Patrick Chaplin - Darts Historian

The 2008 BDO BRITISH CLASSIC – the penultimate tournament in the BDO International Grand Prix Series of five major events - has attracted record entries, and the Last 8 in the Men’s Singles will be seen live and exclusively on Setanta Sports from the Lighthouse Theatre, Kettering Leisure Village on Saturday, July 26^th from 7.30PM to Midnight.

The world class line-up will include the legendary ‘King of Bling’ BOBBY GEORGE and Scotland’s ‘Dream Boy’ GARY ANDERSON, currently heading the BDO International Grand Prix table on 24 points.

He will be joined by England’s SCOTT WAITES, the reigning BDO Gold Cup Champion, who is currently in second place on 15 points, and reigning Lakeside World Professional Darts Champion MARK WEBSTER of Wales, currently on 9 points after finishing runner-up to Gary Anderson in this year’s Welsh Open – the first tournament in the Grand Prix series.

Mark will be one of five BDO World Professional Darts Champions competing in the BDO British Classic – the others being England’s MARTIN ADAMS, TED HANKEY, JOHN BOY WALTON and seven times Women’s World Champion TRINA GULLIVER.

Live and exclusive TV coverage by Setanta Sports will feature the Men’s Singles from the Quarter-Finals to the Final from 7.30PM to Midnight – and to be in the TV audience, non-playing spectators are welcome to attend for £6 each at the door (before 4PM) and £10 each at the door (after 4PM).

The BDO British Classic is sponsored by the Winmau Darboard Company – also sponsors of World Champions Mark Webster and Trina Gulliver - and is the highlight of a whole weekend of darts in the Main Arena of Kettering Leisure Village over the weekend of July 26^th and 27th.

Play in the Men’s and Women’s BDO British Classic Singles Championships starts at 10.00AM on Saturday, July 26th, and there is a unique opportunity to see the darts stars of tomorrow in action on Sunday, July 27th in the BDO British Teenage Great Britain Finals and the Inter-County Youth KO Cup.

In each BDO International Grand Prix event, points are awarded to the last eight in the Men’s Singles as follows:

The BDO International Grand Prix Series has a prize fund of £32,000, with £12,000 to the overall winner, and the current top positions are as follows:

All matches will be played on WINMAU Blade III dartboards, endorsed by the BDO and used in all its major tournaments.

Issued by ROBERT HOLMES on behalf of THE BRITISH DARTS ORGANISATION: July 2008

BE FIRE SAFE AND HIT THE BULLSEYE

The Fire Kills campaign and the British Darts Organisation have joined forces to help prevent fires in homes across the nation. Through its sponsorship of the BDO International Grand Prix Series, the Fire Kills campaign is hoping that players and fans will boost their fire safety knowledge.

The five tournaments in the series will be broadcast live on Setanta Sports, with the Fire Kills branding prominent on the BDO players’ shirts. In addition there will be on stage signage and promotional material available, with players and fans having the benefit of being able to sign up for a free Home Fire Risk Check at tournament venues.

Sir Ken Knight, Chief Fire and Rescue Advisor says: “The Fire Kills campaign is always looking for new and innovative ways to get our vital messages across to new audiences. We hope that by sponsoring the BDO International Grand Prix, people at the tournaments and watching on television will be reminded of the importance of fire safety in the home.

“These fires are completely unpredictable and you could be at a greater risk than you think. However being aware of the risks and taking the simple step of owning and maintaining a smoke alarm could save your life”.

Olly Croft OBE, Managing Director of BDO Enterprises Ltd says, “In terms of communicating a vital safety message, this has to be the BDO’s most valuable sponsorship partner. As a family orientated sport we are delighted to be supporting such an important campaign, and communicating vital public safety messages through BDO darts.”

Martin Adams, 2007 BDO World Professional Darts Champion and the longest serving England darts captain of all time, adds: “All BDO darts players are aware that our sport can benefit the Fire Kills campaign by drawing attention to basic safety rules and measures in the home environment. Darts is a family orientated sport and we are all family people. For this reason we are delighted to be giving our support to an initiative as important as the Fire Kills campaign.”

The BDO International Grand Prix Series commenced with the WDO Welsh Open at Pontin’s, Prestatyn on May 18^th and will be followed by the BDO International Open, Pontin’s, Brean Sands (June 15^th); the BDO Gold Cup, Lakeside Country Club (July 12^th); the BDO British Classic, Kettering Leisure Village (July 26^th) and the BDO British Open on September 20^th.

For more information on fire safety or to find out more information about free Home Fire Risk Checks, visit www.direct.gov.uk/firekills.

THE BARBADOS DARTS FESTIVAL - A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE, A SUPERB LOCATION AND INSTRUMENTAL IN THE GROWTH OF DARTS IN THE REGION

Many of those who watched Anthony Forde’s thrilling match against reigning World Champion Raymond Van Barneveld at the Ladbrokes.com World Championships might have been surprised by the Bajan’s performance in the most demanding of arenas. However, the entire darts playing population of the Caribbean and South America have been raising their standards since the very first Barbados Darts Festival in 2002 and it was now time to show the rest of the world just how far they have come.

Certainly, the odds of 11 – 4 against him winning a single game verged on the dismissive but the fans in attendance and those darts celebs who have hosted the Barbados Darts Festival like John Lowe, Eric Bristow, John Part, Colin Lloyd, Cliff Lazarenko and Deta Hedman knew better. These PDC darts members, the committee of the PDC, The Barbados Tourism Authority, The Tourism Development Council of Barbados and the corporate sponsors have all made a major contribution to raising standards and setting new goals for darts players in the Caribbean and South America - and they would have been well aware of just how talented players like Anthony really are. It was a case of Anthony’s ability to cope with the occasion that was at stake – and he passed that test admirably.

Perhaps it was Forde’s experience at the event in 2004 and his familiarity with the venue and the vast stage set gained in his earlier match against the qualifier from Japan, Akhiro Nagakawa, that enabled the port worker from Barbados to play so well against Barneveld.

Now darts players from the UK can continue to contribute to the growth of the game in the region by participating in this year’s Brydens Barbados Darts Festival which takes place from November 6 – 17 and again will be hosted by three times World Champion John Lowe and his wife Karen. Anthony Forde will be taking part, as will a host of other players from Barbados and other countries in the region – including previous participants at the World Championships and qualifiers such as Norman Madhoo from Guyana, Vivekanand Dyall from Trinidad and another Bajan, Winston Cadogan.

But the Festival is designed to attract darts players, both men and women, of all standards and the itinerary caters for that - a mixture of social darts, tournament darts with decent prize money on offer and a social programme designed to give everyone the opportunity to enjoy all that Barbados is justifiably renowned for. It is certainly not all darts – more a holiday with a darts theme!

You will have the opportunity to go on a cruise on a catamaran where you can snorkel over reefs and a wreck as well as swim with the turtles, take to Land Rovers for an island safari off the beaten track, have a day at the races, play golf, see a spectacular show at the Plantation Theatre, and engage in a whole range of water sports.

John and Karen Lowe are superb hosts and you can be sure of a very warm and generous welcome from all those associated with darts in Barbados. The first part of the itinerary is designed to introduce you to the Bajan darts community and to enable you to explore the island and enjoy the azure blue Caribbean sea, the white sandy beaches and the climate that rarely dips below thirty degrees.

Your base will be the Rostrevor Hotel, in St Lawrence Gap on the south coast, within walking distance of all the amenities you need – restaurants, banks, supermarkets, entertainment and opposite The Ship Inn, the usual meeting place for social darts.

Just ten minutes drive away is Almond Bay Conference Centre, where most of the darts events will take place. It is superbly appointed. The bar and dining area overlook the sea and the room allocated for the darts tournaments is air conditioned.

Darts players from other countries in the Caribbean and South America arrive to participate in the Festival for the last four days and you will have the chance to play against them on the Friday and the Sunday. On the Saturday the tournament to produce the qualifier for the PDC World Championships

takes place – with entries confined to those who hold a passport and are resident in Caribbean and Central and South American countries.

It will be a memorable trip as those who have experienced it will testify. John & Karen Lowe are great fans and a number of darts players who were first introduced to Barbados through the Festival return at other times of the year to Barbados on a regular basis to enjoy the island and the company of those Bajans they have met playing darts at earlier festivals.

The Brydens Barbados Darts Festival takes place from November 6 – 17, 2008 and prices for the 11 nights in Barbados begin from £890 per person. Fourteen nights can also be arranged. Further details contact ABTA and ATOL regulated Tour Operator, Sun Living on 01623 795365

The Betfred.com ‘League of Legends’ recently announced in the press brings together eight of the top names of darts, all of whom have played their part in establishing what is generally called today ‘the modern era of darts’.

Eric Bristow, John Lowe, Bob Anderson, Keith Deller, Bobby George, Cliff Lazarenko, Dave Whitcombe and Peter Evison will fight it out over eight weeks. The League begins at The Circus Tavern, Purfleet, Essex on 30^th May and ends three months later, after featuring at venues across the country, on 22^nd August back at The Circus Tavern for the semi-finals and finals. Each event will be transmitted ‘live’ and exclusive on Setanta Sports.

Every one of the ‘legends’ is still working on the exhibition circuit, entertaining and taking on darts fans all over the world. Some, like Bobby George also have other darts-related media interests but everyone to a man is looking forward to the challenge of the inaugural ‘League of Legends’

1988 World Darts Champion, Bob Anderson, who recently retired from the PDC circuit, told me, “Today’s darts is built around by the guys on this tour. The League of Legends is a natural progression in the sport. Golf, tennis and other major sports have their Masters tournaments which are hugely popular, so why not darts?” It is also an ideal opportunity to give the fans a unique opportunity to see the big names of the past playing - history repeating itself in fact - and for younger darts fans to see, perhaps for the first time, the men who put darts on the sporting map.

The permutations of matches are mouth-watering and each match will be the best of twelve legs, so six-all draws are possible. But which of the seven other legends is Bob most keen to meet on the oche? He told me, “All of them of course. However, I have to say I am particularly looking forward to locking horns with Bobby George.”

Full details of the league dates and how to obtain tickets (which are on sale now) can be obtained by visiting www.leagueoflegends.tv (see also the Betfred.com League of Legends flyer below).

My tip to win the Betfred.com League of Legends Final at the Circus Tavern on 22^nd August has got to be John Lowe. (Sorry John!)

Bob Anderson has been installed 15-8 favourite by the sponsors for the inaugural Betfred.com League of Legends darts tournament, which begins at Purfleet’s Circus Tavern on May 30.

The 60-year-old, nicknamed the ‘Limestone Cowboy’, heads the outright market having competed at the highest level more recently than his seven rivals in the event, which brings the stars of the eighties back to the big time.

World champion in 1988, Anderson specifically quit the PDC circuit at the start of this year to join the Betfred.com League of Legends and was still ranked among the elite top 32 when he broke ranks.

Bobby George, who remains competitive in county darts, is the 3-1 second favourite, ahead of 1983 world champion Keith Deller at 9-2. Five-time world champion Eric Bristow and ‘Big’ Cliff Lazarenko are the outsiders at 16-1 and 14-1 respectively.

Jon Wilde, Betfred PR spokesman and tournament co-ordinator, said: “Bob Anderson is a worthy favourite to become the first Betfred.com League of Legends champion. He was still giving the world’s best players a game when he left the PDC and only lost narrowly in his opening match at the World Championship last December.

“We can’t take any chances with Bobby George because he recently produced some sensational darts in an exhibition with Phil Taylor and he always thrives on the big occasions.

“Our odds for Eric Bristow may surprise some people, but you have to factor in that the ‘Crafty Cockney’ has been away from the competitive scene for a good while. Yet we expect the 16-1 to prove very popular, just like Bristow himself.”

Betfred.com League of Legends outright betting (win only): 15-8 Bob Anderson, 3-1 Bobby George, 9-2 Keith Deller, 7-1 John Lowe, 9-1 Peter Evison, 10-1 Dave Whitcombe, 14-1 Cliff Lazarenko, 16-1 Eric Bristow.

IMPORTANT NOTE: These odds were published by Betfred.com on 23^rd April and posted on this website on 24^th April and will, of course, be subject to fluctuation. Check the Betfred.com website for up-to-date odds.

A new and exciting BDO ‘International Grand Prix’ series, comprising five established tournaments, is to be televised live on Setanta Sports from May to September 2008.

The following five televised tournaments listed below will feature live coverage of the Men’s Singles from the quarterfinals to the Final:

The Welsh Open will be shown on Setanta Sports from 7 p.m. to 12.30 a.m. and the remaining four tournaments will each be screened from 6.30 p.m. to Midnight.

Though each tournament will be ‘stand-alone’ they will be played under a generic ‘umbrella’ Grand Prix title, with points being awarded from quarterfinals to Final.

The BDO International Grand Prix series marks a darts debut for Setanta Sports, which is available in Great Britain, Ireland, Luxembourg, the USA, Canada and Australia, and is distributed via satellite, cable, digital terrestrial, Broadband and mobile.

It has over three million unique subscribers and is available through Virgin Media (8 channels and approximately two million UK viewers), Freeview (available to approx 8.4 million UK households) and BT Vision. It is also available online, live and on demand via Setanta by Broadband, allowing sports fans access at home and at work.

Described as the fastest growing pay TV operator in Europe, Setanta operate more sports channels than any other broadcaster. For digital/satellite viewers Setanta has a sports package comprising 12 channels, including the recently launched 24-hour Setanta Sports News.

Olly Croft, Managing Director of BDO Enterprises said, “This latest innovation for BDO televised darts is a clear indication that in its 35^th Anniversary Year the BDO continues to move forward and look after the future of our sport. We are delighted that BDO darts and its players will be screened by Setanta Sports, and the series of five live ‘International Grand Prix’ tournaments perfectly complement our two majors – the Lakeside World Professional and the Winmau World Masters - on BBC terrestrial TV.

“It gives the BDO a portfolio of seven televised tournaments with the real potential of providing opportunities for fresh, as well as established names, to become the darts stars and characters of today and tomorrow”.

HARROWS DARTS CUP 2008 JAPAN

Harrows Darts of England are excited to announce their title sponsorship of the Harrows Darts Cup which will take place in Japan throughout 2008.

The Darts Japan Open (DJO) tournaments will run from May to November and during that time will cover the entire length and breadth of the country, being played in over twenty cities.

The format of these electronic soft tip darts tournaments, which were established in 2005, gives over 50,000 darts players a chance to win the Harrows Darts Cup in their own region. Commenting on this sponsorship, Robert Pringle, Sales and Marketing Director of Harrows, said: “Our products are sold in over 100 countries globally. Our mission is to promote the exciting sport of darts worldwide. We have been exporting our products to Japan since 1973 and, indeed, that country was one of our first export markets.”

The DJO Tournament Series started in 2005 and the most recent sponsor was Budweiser – the ‘King of Beers’. Robert commented “It seems logical that we should take over…Harrows - the ‘King of Darts!’”

Robert added, “Our sponsorship of this fantastic series - the Harrows Darts Cup - which attracts between 2,000 and 5,000 players to each venue, is recognition of both our brand-leading position and a celebration of our long-term commitment to the growth of darts both in Japan and, of course, worldwide."

In recent years, electronic darts has really caught on in Japan and many soft tip tournaments have been organised but nothing as ambitious as the Harrows Darts Cup. Robert said, “Japan is a huge country with a population of 127 million! The land mass is similar in size to Germany, but the distance from end to end is 1,900 miles (3,040 kms). So, we have teamed up with the DJO Organisation who have developed the concept of “taking darts to the people” by way of a Tournament Series that is spread all over the country, from Aomori in the north to Fukuoka in the south. That’s over twenty different venues and with between 2,000 – 5,000 players at each one.” For details of dates and venues see below or for up-to-date news and information visit www.djo-darts.com or www.harrowsdarts.com.

Finally Robert Pringle said, “This sponsorship will be the central thrust of Harrow’s marketing for the next eight months. Naturally, the main focus of these tournaments is Japan, but we believe our sponsorship of the World’s Biggest Darts Tour, involving in excess of 50,000 players, will help build global brand awareness. The ability of the internet to spread news / information is now a major force in marketing worldwide.”

City / Venue	Date
Ebisu	May 03 - 04
Gifu	May 10 - 11
Shizuoka	June 06 - 07
Gunma	June 21 - 22
Kinshicho	June 28 - 29
Hiratsuka	July 05 - 06
Fukuoka	July 01 - 20
Tochigi	Aug 02 - 03
Musashino	Aug 10 - 11
Ousaka	Aug 23 - 24
Yokosuka	Aug 30 - 31
Aomori	Sept 06 - 07
Chiba	Sept 15 - 16
Nagoya	Sept 20 - 21
Kitakyushu	Oct 02 - 03
Oumiya	Oct 09 - 10
Yokohama	Oct 31 - Nov 02
Kitakyushu	Nov 08 - 09

THE BRITISH DARTS ORGANISATION has announced that the world finals of the 2008 Winmau World Masters will return to The Spa, Bridlington from Friday December 5^th to Sunday, December 7th.

The Stage Finals of the Men’s World Masters will be screened live and exclusively by BBC TV on Saturday, December 6^th and Sunday, December 7^th.

Following a multi-million pound redevelopment, The Spa is the perfect host venue for the 35^th World Masters to celebrate both the 35^th Anniversary of the oldest established major tournament in world dart and the 35^th Anniversary of the British Darts Organisation.

Issued by Robert Holmes on behalf of the BDO 1^st April 2008. More details will be announced later.

Winmau’s Mark Webster took his first World Championship in superb style last night and earned £85,000 for the privilege. He won his world title with a 7-5 victory over the very talented and dogged Aussie Simon Whitlock.

Left-hander Webster hammered the doubles of the Winmau Blade III from start to finish and held his nerve despite a few flutters to complete a dream week. Webster, a qualifier last year, put out defending champion and England captain Martin Adams in another fantastic semi final match.

Whitlock was biting at Webster’s heels from the off, with superb heavy scoring but ultimately, he paid the price for a slow start. Webster stormed into a 3-0 lead and always had his nose in front.

Winmau’s Welsh World Champion pledged to stay with the BDO so he can carry on playing for his beloved Wales.

Mark said: “This week has been absolutely unbelievable, I have experienced so many highs and lows it’s hard to put it into words. I’ve had a brilliant tournament this year at Lakeside and enjoyed myself thoroughly”

And even before last night’s triumph he was looking forward to returning in 2009.

He added: “Winmau had a special set of darts made for me the week before the tournament and they felt so good that I took them into the Lakeside un-tested in any event, from the first throw they fitted like a glove and gave me great confidence, I just can’t wait for next year now”.

As Darts hottest property Mark faces a high profile year and a full tournament calendar and hopefully you’ll join us in wishing Mark the very best for a superb 2008 and our congratulations in being a worthy World Champion.

For further information regarding the Winmau premium range of darts equipment visit
www.winmau.com, email info@winmau.com or telephone +44 (0)1656 767042

BE FIRE SAFE AND HIT THE BULLSEYE

HARROWS DARTS CUP 2008 JAPAN

Date

May 03 - 04

Aug 23 - 24