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1994 PDC World Darts Championship
The 1994 Skol World Darts Championship was held following 18 months of controversy within the sport of darts. After the 1993 Embassy World Championships, several players decided it was time to part company with the British Darts Organisation (who had always organised the World Championship) and form their own organisation. The new organisation was known as the World Darts Council (WDC). The WDC would later become the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). The WDC decided to introduce their own separate World Championship, with the inaugural tournament being staged before the BDO version. The 1994 Championship started on Boxing Day 1993, and finished on 2 January 1994. This started a tradition for the WDC/PDC World Championship to kick off before the new calendar year begins. The tournament was staged at the Circus Tavern, Purfleet, Essex. Dennis Priestley became the first WDC World Darts Champion, winning the final 6–1 against Phil Taylor to add to his 6–0 whitewash vic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Circus Tavern
The Circus Tavern is an entertainment venue in Purfleet, Essex, England which hosts functions, cabaret acts and is also a nightclub venue. First opened in 1974, it is most famous as having been a long-time venue of the PDC World Darts Championship. Its capacity is 1100 seated. Darts Championships The Circus Tavern was the venue of the PDC World Darts Championships from its inauguration event in 1994, up until 2007, and broadcast on Sky Sports. Phil Taylor reached the final in all 14 of the PDC World Darts Championship tournaments that were held at the Circus Tavern, winning 11 of those 14 finals. The last World Championship match held at the Circus Tavern was the 2007 PDC World Darts Championship final, where Raymond van Barneveld came from 0–3 down in sets to defeat Phil Taylor, 7–6 in sets, after a sudden death leg. Many people consider this match to be the greatest in the history of darts. At the time of the match, it was not known that it would be the last World Cham ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jocky Wilson
John Thomas "Jocky" Wilson (22 March 1950 – 24 March 2012) was a Scottish professional darts player. After turning pro in 1979, he quickly rose to the top of the game, winning the World Professional Darts Championship in 1982, then again in 1989. Wilson competed in all major darts tournaments of the era and won the British Professional Championship a record four times between 1981 and 1988. A contemporary and rival of Eric Bristow, Bob Anderson and John Lowe, Wilson's ungainly appearance and rough-hewn lifestyle belied his prowess in the sport. He was dogged by health problems, however, and suddenly retired from the game in December 1995. He withdrew from public life, and was rarely seen in public or gave interviews before his death in March 2012. In 2022 the new World Seniors Darts Championships was launched with the trophy engraved with the names of four deceased former World Champions on the darts: Wilson, Bristow, Leighton Rees and Andy Fordham. Early life A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gerald Verrier
Gerald Verrier (born December 5, 1958) is an American former professional darts player who played in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Career Verrier was brought in to make up the numbers in the inaugural 1994 WDC World Darts Championship, but competed in the first seven tournaments, although he never got past the first phase on any occasion. He had better luck in the World Matchplay, where he reached the last 16 in both the 1994 and 1998 tournaments. World Championship performances PDC * 1994: Last 24 group (lost to Bob Anderson 0–3) and (beat Dave Kelly 3–0) (sets) * 1995: Last 24 group (lost to Phil Taylor 2–3) and (lost to Sean Downs 0–3) * 1996: Last 24 group (lost to Bob Anderson 1–3) and (lost to Jamie Harvey 2–3) * 1997: Last 24 group (lost to Phil Taylor 0–3) and (beat Chris Mason 3–1) * 1998: Last 24 group (lost to Shayne Burgess 0–3) and (lost to Bob Anderson 1–3) * 1999: Last 32 (lost to Jamie Harvey Jamie Harvey (b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sean Downs
Sean Downs (born February 6 1967) is an American former professional darts player who played in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. Career Originally from Oregon, Downs first competed in the BDO World Darts Championship in 1993, where he lost 3-0 to Albert Anstey. After switching to the PDC, he was brought in to make up the numbers in the inaugural 1994 WDC World Darts Championship, and lost both his group matches to Eric Bristow and Rod Harrington. In the following three years, he would win one game and lose one game each year, never getting out of the group stages. He did make the 1996 World Matchplay quarter-finals after beating Keith Deller and Cliff Lazarenko, before losing to eventual champion Peter Evison. Downs quit the PDC in 2018. World Championship performances BDO * 1993: First round (lost to Albert Anstey 0–3) PDC * 1994: Last 24 group (lost to Eric Bristow 2–3) and (lost to Rod Harrington 2–3) * 1995: Last 24 group (lost to Phil Tayl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Larry Butler (darts Player)
Larry Thomas Butler (born July 21, 1957), nicknamed The Bald Eagle, is an American professional darts player who was the winner of the 1994 PDC World Matchplay Darts Championship. This success made him the first and so far only American player to have won a major darts tournament in Europe. Butler also had some success in his home country, winning the 1993, 1994, 1995 New York Open, the 1994 Darts America Championship, the 1991, 1992, 1993 World Bullshooter Championship, and the 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995 Cincinnati Spring Fling Open. BDO Butler made his World Championship debut in 1992, losing to Dennis Priestley in the first round. PDC During 1993–94 to organise their own tournaments and their own World Championships (see split in darts). Several North American players were invited to join them in tournaments and Butler appeared at the first WDC (now Professional Darts Corporation, PDC) World Championship in 1994. He failed to qualify from the group stages, but produced a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kevin Burrows
Kevin Burrows (born 25 November 1964 from Ipswich, Suffolk) is a former English professional darts player, who played in the Professional Darts Corporation events. Career From Ipswich, Suffolk, Burrows first was brought in to make up the numbers in the inaugural 1994 WDC World Darts Championship, and lost both his group matches to Peter Evison and Jerry Umberger, without winning a set. In the following 3 years, he qualified for the 1994 and 1995 World Matchplay, but lost in the first round on both occasions. World Championship performances results PDC * 1994: Last 24 Group (lost to Peter Evison 0–3) and (lost to Jerry Umberger Jerry Umberger (born 21 January 1942) is a former American professional darts player, who played in Professional Darts Corporation events. He used the nickname Tucker. Career From Pennsylvania, Umberger first competed in the BDO World Darts C ... 2–3) (sets) References External links {{DEFAULTSORT:Burrows, Kevin 1964 births Living peo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Graeme Stoddart
Graeme Stoddart (born 30 July 1959 in Newcastle upon Tyne) is a former English– Dutch professional darts player who played in Professional Darts Corporation events. His nickname was Shark. Career Stoddart represented Holland in the 1984 European Cup. He came to prominence after being invited from the WDC rankings for the inaugural WDC World Darts Championship in 1994. He was drawn in Group 8, where he defeated Jocky Wilson, before being knocked out in the final group match by the eventual champion, Dennis Priestley. He entered many majors in the early years of the WDC/PDC, eventually reaching the quarter-finals of the 1998 World Grand Prix, beating Paul Lim, and where he lost to Rod Harrington. He hit a 9-dart finish in the Swiss Open in 2000 (with a set of borrowed darts after leaving his set at home), which was the 2nd recorded in the PDC, after Ronnie Baxter had hit the first in the 1999 Antwerp Open. In 2001, history was created: it was the first year a lady, Gayl K ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chris Johns (darts Player)
Chris Johns is a Welsh former professional darts player. He played county darts for Glamorgan and participated in the BDO World Darts Championship on five occasions. He is best remembered as a controversial figure in an acrimonious split in the game between 1992 and 1994. Career Johns made his debut at the 1988 Embassy World Championship, reaching the second round. He made four further appearances at the championships, losing in the first round in 1989, 1991, and 1993, and in the second round in 1992. His only two wins at Lakeside were against Mike Gregory in 1988 and Steve Beaton in 1992. He had only moderate success in British Darts Organisation (BDO) Open tournaments. As early as 1986, he reached the semi-finals of the Winmau World Masters – beating Eric Bristow in the last 16, before falling to Bob Anderson in the last four. He later reached the semi-finals of the Swiss Open in 1991, and of the Denmark Open in the same year. He was one of the 16 players who decided t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mike Gregory (darts Player)
Michael Seward "Mike" Gregory (16 December 1956 – 19 April 2022) was an English professional darts player, who reached the final of the Winmau World Masters twice and also reached the final of the Embassy World Darts Championship in 1992 – losing to Phil Taylor in a match regarded amongst the greatest matches ever played. Darts career Gregory was one of the top ranked players from the mid-1980s through to the early 1990s, having been seeded in the top four at the World Championships on seven occasions – although he never won the World title. His major breakthrough was beating John Lowe in the semi-finals of the 1983 British Open in which he finished runner-up to Eric Bristow. He lost again to Bristow in the final of that year's World Masters tournament. He made his World Championship debut in 1984 and reached the quarter-final, losing heavily 0–5 to Jocky Wilson. Gregory lost at the quarter-final stage of the World Championship in 1987, 1989 and 1993. He made his f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jamie Harvey
Jamie Harvey (born 15 August 1955) is a Scottish former professional darts player who played in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and British Darts Organisation (BDO) tournaments. He used the nickname Bravedart for his matches – a play on the lead character from the film ''Braveheart''. As darts began to introduce entrance tunes for its players during the 1990s, Harvey used to come to stage whilst the tune " The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond" was played. Career Having made his World Championship debut in 1992, Harvey was one of the players who started the Professional Darts Corporation (then known as the World Darts Council, WDC) in 1993 and played at every PDC World Championship between 1994 and 2006. His best performance came in 1996 at the Circus Tavern, when he reached the World Championship semi-finals but lost 1–5 to Dennis Priestley. Later that year he also reached the semi-finals of the World Matchplay – losing 9–13 to eventual champion Peter Evison ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kevin Spiolek
Kevin Spiolek (born 5 May 1962 in Cambridge) is a retired English professional darts player who played during the 1980s and 1990s. He made a brief return to form in 2006, when qualifying to play in the PDC World Darts Championship. Career His best form came in the late 1980s, when he reached the semi-finals of the 1987 Winmau World Masters, losing to Bob Anderson. In 1988, Spiolek reached the final of the prestigious News of the World Darts Championship, losing to Mike Gregory. Spiolek is one of ten players to have beaten Phil Taylor at the World Championship – having knocked him out in the second round at Lakeside in the 1993 World Championship – the last time that there was a unified World Championship. Spiolek was eliminated in the next round – to date, two quarter-finals are the best results he has achieved in World Championships. Spiolek was one of the 16 players in 1992–1993 who created their own organisation (the World Darts Council which later became the P ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cliff Lazarenko
Cliff Lazarenko (born 16 March 1952) is an English former professional darts player. Nicknamed "Big Cliff" due to his height (193 cm / 6'4") and weight (over 127 kg at his peak), he is known for being a colourful character on and off the stage.Hartley, Alan J. (2004) ''Darts for Everyone'', p. 71 Biography Lazarenko was born in Liss, Hampshire, growing up in Greatham, where his parents ran a garage.Gripton, Peter (2008) ''Greatham Memories'', Las Atalayas Publishing, , p. 72 He honed his darts skills in his local pub, The Queen. He later moved to Wellingborough. Before becoming a professional darts player in 1975, he worked as a labourer. Lazarenko first appeared in a televised match on the show '' Indoor League'' in the 1970s. He went on to win several singles and pairs titles. He won the British Open in 1980, winning it again later in the decade, and reached the semi-finals of the World Championship four times.Doyle, Paul (2004)'Big' Cliff Lazarenko, ''The Guardian'', 3 Dec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
