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Interview with Olly Croft

An Interview With Olly Croft, OBE
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Q. When you formed the BDO in the early 1970s, did you imagine that more
than 30 years later you would still be involved with the organisation?

CROFT : I had the same passion for darts and darts people when the BDO
started as I do today, and still have strong bouts of inspiration and
aspiration related to the sport as I have always had. I am ‘thinking’
darts 24 hours of every day, which is why I never had time to ’imagine’
how long it would last! I simply had a vision for darts and got on with
it, and have always received wonderful help from like-minded people. The
BDO was founded to provide an organisation that would benefit players of
all colours, creeds and abilities. Our mandate and responsibility
remains to look after ALL darts players – men, women and youth – by
providing a structure, framework and system that fosters, nurtures and
promotes our great sport from grass roots right through to national,
international, world and professional levels. It has to be for everyone
- be they young, old, male, female and of average, mediocre or brilliant
ability.
After an initial two years of meetings with potential officials
throughout Great Britain, the BDO was founded in 1973. Until that
time, darts was poorly organised and didn’t have any official rules,
guidance or ambitions. Our first priority was to harness the potential
of the players and help darts to grow and thrive. The inspiration
behind this was to have an organisation to benefit the players and also
gain recognition for their capabilities by giving them real goals for
their talents. We founded the British Inter-County Championships through
forming county organisations. There are now sixty-four counties
providing competitive darts for men, women and youth, backed up with
internal county Super Leagues. This is the ‘engine room’ if you like and
the very backbone of the BDO. However, the dedication of those involved
was such (and still is today) that many people (myself included) have
devoted a lifetime to darts voluntarily to ensure that darts is where it
is today. This is where the term ‘BDO family’ comes from. Some may
scoff at the mere mention of ‘family’ but to the BDO it is all
important. Our darts promotes a family ethic and to this very day I love
attending tournaments, presentation nights, etc and meeting people and
seeing them simply enjoying darts. It’s not all about the ‘glamour’
tournaments, TV and big money. Darts is the most social sport in the
world.
Having put the county system into place to provide the very foundations
of our sport, I also founded the England National team and we competed
in the first WDF World Cup in 1977 and the first WDF Europe Cup in 1978.
We haven’t missed one since and our record is pretty good! When the BDO
became founder member of the World Darts Federation, darts began a
global growth that now embraces over sixty nationally constituted darts
bodies around the world. We all come together in this month (September)
for the WDF World Cup in Perth, Australia, and as Secretary General of
the WDF, I am proud of being part of what we have achieved since the
early days.
The first Winmau World Masters was played in 1974 and over 30 years
later we still enjoy the sponsorship of the Winmau Dartboard Company.
The 2005 World Masters is introducing a new corporate name in High
Street giants Argos and will receive excellent coverage on BBC TV. BDO
darts remains the only darts seen on nationally-networked, terrestrial
television, and we enjoy audiences of millions. The World Masters is
unique in that it showcases the darts playing abilities of Men, Women,
Boys and Girls. This is a true reflection of the BDO all-inclusive
ethic.
Again, our relationship with BBC TV stretches back almost 30 years
which I believe is something of a record in sport/broadcasting
relationships. The 2006 Lakeside World Pro will celebrate our 29th
consecutive year on BBC TV and our 21st year at Lakeside Country Club –
the home of world darts. I am very proud that since 2001 we have
presented the Women’s World Professional Darts Championship at Lakeside.

Again, I am proud that it was the BDO who had the vision to promote
darts as an exciting televised sport. We pioneered darts on TV and made
countless players household names. The late 1970s and 1980s produced
wall-to-wall televised darts on practically every channel. I can
remember having something like a dozen televised tournaments and
literally having to fight-off TV companies. Over the years BDO darts
have been seen on BBC, ITV and its various regional networks, Sky,
Eurosport, BBC Choice, BBCi and on countless satellite and cable
channels. We introduced The Netherlands and Europe to televised darts
through our successful and ongoing liaison with SBS-6. What’s more, BBC
Worldwide market our darts to over seventy countries around the globe,
and BDO/WDF darts and its players are seen by the largest TV audiences
for darts anywhere in the world.
In addition to the World Pro and World Masters on BBC TV and SBS-6,
BDO/WDF players are also delighted to be involved with the Tempus
International Darts League and Bavaria World Darts Trophy – both
screened on SBS-6 - which, through the success of our top players, have
promoted the growth of darts in The Netherlands and Greater Europe (both
are contracted until 2008). To sum up, in thirty-two years of the BDO,
darts has been transformed from a largely pub/club based activity into a
professionally run and administered world sport, which has now been
recognised by all the sports councils of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland.


Q.What was your history before the BDO formation and what were the
primary reasons for its coming to be?

CROFT : I was a dedicated darts player who wanted to see our ‘game’
recognised, because like all those who have ever played darts, I loved
the competitiveness and the camaraderie of getting together and simply
playing. I was also very competitive and enjoyed a spell in football
with Barnet FC (my position was in goal). Before the BDO took over my
life I built up my own tile business from scratch and worked as a
tile-fixer for many years. Lorna answered the phones and looked after
the office and shop. She also brought up our family. At one time I
employed over 70 fixers and enjoyed a multi-million pound turnover.
Nowadays the tile shop and business remains a family concern, but I
spend most of my time – no, ALL of my time – running the BDO from the
Pages Lane headquarters. To be honest, I live, breathe, eat and sleep
darts! But I wouldn’t want it any way. Darts and the BDO is my life,
and the passion I had for the game, its players and official in 1973 is
still the same today. During my lifetime I am proud to say that I have
built-up all my concerns from nothing – this includes the tile business,
the BDO, WDF, the World Masters and the World Professional Darts
Championships.


Q. What do you consider to be the major achievements of the
organisation?

CROFT : There really have been so many. I have already mentioned
several, but the biggest achievement has to be gaining recognition for
darts as a bona-fide sport. When I was informed on June 3rd this year
that all the sports councils had agreed unanimously, I literally jumped
for joy! Had I been 20 years younger I might have been seen doing
cartwheels down Pages Lane!!
Here are some more ‘positives’ that illustrate recent achievements:
Returning the BDO to a stable financial position; receiving the OBE for
services to darts on behalf of darts and the BDO; involvement in many
exciting projects – especially on television; enjoying a 27 year
relationship with Imperial Tobacco and the Embassy World Professional;
welcoming Lakeside Country Club as a main World Professional title
sponsor in 2004; extending our valued contracts with Bob Potter, BBC TV
and SBS-6 to 2008; introducing such diverse names as Fray Bentos,
888.com and Argos to darts (with the prospect of more high-profile
sponsors in the future); the increases for the 2005 Winmau World Masters
together with those in prize money and broadcasting time for the 2006
Lakeside World Pro. And the Kaliber sponsorship of the BDO
Inter-Counties which won a prestigious sponsorship award last year, and
which now continues for its second consecutive season. Add to this
impressive across the board increases in all BDO Open tournaments this
year, plus an increase of more than one-thousand in BDO player
membership, and you begin to see that the achievements are many, varied,
ongoing and benefit all. Suffice to say that a lot of people work very
hard to achieve what I have mentioned, and lots more besides, so we are
clearly doing something right!


Q. How does the BDO see itself in 2005 and where does it go from here?

This question has already been answered. There is always lots going on
and the BDO is constantly planning ahead for the benefit of the WHOLE
sport. You can rest assured that the BDO is maintaining its basic
principal of looking after the future of darts for ALL players.


Q. As we are into a new County season, what in your opinion makes a
successful County team? It is certainly something that quite a few
people are very passionate about.

CROFT : Perhaps you should be asking this of a county secretary or
county player? To my mind, it all boils down to commitment, enthusiasm
and enjoyment. Most of the county players I speak to love their county
darts. I have known top players like John Walton, Martin Adams and Trina
Gulliver travel the length of the country after a major tournament just
to represent their county. That’s what it’s all about. The competitive
spirit, the camaraderie and the sheer love of playing the game. Ally
this to the commitment and good organisation of the officials and that’s
what makes successful darts at county – or any other level. As I have
already said, we are also delighted that Kaliber are continuing their
award-winning sponsorship of the Inter-Counties. Again, we must be doing
something right!!


Q. Recognising that some top quality players no longer ply their trade
within the BDO ranks professionally there has been much talk and
consternation about some Counties restricting members of the PDPA from
playing Super League or County Darts. Has this matter been resolved?

CROFT : There should be no misunderstanding of the situation. The
majority want to make sure that players ineligible for BDO major
tournaments are not given the opportunity of taking points out of the
system that they don’t plan to use – thus preventing players who want to
compete at the highest levels from gaining those points. Not only is it
common-sense to protect our system for the benefit of the players who
are committed to it, but it is also done for fairness and
accountability. All counties were informed of the situation in November
2004. However, for further clarification I will repeat it again:

REGISTRATIONS – MEMBERS-ONLY EVENTS – ELIGIBILITY

1. A Member County has the right to refuse to accept a registration form
from
any individual without disclosing a reason for so doing.

2. When a form has been accepted by a Member County the player’s
signature affirms his/her commitment to play Super League and County
darts within the Rules and Regulations of the British Darts
Organisation.

3. In conjunction with this commitment a player intending to participate
in a BDO Members-Only darts event MUST be able to declare that he/she is
eligible to play in the World Professional Championships – this is an
absolute necessity as winning a BDO Members-Only darts event leads to
participation in those Championships.

Choices

1. Players have the right to choose which system they wish to play in
and
support that system.

2. Member Counties have the right to choose which players they wish to
accept into their part of the BDO system.

Note

A player who has chosen to become a member of the PDPA has made a direct
commitment to play in the PDC Championships and is NOT eligible to play
in the Lakeside World Professional Championships – such a player will
NOT be allowed to play in any BDO Members-Only darts events that can
lead to participation in the Lakeside event.

BDO Members-Only Events

• BDO County Super League – Men’s and Women’s teams.
• BDO Gold Cup Singles and Pairs – Men’s and Women’s events.
• British Inter-County Championships – Men’s and Women’s teams.
• British International Championships – Men’s and Women’s teams.
• Winmau World Masters Championships – Men’s and Women’s events.
• World Professional Championships – Men’s and Women’ s including the
Play-offs at County and International levels.


Q. Another issue that raises its head from time to time is how players
are selected to play for England. Is there a formal criteria and if so
what is it?

CROFT : Again, this is a matter for England/Scotland/Wales selectors who
use criteria that cover many and varied aspects. No one is perfect and
everyone will have their own view. When the England soccer, cricket or
rugby teams are selected, they are invariably questioned and criticised.
That’s human nature. What I will say is that this is a democratic
process that is placed in the hands of elected officers. In the case of
England they haven’t done too badly have they? Both our England men’s
and women’s teams go to the WDF World Cup defending their respective
titles. And both captains – Martin Adams and Trina Gulliver – are
currently ranked No.1 in the world. The current England ladies team is
unbeaten. England Men have won the WDF World Cup eleven times out of the
fourteen times it has been played. Wales won the other three, which
means that British teams have a 100% WDF World Cup record. It’s
difficult to argue with that?


Q. There is a lot of criticism of the BDO, particularly in Darts forums
on the internet. Recognising that a good amount may indeed be unfounded
but it does seem that a number of people are calling for ‘change’
whether it be in personnel or moving with the times. Is there likely to
be any substantial change in the coming years or are you convinced that
these criticisms are off-mark and that the BDO is doing everything
right?

CROFT : To be honest, if I took a lot of time reading internet darts
forums I would get nothing done! Once again, for whatever reasons,
everyone thinks they can do a better job than those who actually run the
sport. Though most of the people on websites appear to post anonymously,
they are entitled to their opinions. But from my own long experience, I
know that there are more ‘wanters’ than ‘doers’ out there! Those that
‘do’ are invariably the people who devote their entire life, for no
reward, very little thanks and constant criticism, to making the sport
‘happen’. Those who ‘want’ changes but just sit back and criticise – too
often nowadays via email and website forums – think that the sport can
be run and administered from behind a laptop! You don’t keep an
organisation like the BDO going for all these years and achieve what I
have described – from county darts to the best televised darts in the
world; from fundraising for our youth players to a prize fund of
£275,000 for the World Pro, without being ‘hands-on’ and dedicated . You
use the term ‘moving with the times’. We have led the way in everything
that you see in darts. I don’t say this to boast. I say it because it’s
a fact. The BDO is changing all the time, as I have already pointed out.
However, the principal of running and administering such a massive
organisation for the benefit of all, remains the same.
The BDO and its BDO Counties stage and promote in the region of 800
events each and every year. They can’t all be on TV, and they can’t all
be high-profile and offer lots of money. But they are staged for the
benefit of ALL BDO players from the very young to the very old; for the
county player to the professional; from men and women to boys and girls.
For over thirty years we have been instrumental in the growth of darts,
not only in this country but all over the world. Two prime examples of
successful BDO/WDF youngsters are 13 year-old American schoolgirl Ashley
Stewart, who has just become the first female winner and youngest ever
ADO National Youth Championships winner. And Michael Van Gerwen, yet
another outstanding talent from The Netherlands, who won the 2005 Norway
Open Men’s Singles at the tender age of 16. Both will be in Bridlington
for the World Masters in October.
I mention these achievements because they are current, but I could cite
endless examples of outstanding successes in BDO/WDF youth darts for
both boys and girls. For example, 12 year-old Kimberley Lewis and 13
year-old Jamie Lewis (no relation) representing Wales in this year’s WDF
World Cup in Perth, Australia, and 15 year-old Kellie Hammond and 16
year-old Ross Smith, who will proudly fly the England flag in Perth.
Not forgetting teenager Scott Lovett, the 2005 BDO British Teenage
Champion. They are following in the footsteps of talented youngsters
like Stephen Bunting, Tony Martin and Kirk Shepherd, who have all been
‘BDO Young Players Of The Year’ and – though still young - are now
established in the senior ranks of our top players. What an insult it
is to all these talented youngsters to describe youth darts as
‘uneconomical’ as said by those who clearly have no mandate for the
future of our sport. The BDO/WDF sees their ongoing commitment to youth
darts – quite rightly – as a major ‘investment’ in the future of our
sport. As Secretary General of the World Darts Federation I am proud
that the BDO was a founder member of the WDF, and the BDO currently has
sixty-nine associated countries. The BDO is a governing body and has
responsibilities to everyone who competes in its events, or officiates
at every level. I am proud to say that in 32 years I have never missed a
BDO meeting, or major national, international or world finals. No other
person in darts has that record. We administer the sport for thousands
and thousands of people who enjoy participating in it. Not all of them
will get to the very top or be seen on television by millions. But the
BDO gives them the system and opportunity to get there. That will never
change.


Q. The BDO of course founded the World Professional Championships and in
just a few months now will be heading towards another championships at
Lakeside with the most comprehensive television coverage to date. Which
has been your personal favourite World Championships to date and why?

CROFT : They have all been memorable for different reasons. I have
attended every World Pro since me and Peter Dyke of World Promotions got
together and launched it on BBC as ‘The Embassy’ in 1978. It was the
start of a wonderful sponsorship liaison with Imperial Tobacco that
lasted twenty-seven years until Government legislation brought it to an
end in 2003. I can honestly say that it feels just like yesterday when
we applauded the late, great Leighton Rees as he took the first ever
World Pro crown home to his beloved Wales. The Embassy was well ahead of
its time. Think about it? A World Darts Championship on mainstream BBC
TV more noted for showing the boat race and Wimbledon! We broke the
mould and showed just what our sport and our players could do. Today I
am proud that it is the oldest established televised World Darts
Championship. It always was and always will be the one every player
wants to win.
Players like Eric Bristow became almost a ‘son’ to Lorna and I. The BDO
gave him the platform to show off his talents, as we did to characters
like Jocky Wilson, John Lowe, the irrepressible Bobby George and, in
more recent times, modern day stars like Andy Fordham, Mervyn King,
Martin Adams, Ted Hankey, John Boy Walton, Darryl Fitton, Tony O’Shea,
Tony Eccles, Tony West and so many more. Not forgetting the player who
started a darts revolution in Holland thanks to his successes at
Lakeside – Raymond van Barneveld. I can’t mention every player by name –
there are too many good ones out there! Suffice to say that Lakeside has
become the theatre of dreams as host of the greatest Championships in
world darts.
The World Pro has all the history and kudos for the players to aspire
to, and every top player in the sport owes his success to our World
Professional Darts Championships. Terrestrial TV is the greatest ‘shop
window’ for our sport – for any sport – because of the huge audiences it
consistently attracts. Our darts is watched by millions. If I’m pushed I
would say that seeing Paul Lim hit his 9-darter in 1990 was a bit
special, but so was 2000 when Ted Hankey won in record time and checked
out on that brilliant 170; and 2001 when we staged the very first
Women’s World Professional Darts Championship. The incomparable Trina
Gulliver has now won the title five times to claim her very own place in
the record books. John Boy Walton also won that year and prevented Ted
Hankey from notching up a World Pro ‘double’, before going on to win
practically every major title that year! 2002 was a special year,
because Tony David created another World Pro record by becoming the
first Australian to win the most coveted title in world darts. And, of
course, Andy Fordham’s famous 2004 victory when he was watched by 4.6
million BBC viewers winning the first ever Lakeside World Pro title.
There have been 17 World Pro Champions representing six countries –
proving that it is a true, competitive and open world championship in
which the winner can never be predicted. We celebrate 21 years at
Lakeside in 2006 and I still get a tingle up my spine every time I walk
into the place!


Q. What difference will official and UK wide Sports recognition mean to
the BDO?

CROFT : The last ten years have been devoted to achieving this, and I am
proud that having been awarded the OBE in 2004, the BDO achieved
official sports recognition for darts in 2005. Such high-profile
milestones are the very least our players, officials and supporters
deserve. Most importantly, it means that our players can call themselves
sportsmen and sportswomen, but recognition also means that the BDO can
now plan for the future with renewed confidence. If and when Lottery
funding and sports council grants become available to us, they can be
used to fund youth darts – from coaching to equipment – and to send
teams to compete overseas. It is early days, but we will be having many
meetings and discussions with UK Sport officials on the ways in which
they can help us develop the sport still further.
I would add that the difference will be felt more at grass roots level
than at the top end of the game. Recognition benefits the darts players
of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and whatever
difference it makes now and in the future, I can assure everyone that
recognition will provide many benefits and opportunities that weren’t
open to us previously.
We have been ‘recognised’ for many years as the governing body for
darts. We get countless enquiries for advice, information, guidance, etc
on darts each and every week from sports councils, the media, commerce,
etc. Last year the Government approached us to help launch their ‘Get
On’ campaign to improve the numeracy skills of young adults in
particular. Years ago we took darts into schools and have constantly
pioneered the mathematical values of darts as a positive aid to ’mental’
arithmetic.
Andy Fordham became the figurehead of the ‘Get On’ campaign and we
received an official letter telling us that this had become one of the
most successful government campaigns of recent years. Importantly, it
illustrated to government at the very highest levels the huge popularity
that darts and its players enjoy. So much so that government Minister
Ivan Lewis paid us the great compliment of visiting Lakeside this year,
accompanied by a team of Civil Servants, to meet our players and
officials. We also distributed thousands of pieces of informative
literature during Lakeside week.
The liaison has been so successful that we have been asked to continue
at this year’s Winmau World Masters and next year’s World Pro, so look
out for more VIP’s! I am delighted to say that we have always worked
closely with the government and have had the pleasure of meeting several
Sports Ministers and welcoming them to Lakeside – Tony Banks, Kate Hoey
and Richard Caborn included. Darts has also taken me to the Houses Of
Parliament and No.10 Downing Street, where I met Tony Blair. And, of
course, just under a year ago I had the pleasure of meeting HM The Queen
at Buckingham Palace to receive my OBE – and was delighted that she knew
about our sport and spoke to me about it. That was my third visit to the
Palace on behalf of darts. Again, I mention this not to be boastful,
but simply to remind people that darts has always been well represented
by the BDO, and a great deal is done to promote the sport in the right
circles and to the right people.


Q. Ever since the split over a decade ago now there seems to have been a
continual war of words, particularly at a professional Darts level
between yourselves and the PDC with the situation deteriorating even
more in recent years. Do you think there will always continue to be room
for both organisations and both sets of World Championships and surely
even the most ardent BDO supporters would have to admit that the PDC
have taken one side of the professional game on to a new level with
massively increased television coverage and prize money?

CROFT : It is unfortunate that politics always rears its ugly head. To
be honest, we don’t go out of our way to criticise any organisation, and
certainly never the players. I look at it like this: We provide the
system for players and it is their choice whether they stay in our
system or choose to go down another road. If they chose to play their
darts elsewhere I honestly have no problems with that. What I do not
like and will never understand are the players, officials and
commentators who make the change and then do nothing but criticise the
BDO and its players. I have no time for that sort of behaviour. It
demeans our sport. I repeat, the BDO has been here for thirty-two years
and continues to serve the SPORT of darts. Our responsibility is to ALL
players – men, women and youth - ALL ages and ALL abilities. We have
sixty-four counties in Great Britain, almost seventy country darts
bodies associated with the BDO worldwide, and more than 1,000 officials.
Need I go on? We probably have more professional players than the PDC,
but there is no comparison, because the BDO is not run just for them. It
is a democratically elected governing body representing thousands of
darts players. As far as ‘massively increased television coverage’ is
concerned, Sky figures for darts aren’t that great, and the BDO used to
present far more televised tournaments than the PDC do today, on
practically every channel. But eventually the bubble burst. Televised
darts can be their own worst enemy, especially when quality is replaced
by quantity to fill air-time. Viewers ultimately get tired of the same
old faces and so do TV companies. Thankfully, the BDO has a system which
produces new faces, talents and characters every year. The 2005 World
Professional had twelve players making their debuts at Lakeside so it
always remains fresh and exciting. It celebrates its 29th consecutive
year on BBC next January. You don’t achieve longevity on TV like that
without doing it right and putting on a great ‘show’ year after year. We
get viewing audiences of millions for BDO/WDF darts, but I don’t think
that’s the case for PDC darts on Sky.
Unfortunately, whatever I say will be misinterpreted as sour grapes, so
I can’t win. But it is all factual and at the end of the day, my main
priority is to concentrate on what is good for the BDO and its players.



Q. Is there any regular or occasional dialogue between you and anyone on
the board of directors of the PDC? Perhaps an olive branch. I asked the
same of Barry Hearn last month. If you could smooth things over and
offer a possible way forward for the PDC and the BDO. What would the one
message be that you would like to publicly give to Barry and the PDC?

CROFT : Having been taken through the law courts and seeing massive
amounts of money wasted on litigation, the time for ‘dialogue’ sadly
passed us by a long time ago. It doesn’t help when we see and hear so
much criticism of the BDO during televised PDC events. Nor when Mr.Hearn
has gone on record as saying that he simply wants to ’destroy the BDO’.
The way in which Andy Fordham was pursued by him earlier this year also
leaves a lot to be desired. Such actions display a total disregard for
the players and the sport.
The difference is that I am sure our players recognise that they are
highly respected by us. I don’t really know Barry Hearn, except by
reputation. However, if he thinks everyone puts money before loyalty,
then he should have learned differently from recent events. I have run
the BDO for thirty-two years and, again without boasting, am probably
the most experienced administrator in national, international and world
darts. In contrast, he has been involved in darts for just a few years
and I don’t think you’ll find him in the office every day running the
PDC.
I suppose the best way to describe him and the PDC is as promoters of
TV tournaments on Sky for the financial benefit of a few players and
‘shareholders’. If that’s what they want, then that’s fine with me, I
have no problems with it, as long as they leave us alone to represent
the sport of darts in the ways I have described. Unfortunately, not
everyone can get on televised tournaments. We provide the only
terrestrial televised darts in the world and the biggest audiences for
darts in the world. To play in the World Pro and World Masters are the
ambitions of every player. However, there has to be much more for
‘ordinary’ players to aspire to. Thankfully, the BDO continues to
provide for ‘ordinary’, ‘average’ and ‘talented’ darts players and
everyone in between. Surely, that cannot be criticised?


Q. Finally, after all of this time involved with the sport, do you still
get pleasure from watching a match? For example the top quality World
Masters final of last year between Mervyn King and Tony O’Shea?

CROFT : Of course I do!! I will never tire of watching BDO/WDF darts
players. I have been blessed with having seen them all over the last
four decades. You mention two great players and thankfully, the BDO/WDF
have plenty more where they came from! I have already mentioned several
of them in the answers to these questions, but do you really want to
know the truth? I see them all as part of the great BDO ‘family’ and I
look after them like a doting father – or should that be grandfather. As
the head of an organisation like the BDO, I expect to receive criticism
– and I’ve had plenty of it over the years! It comes with the
territory!! But at the end of the day my passion for the sport, the
players and the people within it remains the same. I simply love darts
and have never regretted devoting my life to this great sport. And I’m
glad to have played a small part in making sure that we can now describe
it as a sport.

[oche balboa]

Thread for the UK Open North West Regional Final

No Dartconnect in those days of course so relying on PDC Updates.

https://web.archive.org/web/20070108040 ... topic=4657

[oche balboa]

DBG had a website

https://web.archive.org/web/20071009163 ... en.com:80/

Hello all, I hope you enjoy viewing my new website as much as i am enjoying putting it together although I would rather be in the pub!!

The idea of my website is for you to get to know me and follow my career as a professional dart player as i try to make my name in the sport and live a dream i have had for over 13 years.


I started playing darts when i was nearly 14 years old, I remember buying my first set of darts with the money I had earned from doing a paper round only for my mum to make me take them back to the shop I bought them from for a refund as she thought it was a dangerous game.

The next day I bought another set and kept them hidden, practising in the garage until she found them, only they were used so she let me keep them.

I started off practicing a little after school and didn't really take darts seriously until the family moved to Belgium where I used to go and play snooker in a local club until they stopped letting me on the snooker tables so I used to have a drink and play darts instead.

A couple of English lads who lived there watched me play one evening and invited me to play for a pub team so as not to embarrass myself I started to practice more.

One weekend they invited me to a local competition in Antwerp which was the Antwerp open, I remember walking in to the venue and seeing players like Dennis Priestley and Keith Deller practicing as well as hundreds of other players (not at all what I was expecting) Straight away the nerves started going as I played my first round match.

I lost my match 3-1 but was enjoying myself so much I didn't care and spent the rest of the day asking players to sign my shirt.

It was the Antwerp open that made me fall in love with the game, since then I have moved back to England and played in the Oxford and district dart league where i earned my nickname Dave "Boy" Green because some players deemed me to have the aggression and cockyness of a boxer, and there was a boxer by the name of Dave "Boy" Green.

My aim this year is to spend the next couple of months practicing my game, at the moment I am playing for 3-4 hours a day,then come September I aim to play every competition I can in the months before the world championship play offs.

I believe that i have what it takes to become a top 32 world ranked dart player and the determination to make it. I hope that you will continue to visit my website and follow my career.

All the best and game on!!

[Rogg]

From Alan Warriner's old website: https://web.archive.org/web/20070621014 ... nkings.htm


World Rankings
May 2006

1 LLOYD, Colin England 572
2 TAYLOR, Phil England 551
3 BAXTER, Ronnie England 485
4 MANLEY, Peter England 433
5 MARDLE, Wayne England 425
6 PAINTER, Kevin England 425
7 SCHOLTEN, Roland Holland 422
8 JENKINS, Andy England 417
9 PRIESTLEY, Dennis England 407
10 DUDBRIDGE, Mark England 397
11 OVENS, Denis England 393
12 WALSH, Mark England 370
13 JENKINS, Terry England 368
14 LEWIS, Adrian England 363
15 PART, John Canada 361
16 MASON, Chris England 344
17 WARRINER-LITTLE, Alan England 340
18 WADE, James England 307
19 SAMS, Lionel England 295
20 ASKEW, Dave England 293
21 BEATON, Steve England 274
22 SMITH, Dennis England 272
23 NEWTON, Wesley England 265
24 ANDERSON, Bob England 261
25 SMITH, Andy England 256
26 CLARYS, Eric Belgium 251
27 MONK, Colin England 251
28 ROY, Alex England 249
29 MAISH, Steve England 245
30 CLARK, Matt England 239
31 JONES, Wayne England 235
32 BATES, Barrie Wales 210
33 HARVEY, Jamie Scotland 208
34 WEBSTER, Darren England 208
35 CAVES, Alan England 207
36 HAMILTON, Andrew England 201
37 WELDING, Gary England 183
38 DELLER, Keith England 181
39 HINE, Steve England 171
40 GRAY, Adrian England 170
41 BURNETT, Richie Wales 165
42 WILLIAMS, Paul England 162
43 MANN, Jimmy England 159
44 REYNOLDS, Alan Wales 159
45 THOMSON, Mark England 153
46 OSBORNE, Colin England 150
47 MANNING, Mick England 145
48 CALLABY, Andy England 144
49 BARNARD, Michael England 140
50 EVISON, Peter England 140
51 ALLEN, Peter England 137
52 KIRBY, Tom Ireland 133
53 WHILLIS, Ian England 130
54 MAGOWAN, John N.Ireland 126
55 CLARK, Jason Scotland 121
56 WHATLEY, Simon England 116
57 LAZARENKO, Cliff England 114
58 ROBINSON, Mark England 112
59 SMITH, Tony England 102
60 WILSON, Tommy England 101
61 PEARSON, Kevin England 100
62 HUBBARD, Vic England 96
63 HONEY, Dave England 95
64 McGOWAN, Mick Ireland 94
65 COOTE, Steve England 94
66 JOWETT, Dave England 93
67 HOLDEN, Mark England 92
68 O'NEILL, Henry N.Ireland 84
69 WIDDOWS, Robbie England 82
70 CHAPMAN, Matt England 80
71 PALFREY, Sean Wales 80
72 HAYFIELD, Andy England 79
73 LANDERS, Mark England 78
74 WILLIAMS, Darren England 75
75 van der RASSEL, Jan Holland 73
76 ROBERTS, Jason England 73
77 JOHNSON, Darren England 71
78 PLATT, David England 70
79 LOVELY, Eddie England 70
80 LOWE, John England 65
81 BELTON, Andy England 64
82 JOHNSON, Steve England 63
83 COTTENJÉ, Yves Belgium 62
84 TABERN, Alan England 59
85 ATWOOD, Wayne Wales 58
86 CONVERY, Gerry Canada 58
87 SCHENK, Josephus Holland 57
88 LAWRENCE, Mark England 55
89 HODKINSON, Les England 54
90 EXTERCATTE, Erwin Holland 53
91 van BARNEVELD, Raymond Holland 52
92 DAVIES, Andrew Wales 52
93 EVANS, Steve Wales 51
94 CRAWLEY, Bob England 50
95 HARRINGTON, Rod England 50
96 YOUNG, Darin USA 50
97 CHRISTIJN, Guy Belgium 49
98 PALFREYMAN, Lee England 49
99 DOWLING, Kevin England 48
100 ROACH, Brian Australia 48

[oche balboa]

Mark Wardle??? lol

https://web.archive.org/web/20070621014 ... rchive.htm