News of the World Darts Championship


The News of the World Championship was one of the first major organised darts competitions, which began in 1927. It became England's first national darts competition from 1947, as the years went by it gradually became international essentially becoming the first world darts Championship until its demise in 1990. There was also a brief revival of the event in 1996/97, but it is now discontinued.
It was known to be the championship every dart player wanted to win. It was organised by the National Darts Association of Great Britain
Before the tournament was established, darts competitions were held in various forms around England – often as friendly matches between pubs. After World War I, pub breweries began arranging darts leagues which began to sow the seeds for the establishment of a national darts competition. The tournament was noted for using an 8ft oche rather than the regulation 7 ft 9 ¼ inches. One of these competitions was held in Hythe Street, Dartford, Kent in 1927. The competition was sponsored by a local Brewery, C.N Kidd & Sons Ltd.

Origins

The tournament was first organised in the 1927/28 season thanks to the help of the staff on the News of the World newspaper and other volunteers, who helped set up the competition. William Jewiss won the 1927 darts challenge cup sponsored by News of the World and C.N Kidd & Sons brewery in Dartford.
There were around 1,000 entries in the first event, which was held in the Metropolitan area of London. The tournament then began to expand around the different counties in England. By 1938/39 there were six different regional events – London & South England, Wales, Lancashire & Cheshire, Yorkshire, the North of England and the Midland Counties.
The total entrants in the competition in 1938/39 were in excess of 280,000. Enormous interest was created that year by the London and South of England championship. A record crowd of 14,534 spectators filled the Royal Agricultural Hall, London in May to witness the final between Jim Pike and Marmaduke Brecon. Brecon ran out the winner by two games to one. The tournament continued to attract 250,000 entries during the post war years.
There was, however no national champion of the event until after World War II. It was revived as a national competition in 1947/48, and continued to be described as ‘the championship every dart player wants to win’ until its demise in the 1990s. It can also be classed as the first world darts championships as it went international and players from different countries entered and even won the tournament.
Bobby George is the only player to win the championship without dropping one single leg in its 75 year run

Demise

The News of the World was the first nationally televised darts event as ITV broadcast the latter stages of the championship from 1972 to 1985, and again in 1987 and 1988. The 1986 event wasn't broadcast due to a technicians' strike.
As quickly as darts tournaments began to appear on television throughout the 1970s and into the early and mid 1980s, the bubble burst and all darts competitions except the World Championship disappeared from TV screens in 1989.
This big sudden slump in televised darts coverage meant that it came as no surprise that the News of the World Championship also ended after the 1990 event, with the last two events having been untelevised. As it happened, 1990 was also the first year that separate competitions were held for men and women.
The lack of televised darts coverage left some players frustrated by the lack of opportunity to make a living from darts, and in January 1992 they formed their own organisation to start up their own tournaments .

Brief revival

The News of the World Championship made a one-year reappearance in the 1996/97 season, when Sky Sports and the News of the World resurrected the competition.
In his autobiography, Phil Taylor says that his mentor, Eric Bristow always mocked him for never having won the competition and that it was the tournament that everyone wanted to win.
Taylor put the record straight by beating Ian White 2–0 in the final in June 1997, collecting the News of the World Big D Trophy, a cheque for £42,000 and a set of Unicorn golden darts. Following his victory, which also saw him take out the then England captain Martin Adams 2–1 in the semi finals, Taylor was quoted as saying "I've won five world titles – but this one means everything".
However, the overall response to the competition was disappointing and the News of the World decided against running it again. The tournament remains discontinued.

Tournament winners

Men

The tournament was arranged on a regional basis from 1927 until 1939. The National Championship began in 1947–48 winners and runners-up included:
YearChampionFromScore
Runner-upFrom
1947-48 Harry LeadbetterWindle Labour Club, St Helens2-1 Tommy SmallSth Durham Steel & Iron SC, West Hartlepool
1948-49 Jackie BoyceNew Southgate SC2–1 Stan OuttenDr Johnson, Barkingside
1949-50 Dixie NewberryAlbert, Hitchin2-0 Ronnie RidleyKing Edward Hotel, Newcastle-u-Tyne
1950-51 Harry PerrymanHome Office SC, Greenford2-0Feathers, Felixstowe
1951-52 Tommy GibbonsIvanhoe WMC, Conisbrough2-0 Jack WallaceLow Seaton BL, Workington
1952-53 Jimmy CarrRed Lion, Dipton2-0Horse Vaults Hotel, Pontefract
1953-54 Oliver JamesEx-Servicemen’s Club, Onllwyn2-0 Johnny BellThe Sun, Waltham Abbey
1954-55 Tom ReddingtonNew Inn, Stonebroom2-0 Johnny BellSun, Waltham Abbey
1955-56 Trevor PeacheyBlack Fox, Thurston2-0 Les CampbellBoot, Dinas
1956-57 Alwyn MullinsTraveller’s Rest, Tickhill2-0 Len BakerCorporation Hotel, Cardiff
1957-58 Tommy GibbonsIvanhoe WMC, Conisbrough2-0 Eric MossRailway Tavern, Harleston
1958-59 Albert WelshHorden Hotel, Seaham2-1 Frank WhiteheadWhite Rose Hotel, Rossington
1959-60 Tom ReddingtonGeorge Hotel, Alfreton2-1 Dai JonesCambrian Hotel, Aberystwyth
1960-61 Alec AdamsonPrince of Wales, Hetton-le-Hole2-1 Eddie BrownMagpie, Stonham
1961-62 Eddie BrownMagpie, Stonham2-0 Dennis FollettCadeleigh Arms, Cadeleigh
1962-63 Robbie RumneyWaterloo Hotel, Darlington2-0 Bill HardingGlobe Hotel, Aberdare
1963-64 Tom BarrettOdco SC, London2-0 Ray HattonFlower of the Valley Hotel, Rochdale
1964-65 Tom BarrettOdco SC, London2-1 Norman FieldingStation Inn, Swannington
1965-66 Wilf EllisBrookside WMC, Upton2-1 Ron LangleyArlington SC, Harlow
1966-67 Wally SeatonSwan Inn, Parson Drove2-0 Brian QuartermanIvy Inn, North Littleton
1967-68 Bill DuddyRose & Thistle, Frimley Green2-0 Gerry FeeneyUnicorn Club, Workington
1968-69 Barry TwomlowRed Lion, Chesterfield2-0 Paul GoslingWilliam IV, Truro
1969-70 Henry BarneyThe Pointer Inn, Newchurch2-0 Alan CooperPlough, Filton
1970-71 Dennis FilkinsBarrow, Hepburn & Gale SC, Bermondsey2-0 Derek WhiteThe Ship Inn, Weymouth
1971-72 Brian NethertonWelcome Home Inn, Par2-0 Alan EvansFerndale Hotel, Rhondda
1972-73 Ivor HodgkinsonGreat Northern, Langley Mill2-1 Ron ChurchRoyal Alfred, Shoreditch
1973-74 Peter ChapmanBird in Hand, Henley-on-Thames2-1 Paul GoslingPortscatho Club, Truro
1974-75 Derek WhiteBelvedere Inn, Weymouth2-1 Bill DuddyFrimley Green Working Mens Club, Camberley
1975-76 Bill LennardCotton Tree Inn, Manchester2-0 Leighton ReesYnysybwl USC, Pontypridd
1976-77 Mick NorrisKing of Denmark, Ramsgate2-0 Bob CroslandBlackamoor Head, Pontefract
1977-78 Stefan LordStockholm Super Darts Club, Stockholm2-0 John CowardWhite Hart BL, Sedbergh
1978-79 Bobby GeorgeKing George V, Ilford2-0 Alan GlazierGeorge & Dragon, Wetherby
1979-80 Stefan LordStockholm Super Darts Club, Stockholm2-0 Dave WhitcombeNaval Club, Chatham
1980-81 John LoweWillow Tree, Pilsley2-0 Mick NorrisEarl St Vincent, Ramsgate
1981-82 Roy MorganWheel o’ Worfield, Worfield2-1 Jim HughesParcwern Country Club, Ammanford
1982-83 Eric BristowFoaming Quart, Norton Green2-0 Ralph FlattOld Red House, Carlton Colville
1983-84 Eric BristowFoaming Quart, Norton Green2-0 Ian RobertsonBell, Marston Moretaine
1984-85 Dave LeeIvor Arms, Pontllanfraith2-0 Billy DunbarWoolwich Infant, London
1985-86 Bobby GeorgeOld Maypole, Hainault2-0 Rick NeyUS Darting Association
1986-87 Mike GregoryStones Cross Hotel, Midsomer Norton2-0 Peter EvisonHalcyon/Spikes, Peterborough
1987-88 Mike GregoryStones Cross Hotel, Midsomer Norton2-1 Kevin SpiolekCambridge Squash Club
1988-89Evenhill, Littlebourne Canterbury2-1 Dennis PriestleyHorseshoe, Rotherham
1989-90 Paul CookGorse Hill WMC, Swindon2-0 Steve HudsonOakworth SC, Keighley
1996-97 Phil TaylorCricketer’s Arms, Newcastle-under-Lyme2-0 Ian WhiteDockside Inn, Runcorn

Women

Multiple winners

No player has ever won the international title three times, seven players managed two wins each.