5 years on from the 2011 world championship...

[Justin Credible]

What a great photo!

I have no idea why such a morbid thought occurred to me, but are they all still alive? Apart from Jocky of course. And whose shoulders is Taylor resting his hands on?

not sure about a lot of the yanks.

The guy taylors hands are on is graeme stoddart, from the north east.

Tom Kirby is also dead

Of course, I see now thanks. Stoddart was slow as hell if I recall, played that American woman at the circus tavern and lost the first set. Or was she Canadian? Who cares. Stoddy won in the end.

gayle king is the woman I think, ugly munter with dennis taylor type glasses, think she was canadian, will have to google that

[Rogg]

Was the story that the USA was the only country that didn't shun the rebels? How would they have made up 24/32-man TV fields without the Americans? I'm sure the Cox interview in dartsweekly covered this.

[Justin Credible]

downs, raw, stoddart, and a heap of other british and irish lads defied the ban and went to the WDC.

What people forget is by the split happening both codes got people in their tv comps who had no business really being their.
Both codes had jobbers, however the latter stages of pdc events had better and strong fields.

Does anyone seriously think if there was no split, spineless and warty would have made lakeshite ?
In fact spineless tried over a decade to qualify, and only got in when he did when the split happened , and even then took abother decade of him waiting for everyone to fuck off before he could win the shit lakeshite.

These are facts that cannot be disputed

[Rogg]

If anyone fancies answering an even more complicated question:

In the time between the original lot in 1993 and the six mentioned above in 2002, who switched?

Part and Burnett were two of them. This isn't a quiz, I have no further ideas.

Manley Butler and Ovens all switched in that time. I imagine loads of small time players switched between the two.

I found some others too. Players who played at Lakeshite in 1994 or later, and then also played the PDC Worlds, all at a time before switching had become fashionable (2002):

Shayne Burgess played at Lakeshite 94, then at every PDC Worlds from 95 til dunno when, 2000-ish.
Paul Lim played at Lakeshite 94, then at the PDC Worlds at various times in the 90s and beyond.
Scholten, Askew, Gary Spedding, Les Fitton also with similar history.

More news on switchers:

Played at Lakeside 2002, then the PDC Worlds 2003: WAYNE MARDLE
Played at Lakeside 2003, then the PDC Worlds 2004: ERIK CLARYS
Played at Lakeside 2004, then the PDC Worlds 2005: JAMES WADE

Not a prolific three years, but Mardle and Wade made a massive difference to the PDC on many levels imo. Clarys fell off a ladder or something.

[Rogg]

Actually not 'imo' at all. Mardle and Wade blew the roof off the fucker. Fact.

[Justin Credible]

Actually not 'imo' at all. Mardle and Wade blew the roof off the fucker. Fact.

[Rogg]

downs, raw, stoddart, and a heap of other british and irish lads defied the ban and went to the WDC.

What people forget is by the split happening both codes got people in their tv comps who had no business really being their.
Both codes had jobbers, however the latter stages of pdc events had better and strong fields.

Does anyone seriously think if there was no split, spineless and warty would have made lakeshite ?
In fact spineless tried over a decade to qualify, and only got in when he did when the split happened , and even then took abother decade of him waiting for everyone to fuck off before he could win the shit lakeshite.

These are facts that cannot be disputed

Dwarfs like Monty especially would be complete unknowns had it not been for the split. Look at a Lakeside field from as late as 2000, at least half of the players in that would switch inside ten years. Having players constantly leaving the system from the top end was a gift for those who stayed and with the Lakeside prize fund still rising at that time, I bet they couldn't believe their luck. Good luck to anyone who chose to fill their boots but my arse are they 'world champions' etc.

[Rogg]

In the time between the original lot in 1993 and the six mentioned above in 2002, who switched?

Part and Burnett were two of them. This isn't a quiz, I have no further ideas.

Manley Butler and Ovens all switched in that time. I imagine loads of small time players switched between the two.

I found some others too. Players who played at Lakeshite in 1994 or later, and then also played the PDC Worlds, all at a time before switching had become fashionable (2002):

Shayne Burgess played at Lakeshite 94, then at every PDC Worlds from 95 til dunno when, 2000-ish.
Paul Lim played at Lakeshite 94, then at the PDC Worlds at various times in the 90s and beyond.
Scholten, Askew, Gary Spedding, Les Fitton also with similar history.

More news on switchers:

Played at Lakeshite 2002, then the PDC Worlds 2003: WAYNE MARDLE
Played at Lakeshite 2003, then the PDC Worlds 2004: ERIK CLARYS
Played at Lakeshite 2004, then the PDC Worlds 2005: JAMES WADE

Not a prolific three years, but Mardle and Wade made a massive difference to the PDC on many levels imo. Clarys fell off a ladder or something.

Looks like Colin Monk, Andy Smith and Matt Clark made their PDC Worlds debut in 2006, having all previously played at Lakeside. They're switchers, I guess. Monk and Clark had been Lakeside regulars for years.

Then after the 2006 Worlds, the switcher that really did open the floodgates, and the first page of modern darts history - Brian Woods Barney, and The Rise of the Mushrooms.

[Justin Credible]

3 fucker jobbers who i wished stayed at lakeshite

[Rogg]

3 fucker jobbers who i wished stayed at lakeshite

and I should have mentioned Wayne Jones, who made his PDC worlds debut in 2005 having played at Lakeside a couple of times. He made the PDC semis didn't he, one of the crappiest runs ever, eventually got battered by either Taylor or Manley.

[Rogg]

Now getting to the good stuff. The screw was turning 07-09, as someone said before it was like Barney had shown that it was ok to switch...


Switched after 2007 Lakeside: Tony Eccles, Mervyn King, Vincent van der Voort, Jelle Klaasen, Michael van Gerwen

Switched after 2008 Lakeside: Co Stompe, Robert Thornton

Switched after 2009 Lakeside: Gary Anderson, Simon Whitlock, Mark Webster


That's ENOUGH now Barry, 6 of those 10 ended up playing in the Premier League at some point, oh and no prizes for guessing who was beginning to run riot over at Frimley...

[Rogg]

Peter Wright made his PDC worlds debut in 2010... don't know if you'd call him a switcher, no idea what he'd be doing before then and wouldn't like to guess.

Henderson, White and Chisnall switched next, all making PDC worlds debut in 2012.

2013: Stuart Kellett, Dean Winstanley - both had been BDO no.1 starting to get a bit thin now, and the most recent 3 years of switchers:

Class of '14: Bunting, Kist, van de Pas
Class of '15: Norris, Dekker, Wilson, Green
Class of '16: Jeffrey De Graaf...

[Justin Credible]

guys like peter wright were obviously not gonna do a gary jobson and scour the shitholes of europe pissing money up against the wall in order to get precious points for the yearly piss up at bob potters emporium of piss.

Like a lot of lads he did open and local comps and took a chance on the q school, he was one of those that made the most of it

[Pieter]

Bunting, Benito, Norris did well from these players.

[Justin Credible]

Bunting, Benito, Norris did well from these players.

Really ????

So the guy who battered everyone in the bdo, won lakeshite, and was miles ahead of everyone in the bdo, comes to the PDC and all he has to show for it are 2 floor comps,

Hardly a roaring success, if anything i would say a complete failure since so many people hyped him to the hilt.
Personally I am surprised he managed to win 2 at all, most over rated switcher ever.

Benito has improved , and could yet be a fanstastic addition but too inconsistent, like klaasen in a way.
Norris has picked it up and playing well now for a couple of months, lets see where he is in a year, my personal opinion is could reach a top ten spot, but wont keep it if he does.

[cannibal]

Was the story that the USA was the only country that didn't shun the rebels? How would they have made up 24/32-man TV fields without the Americans? I'm sure the Cox interview in dartsweekly covered this.

The ADO refused to ban or sanction players who played in wdc/pdc events. They claimed that actions would have violated anti trust laws. As someone who has studied antitrust and constitutional law I would love to know what moron told them that. The opposite was actually the truth sporting orgs where basically given carte blanche to do as they please. Legally strengthened under the Stevens act implemented much later. The real reason is more than likely they just didn't want a bunch of Brits telling them what to do, I kid you not.

[Rogg]

Was the story that the USA was the only country that didn't shun the rebels? How would they have made up 24/32-man TV fields without the Americans? I'm sure the Cox interview in dartsweekly covered this.

The ADO refused to ban or sanction players who played in wdc/pdc events. They claimed that actions would have violated anti trust laws. As someone who has studied antitrust and constitutional law I would love to know what moron told them that. The opposite was actually the truth sporting orgs where basically given carte blanche to do as they please. Legally strengthened under the Stevens act implemented much later. The real reason is more than likely they just didn't want a bunch of Brits telling them what to do, I kid you not.

God bless America. I'd bet Olly or whoever was livid - do you know if the WDF (BDO?) tried to impose any sanctions on the ADO to punish their effective support of the rebels?

[PT13]

Wasn't there a bit of an avalanche of defections just after the 2001 Lakeshite? Think it included Beaton, Andy Jenkins, Baxter, Mason and a couple of others.

Yes, it was in late 2001. They were called the Skol Six. It saw Steve Beaton, Ronnie Baxter, Chris Mason, Kevin Painter, Andy Jenkins and Paul Williams switch to playing in the PDC World Championship. Peter Manley also rejected BDO attempts to get him back over there. Manley had an awful 2001 on the TV, with rival players calling him "One Round Manley".

Also worth noting that Taylor was rarely number one in the rankings prior to the introduction of the OoM, presumably due to not participating in a lot of floor events.

True, Taylor didn't play the number of floor events that the likes of Harrington, Warriner, Manley and Lloyd thrived on at that time. When Taylor lost to Manley in the semi finals of the 1999 World Matchplay, Taylor felt it was partly because of Manley being more match sharp in competitive darts.

colin lloyd was #1, down most to raking criteria on event played as opposed to present system of pounds earned equals points

Correct. The Order of Merit based on prize money began after the 2007 PDC World Championship.

Wasn't there a bit of an avalanche of defections just after the 2001 Lakeshite? Think it included Beaton, Andy Jenkins, Baxter, Mason and a couple of others.

At the 2002 PDC World Championship: Kevin Painter, Steve Beaton, Ronnie Baxter, Paul Williams, Andy Jenkins and Chris Mason all played in their first PDC World Championship. Switched, in other words.

Five of them had all played at Lakeshite the previous year (2001). Williams had last played Lakeshite in 2000.

As for why they all switched at the same, I don't know, but it was a pretty significant shift.

They all switched because Barry Hearn became chairman of the PDC around the summer of 2001 and he told players who still played at the Embassy at Lakeside that if they wished to continue playing in PDC televised events from 2002 onwards then they would have to play at the PDC World Championship at the Circus Tavern. The result was the Skol Six switching (Skol was the sponsor of the PDC World Championship at the time), while Martin Adams refused to switch and had nothing to do with the PDC for 14 years afterwards.

[M H]

Wasn't there a bit of an avalanche of defections just after the 2001 Lakeshite? Think it included Beaton, Andy Jenkins, Baxter, Mason and a couple of others.

Yes, they were called the Skol Six. It saw Steve Beaton, Ronnie Baxter, Chris Mason, Kevin Painter, Andy Jenkins and Paul Williams switch to playing in the PDC World Championship. Peter Manley also rejected BDO attempts to get him back over there. Manley had an awful 2001 on the TV, with rival players calling him "One Round Manley".

Also worth noting that Taylor was rarely number one in the rankings prior to the introduction of the OoM, presumably due to not participating in a lot of floor events.

True, Taylor didn't play the number of floor events that the likes of Harrington, Warriner, Manley and Lloyd thrived on at that time. When Taylor lost to Manley in the semi finals of the 1999 World Matchplay, Taylor felt it was partly because of Manley being more match sharp in competitive darts.

colin lloyd was #1, down most to raking criteria on event played as opposed to present system of pounds earned equals points

Correct. The Order of Merit based on prize money began after the 2007 PDC World Championship.

Wasn't there a bit of an avalanche of defections just after the 2001 Lakeshite? Think it included Beaton, Andy Jenkins, Baxter, Mason and a couple of others.

At the 2002 PDC World Championship: Kevin Painter, Steve Beaton, Ronnie Baxter, Paul Williams, Andy Jenkins and Chris Mason all played in their first PDC World Championship. Switched, in other words.

Five of them had all played at Lakeshite the previous year (2001). Williams had last played Lakeshite in 2000.

As for why they all switched at the same, I don't know, but it was a pretty significant shift.

They all switched because Barry Hearn became chairman of the PDC around the summer of 2001 and he told players who still played at the Embassy at Lakeshite that if they wished to continue playing in PDC televised events from 2002 onwards then they would have to play at the PDC World Championship at the Circus Tavern. The result was the Skol Six switching (Skol was the sponsor of the PDC World Championship at the time), while Martin Adams refused to switch and had nothing to do with the PDC for 14 years afterwards.

Welcome PT, hope you enjoy the place

[PT13]

Wasn't there a bit of an avalanche of defections just after the 2001 Lakeshite? Think it included Beaton, Andy Jenkins, Baxter, Mason and a couple of others.

Yes, they were called the Skol Six. It saw Steve Beaton, Ronnie Baxter, Chris Mason, Kevin Painter, Andy Jenkins and Paul Williams switch to playing in the PDC World Championship. Peter Manley also rejected BDO attempts to get him back over there. Manley had an awful 2001 on the TV, with rival players calling him "One Round Manley".

Also worth noting that Taylor was rarely number one in the rankings prior to the introduction of the OoM, presumably due to not participating in a lot of floor events.

True, Taylor didn't play the number of floor events that the likes of Harrington, Warriner, Manley and Lloyd thrived on at that time. When Taylor lost to Manley in the semi finals of the 1999 World Matchplay, Taylor felt it was partly because of Manley being more match sharp in competitive darts.

colin lloyd was #1, down most to raking criteria on event played as opposed to present system of pounds earned equals points

Correct. The Order of Merit based on prize money began after the 2007 PDC World Championship.

Wasn't there a bit of an avalanche of defections just after the 2001 Lakeshite? Think it included Beaton, Andy Jenkins, Baxter, Mason and a couple of others.

At the 2002 PDC World Championship: Kevin Painter, Steve Beaton, Ronnie Baxter, Paul Williams, Andy Jenkins and Chris Mason all played in their first PDC World Championship. Switched, in other words.

Five of them had all played at Lakeshite the previous year (2001). Williams had last played Lakeshite in 2000.

As for why they all switched at the same, I don't know, but it was a pretty significant shift.

They all switched because Barry Hearn became chairman of the PDC around the summer of 2001 and he told players who still played at the Embassy at Lakeshite that if they wished to continue playing in PDC televised events from 2002 onwards then they would have to play at the PDC World Championship at the Circus Tavern. The result was the Skol Six switching (Skol was the sponsor of the PDC World Championship at the time), while Martin Adams refused to switch and had nothing to do with the PDC for 14 years afterwards.

Welcome PT, hope you enjoy the place

Thanks M H