018). British Darts Organisation (current sponsors: Lakeside) Professional Darts Corporation (current sponsors: Unicorn) World Professional Darts Championship The World Professional Darts Championship is one of the most important tournaments in the darts calendar. Originally held as an annual event between 1978 and 1993, players then broke off into two separate organisations after a controversial split in the game. Each organisation, the"
"World Trophy Ashton hit a record three-dart average for a televised women's match of 98.85. Lisa Ashton Lisa Ashton (born 27 August 1970) is an English female darts player and the four-time British Darts Organisation women's world champion. Ashton reached the quarter finals of the 2007 Women's World Masters, beating 1996 finalist Heike Ernst of Germany in the last 16 before losing to Rilana Erades. The next year she reached the semi finals, beating Anne Kirk in the last 16 and then beat Australia's Cathy Shaw before losing to eventual winner Francis Hoenselaar. Ashton then won the 2008 Women's Zuiderduin"
"1984 BDO World Darts Championship The 1984 Embassy World Darts Championship was held from 31 December 1983 to 7 January 1984 at Jollees Cabaret Club in Stoke-on-Trent. Eric Bristow made up for his defeat against Keith Deller in the previous year's final by winning his third world title having dropped just one set in the entire tournament. He beat Finn Jensen, Rick Ney, Peter Locke and John Lowe before defeating Dave Whitcombe in the final by 7 sets to 1. Deller suffered a shock first-round defeat to 1978 semi-finalist Nicky Virachkul, who eventually lost to Whitcombe in the quarter-finals. Whitcombe"
"round by Adrian Lewis. Stewart earns his living working for the Australian Government in Canberra. Russell Stewart Russell ""Rusty"" Stewart (born 9 October 1960 in Manchester) is an English–Australian former professional darts player. He used the nickname Rusty for his matches. Stewart was one of the most successful Australian darts players of the 1980s, Australian Singles Champion four times (1988, 1989, 1993 and 1994) also Pacific Masters Champion three times (1983,1984, 1990), winning the Australian Masters five times in six years (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988) and the Australian Grand Masters six times in three different decades (1987, 1988, 1989,"