John Lowe (born 21 July 1945) is an English former professional
darts player. Along with
Eric Bristow and
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 agai ...
, he was known for dominating darts during the 1980s. Lowe was
world champion
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
on three occasions, in 1979, 1987 and 1993. He was also a two-time winner of the
Winmau World Masters and a two-time
World Cup singles champion. In total, Lowe won 15 BDO and WDF majors. He held the
World No. 1 ranking on four occasions. In October 1984, he became the first player to hit a televised
nine-dart finish.
Lowe is one of only six players to have won the World Championship three or more times, and was the first person to win it in three separate decades; along with
Phil Taylor, he remains one of only two players to achieve this. Amidst growing dissatisfaction with the
British Darts Organisation, Lowe was also one of 16 players who in 1993
broke away to form their own governing body, the
World Darts Council (now known as the
Professional Darts Corporation).
Career
Lowe won the
World Championship
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
title in three different decades – 1979, 1987 and 1993. He met
Eric Bristow six times in the World Championship in various semi-finals and finals, and it was not until his fourth attempt (in the 1987 final) that he managed to overcome his rival. His record against Bristow in majors was three wins and six defeats.
Lowe achieved the first ever televised
nine-dart finish (the sport's equivalent of a 147 break in
snooker
Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sport played on a rectangular table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six pockets, one at each corner and one in the middle of each long side. First played by British Army officers stationed in ...
) on 13 October 1984 during the World Matchplay tournament against
Keith Deller
Keith Kelvin Deller (born 24 December 1959) is an English former professional darts player best known for winning the 1983 BDO World Darts Championship and Unipart British Professional Championship in 1987. He was the first qualifier ever to ...
, although it was not live and instead shown on a highlights programme on
ITV. It was achieved via a rare third visit combination of treble 17, treble 18 and double 18. Lowe won £102,000 for this success. He went on to win the tournament.
In addition to his three world titles, Lowe has also won two
World Masters titles, two British Open titles, two British Matchplay championships, two
World Cup Singles
World Cup Singles
The World Cup Singles was an event inaugurated in 2005 by the organisation known as World Bowls and was held until 2019. It was contested annually between bowlers from national bowls organisations. The competition was seen as the ...
, and three European Cup Singles Titles, as well as other titles around the world in his career. He played for England over 100 times and was captain for seven years, during which time his team were unbeaten.
Lowe gained credit for his
decorum and
sportsmanship at the
oche, often in contrast to Eric Bristow. Lowe was also probably unique in darts in that he looked after his health, never developing the weight difficulties associated with darts players, though he did consume alcohol onstage alongside other players when it was still permitted during matches.
Nicknames have always been common in darts, but Lowe never really had one which caught on. A composed performer, he did not have anything which stood out in his demeanour or personality – until someone decided to use these traits to come up with the nickname of "Old Stoneface". This is also the title of Lowe's autobiography which was published in 2005.
Lowe has enjoyed a longevity at the sport. He played in the televised stages of the World Championship for a then record 28 consecutive years, from the inaugural championship in 1978 to his last appearance in 2005 where he was defeated by the Canadian
John Verwey
John Verwey (born July 27, 1957), nicknamed The Walrus, is a Canadian retired professional darts player who currently in Professional Darts Corporation and British Darts Organisation tournaments. During a 25-year career, he has enjoyed numerous ...
in a final leg tie-break.
Lowe played at the
Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace is a Grade II listed entertainment and sports venue in London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. It is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and the later Tottenham Wood Farm. Origi ...
in 1980 in front of 7,000 people in the News of the World Championship.
Lowe was secretary of the World Professional Dart Players Association (later to become the
Professional Dart Players Association
The Professional Dart Players Association (PDPA) is an organisation for professional dart players within the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Its intention is to look after the interests of all professional players through an annually electe ...
(PDPA)), and in 2005, enjoyed a testimonial year in the sport to commemorate his 30th year as a professional. He attempted to qualify for the World Championship each year until 2008, but fell short in the early qualifying rounds. After joining a short-lived venture, the
Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports is a sports television company based in Dublin, Ireland broadcasting throughout select Eurasian. The company was formed in 1990 to facilitate the broadcasting of Irish sporting events to international audiences. The company previ ...
-televised BetFred League of Legends in 2008, Lowe became ineligible to compete at the PDC World Championship so could not attempt to qualify for the 2009 event.
Post-darts career
In May 2009, Lowe released a book, ''The Art of Darts'', in which he offered his personal insights into the game to both amateur and aspiring professional dart players. In 2013, ''The Art of Darts'' was produced in
app-form for the
iPhone and
iPad
The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc., Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, ...
.
In 2014, Lowe was one of several celebrities to take part in
ITV's new game show ''
Amazing Greys'', in which members of the public take on icons of British sport and entertainment.
Personal life
Lowe was born in
New Tupton,
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
. He is married to Karen and lives in
Chesterfield. They both support
Sunderland football club
Sunderland Association Football Club (, ) is an English professional football club based in the city of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear. Formed in 1879, Sunderland play in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club has won six t ...
.
World Championship results
BDO
*1978: Runner-up (lost to
Leighton Rees 7–11 legs)
*1979: Winner (beat Leighton Rees 5–0 sets)
*1980: 2nd round (lost to
Cliff Lazarenko 0–2)
*1981: Runner-up (lost to
Eric Bristow 3–5)
*1982: Runner-up (lost to
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 agai ...
3–5)
*1983: Quarter-finals (lost to
Keith Deller
Keith Kelvin Deller (born 24 December 1959) is an English former professional darts player best known for winning the 1983 BDO World Darts Championship and Unipart British Professional Championship in 1987. He was the first qualifier ever to ...
3–4)
*1984: Semi-finals (lost to Eric Bristow 0–6)
*1985: Runner-up (lost to Eric Bristow 2–6)
*1986: Quarter-finals (lost to
Bob Anderson 3–4)
*1987: Winner (beat Eric Bristow 6–4)
*1988: Runner-up (lost to Bob Anderson 4–6)
*1989: Semi-finals (lost to Eric Bristow 1–5)
*1990: 2nd round (lost to
Ronnie Sharp
Ronnie Sharp (born 1 April 1957 in Dundee) is a Scottish professional darts player who plays in the events of Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). His currently played members in the 1980s and 90s. Who competed in the British Darts Organisat ...
2–3)
*1991: 1st round (lost to
Peter Evison 2–3)
*1992: Semi-finals (lost to
Phil Taylor 4–5)
*1993: Winner (beat
Alan Warriner
Alan Warriner-Little (born Warriner; 24 March 1962) is an English former professional darts player. Nicknamed The Iceman, he is a former World Grand Prix champion and a former runner-up at the World Professional Darts Championship.
Darts care ...
6–3)
PDC
*1994: Group Stage (beat
Tom Kirby 3–2 and lost to
Larry Butler 2–3)
*1995: Semi-finals (lost to Phil Taylor 4–5)
*1996: Semi-finals (lost to Phil Taylor 1–5)
*1997: Last 24 group (lost to
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 ...
2–3 and beat
Paul Lim
Paul Lim Leong Hwa (born 25 January 1954) is a Singaporean professional darts player. He was the first player to hit a perfect nine-dart finish during the Embassy World Darts Championship, which he achieved in 1990 during his second round ...
3–1)
*1998: Last 24 group (lost to
Peter Manley 0–3 and lost to
Gary Mawson 0–3)
*1999: 2nd round (lost to Phil Taylor 1–3)
*2000: Quarter-finals (lost to
Dennis Smith 3–5)
*2001: 2nd round (lost to Jamie Harvey 0–3)
*2002: 2nd round (lost to Peter Manley 5–6)
*2003: 2nd round (lost to
Les Fitton
Leslie "Les" Fitton (born 21 November 1964 in Farnworth, Lancashire) is a retired English professional darts player, who played in Professional Darts Corporation events.
Career
Fitton played in one BDO World Darts Championships in 2000, los ...
1–4)
*2004: 3rd round (lost to Alan Warriner 3–4)
*2005: 2nd round (lost to
John Verwey
John Verwey (born July 27, 1957), nicknamed The Walrus, is a Canadian retired professional darts player who currently in Professional Darts Corporation and British Darts Organisation tournaments. During a 25-year career, he has enjoyed numerous ...
2–3)
WSDT
*2022: 2nd round (lost to Dave Prins 0-3)
Career finals
BDO major finals: 25 (9 titles, 16 runners-up)
WDF major finals: 6 (5 titles, 1 runner-up)
Independent major finals: 1 (1 title)
Performance timeline
Nine-dart finishes
Lowe accomplished the first ever televised nine-dart finish. This finish was not broadcast live.
References
External links
Interview with John LoweJohn Lowe's profile and stats on Darts DatabaseJohn Lowe's Blog at Unicorn-Darts.com*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lowe, John
English darts players
1945 births
Living people
BDO world darts champions
Sportspeople from Chesterfield, Derbyshire
Professional Darts Corporation founding players
People from Tupton
Members of the Order of the British Empire
Darts players who have thrown televised nine-dart games
Professional Darts Corporation Hall of Fame