BDO World Darts Championship
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| Lakeside World Professional Darts Championship | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Lakeside Country Club |
| Location | Frimley Green, Surrey |
| Country | England |
| Established | 1978 |
| Organisation(s) | BDO |
| Format | Sets |
| Prize Fund | £325,000 (2010) |
| Month(s) Played | January |
| Current champion(s) | |
 Martin Adams Trina Gulliver |
|
The BDO World Darts Championship is a world championship competition in darts, organised by the British Darts Organisation (BDO). It began in 1978, and was the only world championship tournament until 1994. Since then, following a dispute with the BDO, a breakaway group was formed (now known as the Professional Darts Corporation) which stages its own annual PDC World Championship, generally before the BDO version in late December and early January of each year.
The BDO version was first held at the Heart of the Midlands Nightclub in the English city of Nottingham. The following year it moved to the Jollees Cabaret Club, Stoke, where it stayed until 1985. Since then it has been held at the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green, Surrey.
Contents |
[edit] Highlights
Many of darts' greatest moments have occurred at the BDO World Championship. In 1983, a 22 year-old qualifier from Ipswich, Keith Deller, beat the world's top 3 players including Eric Bristow in a memorable final to produce one of the greatest upsets in the sport's history.
In 1990 American player Paul Lim hit the tournament's only ever perfect 9-dart finish in the second round against Irishman Jack McKenna to win a bonus of £50,000 which was more than the eventual champion received.
The finals of 1992, 1998 and 1999 all went into a deciding set play off, having reached 5 sets all and 2 legs all. In 1992, Phil Taylor defeated Mike Gregory in a sudden death leg, having reached 5 legs apiece. In 1998 Raymond van Barneveld beat Richie Burnett 4-2 in legs in the deciding set. Raymond van Barneveld then repeated the same final set scoreline the following year against Ronnie Baxter.
Similarly, the final of 2007 was nailbiting. Martin Adams was 6 sets up, and after the comfort break, Phill Nixon responded by winning the next 6 consecutive sets. Adams held on to take victory in the 13th and deciding set, to win the title that had eluded him for 14 years.
[edit] Current champion
Martin Adams won the 2010 championship beating unseeded player Dave Chisnall 7-5.
[edit] Sponsors
- 1978 to 2003 Embassy (Worldwide Promotions, Imperial Tobacco)
- 2004-present Lakeside Country Club
[edit] Venues
- 1978 Heart of the Midlands Club, Nottingham
- 1979-1985 Jollees Cabaret Club, Stoke-on-Trent
- 1986-present Lakeside Country Club, Frimley Green, Surrey
The tournament has been broadcast by BBC Television every year since its inception. Since 2001 Ray Stubbs had been hosting the coverage with twice world finalist Bobby George as a pundit. However it was announced on 17 July 2009 that Stubbs was leaving the BBC to join ESPN. The new host is Colin Murray and he is assisted by Rob Walker who is better known as the BBC Snooker MC who introduces the players and who also reported on Sailing for BBC at the Beijing Olympics. Walker began hosting Darts in September 2009 at the Winmau World Masters. Former hosts have been David Vine, Peter Purves, Tony Gubba, David Icke, Eamonn Holmes, Dougie Donnelly, John Inverdale and Ray Stubbs, who hosted up until the 2009 World Championship.
The commentators are Tony Green who has been covering every year since the first ever championship and David Croft (commentator on Formula One for BBC Radio 5 Live). Bobby George and Ted Hankey also handle commentary duties. Previous commentators have included David Vine (1978) and Sid Waddell (1978-1994) and 1994 BDO world champion John Part (until 2007).
Between 1989 and 2001, the Championship was the only tournament shown on terrestrial television in the UK. However it wasn't until 2005 that viewers were able to see every dart live at the World Championship, when the BBC introduced interactive coverage on its BBC Red Button service.
In January 2007 the BBC extended their contract to 2010.[1] and in September 2009 the BBC extended their contract up to and including the 2013 championships.
UK viewing figures for World Championship final:
- 2010 3,100,000 [2]
- 2009 N/A
- 2008 3,010,000
- 2007 3,300,000
- 2006 3,620,000
- 2005 2,550,000
- 2004 3,410,000
- 2003 2,810,000
- 2002 2,460,000
- 2001 3,680,000
- 2000 3,700,000
- 1999 4,060,000
[edit] International television coverage
International coverage of the event has increased in recent years. Dutch television station SBS6 has broadcast the event since 1998, as Dutch players have become more prominent in the world game. SBS6's contract to cover the event runs until 2008.[3]
[edit] Final Results and statistics
| Year | Champion (average in final)[4] | Score | Runner-Up (average in final) | Total Prize Money |
Champion | Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 |  Leighton Rees (92.40) |
11-7 legs | John Lowe (89.40) |
£10,500 | £3,000 | £1,700 |
| 1979 | John Lowe (87.42) |
5-0 sets | Leighton Rees (76.62) |
£15,000 | £4,500 | £2,000 |
| 1980 | Eric Bristow (88.10) |
5-3 | Bobby George (86.49) |
£15,000 | £4,500 | £2,000 |
| 1981 | Eric Bristow (86.10) |
5-3 | John Lowe (81.00) |
£23,300 | £5,500 | £2,500 |
| 1982 |  Jocky Wilson (88.10) |
5-3 | John Lowe (84.30) |
£28,000 | £6,500 | £3,000 |
| 1983 | Keith Deller (90.00) |
6-5 | Eric Bristow (93.90) |
£33,050 | £8,000 | £3,500 |
| 1984 | Eric Bristow (97.50) |
7-1 | Dave Whitcombe (90.60) |
£38,500 | £9,000 | £4,000 |
| 1985 | Eric Bristow (97.50) |
6-2 | John Lowe (93.12) |
£43,000 | £10,000 | £5,000 |
| 1986 | Eric Bristow (94.47) |
6-0 | Dave Whitcombe (90.45) |
£52,500 | £12,000 | £6,000 |
| 1987 | John Lowe (90.63) |
6-4 | Eric Bristow (94.29) |
£60,300 | £14,000 | £7,000 |
| 1988 | Bob Anderson (92.70) |
6-4 | John Lowe (92.07) |
£71,600 | £16,000 | £8,000 |
| 1989 | Jocky Wilson (94.32) |
6-4 | Eric Bristow (90.66) |
£86,900 | £20,000 | £10,000 |
| 1990 | Phil Taylor (97.47) |
6-1 | Eric Bristow (93.00) |
£153,200 [5] | £24,000 | £12,000 |
| 1991 | Dennis Priestley (92.57) |
6-0 | Eric Bristow (84.15) |
£110,500 | £26,000 | £13,000 |
| 1992 | Phil Taylor (97.59) |
6-5 | Mike Gregory (94.41) |
£119,500 | £28,000 | £14,000 |
| 1993 | John Lowe (83.97) |
6-3 | Alan Warriner (82.32) |
£128,500 | £30,000 | £15,000 |
| 1994 |  John Part (82.44) |
6-0 | Bobby George (80.31) |
£136,100 | £32,000 | £16,000 |
| 1995 | Richie Burnett (93.63) |
6-3 |  Raymond van Barneveld (91.23) |
£143,000 | £34,000 | £17,000 |
| 1996 | Steve Beaton (90.27) |
6-3 | Richie Burnett (88.05) |
£150,000 | £36,000 | £18,000 |
| 1997 | Les Wallace (92.19) |
6-3 | Marshall James (92.01) |
£158,000 | £38,000 | £19,000 |
| 1998 | Raymond van Barneveld (93.96) |
6-5 | Richie Burnett (97.14) |
£166,000 | £40,000 | £20,000 |
| 1999 | Raymond van Barneveld (94.65) |
6-5 | Ronnie Baxter (94.65) |
£174,000 | £42,000 | £21,000 |
| 2000 | Ted Hankey (92.40) |
6-0 | Ronnie Baxter (88.35) |
£182,000 | £44,000 | £22,000 |
| 2001 | John Walton (95.55) |
6-2 | Ted Hankey (94.86) |
£189,000 | £46,000 | £23,000 |
| 2002 |  Tony David (93.57) |
6-4 | Mervyn King (89.67) |
£197,000 | £48,000 | £24,000 |
| 2003 | Raymond van Barneveld (94.86) |
6-3 | Ritchie Davies (90.66) |
£205,000 | £50,000 | £25,000 |
| 2004 | Andy Fordham (97.08) |
6-3 | Mervyn King (91.02) |
£201,000 | £50,000 | £25,000 |
| 2005 | Raymond van Barneveld (96.78) |
6-2 | Martin Adams (91.35) |
£201,000 | £50,000 | £25,000 |
| 2006 | Jelle Klaasen (90.42) |
7-5 | Raymond van Barneveld (93.06) |
£263,000 [6] | £60,000 | £25,000 |
| 2007 | Martin Adams (90.30) |
7-6 | Phill Nixon (87.09) |
£278,000 | £70,000 | £30,000 |
| 2008 | Mark Webster (92.07) |
7-5 | Simon Whitlock (93.92) |
£310,000 | £85,000 | £30,000 |
| 2009 | Ted Hankey (91.46) |
7-6 | Tony O'Shea (90.54) |
£320,000 | £95,000 | £30,000 |
| 2010 | Martin Adams (95.01) |
7-5 | Dave Chisnall (93.42) |
£325,000 | £100,000 | £30,000 |
[edit] Records
Since the split in darts two versions of the world championship have existed since 1994, this record section relates specifically to achievements in the BDO version.
- Most titles: Eric Bristow 5. Raymond van Barneveld has won four titles (plus one PDC world championship). Phil Taylor won this title twice, but has added thirteen PDC World Championships to his haul
- Most finals: Eric Bristow 10. John Lowe appeared in eight finals and Raymond van Barneveld reached the final six times. Phil Taylor has appeared in 18 world finals when combining PDC and BDO totals
- Most appearances: Martin Adams 17. John Lowe and Eric Bristow appeared in the first 16 tournaments, but the split in darts prevented them from increasing that total. Adams' appearance at the 2010 tournament surpassed their record.
- Youngest champion: Jelle Klaasen 21 years 90 days (2006)
- Youngest competitor: Michael van Gerwen 17 years 257 days (2007)
- Oldest champion: Martin Adams 53 years 224 days (2010)
[edit] Averages
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This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2010) |
Since the breakaway of the PDC players, there has been much debate about the relative merits of the players within each organisation. The debate often focuses on the three-dart averages of players in matches.
Since the BDO Championship started in 1978, there have been 20 occasions where a player has achieved a three-dart average in excess of 100 during a match. Keith Deller was the first player to achieve an average of 100, in the quarter-final of 1985 against John Lowe, although he lost the match. It wasn't until Phil Taylor's semi-final of 1990 that another player managed a 100 average. Raymond van Barneveld has achieved the feat six times.
Highest one-match averages:
- 103.83 Raymond van Barneveld (2004, Quarter-Final) v John Walton
- 102.63 Dennis Priestley (1993, 1st Round) v Jocky Wilson
- 101.67 Mervyn King (2002, Quarter-Final) v Raymond Barneveld
- 101.55 Ted Hankey (1998, 1st Round) v Wayne Weening
- 101.40 Marko Pusa (2001, 2nd Round) v Jez Porter
[edit] Women's Championship
The women's World Championship started at Lakeside in 2001 and Trina Gulliver has won eight championships. Her seventh title in 2007 took her overall record at the Lakeside to 20 match wins and having only dropped four sets in the history of the championship - one each in the finals of 2001, 2002 and 2007 and one in the quarter final of 2003. She managed a long run of 13 consecutive matches without dropping a single set, which started the semi-final of 2003 and ended in the final of 2007.
Gulliver has topped 90 for match averages on three occasions at the World Championships
- 95.97 (2006 Semi-Final v Claire Bywaters)
- 94.92 (2001 Semi-Final v Crissy Manley)
- 90.24 (2004 Semi-Final v Karin Krappen)
In 2008, Anastasia Dobromyslova won the World Championship, becoming the first player other than Trina Gulliver to take the title. Following her appearance at the Grand Slam of Darts in November 2008, Anastasia Dobromyslova joined the Professional Darts Corporation, hence leaving the BDO and did not defend her title. She gained a wildcard into the 2009 PDC World Championship event (which with the exception of Anastasia contains only Male players). 2009 saw five-time runner-up Francis Hoenselaar complete the Masters/World Championship double by beating Gulliver 2-1 in the final.
| Year | Champion (average in final) | Score (sets) | Runner-Up (average in final) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Trina Gulliver (83.97) |
2-1 | Mandy Solomons (79.11) |
| 2002 | Trina Gulliver (84.36) |
2-1 | Francis Hoenselaar (82.95) |
| 2003 | Trina Gulliver (84.93) |
2-0 | Anne Kirk (70.20) |
| 2004 | Trina Gulliver (87.03) |
2-0 | Francis Hoenselaar (85.44) |
| 2005 | Trina Gulliver (79.68) |
2-0 | Francis Hoenselaar (73.89) |
| 2006 | Trina Gulliver (73.80) |
2-0 | Francis Hoenselaar (70.26) |
| 2007 | Trina Gulliver (80.61) |
2-1 | Francis Hoenselaar (79.23) |
| 2008 |  Anastasia Dobromyslova (81.54) |
2-0 | Trina Gulliver (71.64) |
| 2009 | Francis Hoenselaar (77.39) |
2-1 | Trina Gulliver (75.19) |
| 2010 | Trina Gulliver (80.52) |
2-0 | Rhian Edwards (68.25) |
[edit] References
- ^ Fordham: I'll change lifestyle The Sun
- ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jan/11/dancing-on-ice-tv-ratings
- ^ DartsWDF.com
- ^ Each player's average score is based on the average for each 3-dart visit to the board (ie total points scored divided by darts thrown and multiplied by 3) see WDF archive pages
- ^ Prize fund included £52,000 bonus for Paul Lim's 9-dart finish
- ^ From 2006, the £52,000 bonus for a 9-dart finish was included as part of the published prize fund, regardless of whether any player managed to achieve the feat. As such, the total prize fund was £10,000 higher than the previous year
[edit] External links
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