Unicorn World Darts Championships
Unicorn World Darts Championships
- The Story
Unicorn World Darts Championships 1975 and 1976
On Friday 25th October 1974, the cream of British sports journalists were invited to the Press Club in London, where news of a major new world darts championship was launched.
With more than £10,000 in cash and prizes on offer - £2,000 going to the ultimate winners - the Unicorn World Darts Championship, open to teams of two, was the first truly international darts tournament of its kind attracting teams from no less than 15 countries. The winners also held the magnificent Unicorn Trophy for one year; a solid gold globe, surmounted by three solid gold darts, it was valued in 1975 at £3,000.
The launch was attended by Henry Cooper, who set the tone of serious competition and true sportsmanship that became an integral part of the competition, and has continued in the sport ever since.
A series of regional finals throughout the UK produced 29 teams, 16 from England, 5 from Scotland and 4 each from Ireland and Wales, who would compete for the 4 national titles and join the teams from overseas for the World Title.
Easter Weekend 1975 was the time, the West Centre Hotel, London the location. Anyone who was fortunate to be there will remember with affection a truly memorable weekend of darts, fun and friendship. The Unicorn World Championships set the standards by which all later tournaments were judged. The weekend not only included the darts, but a magnificent cabaret night starring Bob Monkhouse and Tommy Trinder, with dancing to Acker Bilk and His Paramount Jazz Band.
The Unicorn Weekend also gave darts administrators from around the world a forum to meet and discuss the worldwide opportunities for the sport. From these meetings the World Darts Federation was conceived.
Unicorn sponsored the Championships for a second year in 1976, which were transmitted on ITV's World of Sport. Such was the success of this coverage that it attracted viewers mid-way through the Boat Race, which was being shown on BBC TV. Bermuda entered for the first time this year and the cabaret night starred Jimmy Tarbuck and Kenny Lynch. Also in 1976, the North Midlands were represented by a 29-year-old joiner from Clay Cross called John Lowe.
After the successes of 1975 and 1976, many large corporations were attracted to the sport as sponsors and we were able to return to our primary function of producing the world's best and most comprehensive range of darts, something we still do today.
However, we look back on these championships with both pride and affection, sure in the knowledge that we played a major part in the development of the sport as a TV spectacle and in its international administration. We are also proud of all the players who took part, especially those who reached the finals, who also contributed much to their sport.
Again, Unicorn proved to be "the Big Name in Darts".
The Announcement
World's leading darts manufacturer sponsors first ever world-wide darts championship
A record number of nations will be competing for record prize money in the first ever Unicorn World Darts Championship, which is open to teams of two players. More than £10,000 in cash and prizes are on offer, with £2,000 going to the winners of the final. The runner-up team will receive £500 and each defeated team in the semi-finals will collect £200. The winners will also hold the magnificent Unicorn Trophy for one year. This is a solid silver globe, surmounted by three solid gold darts, which is valued at £3,000.
No less than 15 countries will be taking part: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, England, Gibraltar, Ireland, Lebanon, Malta, Scotland, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, USA and Wales. It will be the first time that Australian, Canadian, Danish, Maltese, Lebanese, South African or Swiss players have visited Britain for an international darts competition.
The world final will take place next Easter Sunday (30th March, 1975) at the West Centre Hotel in London. The national finals for England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales will be staged the previous day (Easter Saturday) together with an invitation international match which will provide a preliminary warm-up for all visiting teams. The 'Unicorn Easter Weekend' will therefore provide darts enthusiasts with an unprecedented feat of top-class matches.
Match play will be under the exclusive supervision of the British Darts Organisation, which came into being just over two years ago. Under its general secretary, Oliver Croft, the B.D.O. has become recognised as the major influence in the promotion of 'top' darts and the Unicorn World Darts Championship will enhance this well-earned reputation.
Prizes (with a total value of more than £2,400) will be divided among the winners and runners-up of the 40 regional finals in Britain and Ireland. Unicorn will also be providing free travel to London and accommodation for the Unicorn Easter Weekend for no less than eight people from each region. Both members of the winning team will receive a de-luxe weekend for two, so will the Unicorn stockist from whom they buy their darts and the publican or club official for whom they normally play. The entertainments will include an all-star cabaret on the Saturday night, with dancing to Acker Bilk (who also happens to be a fanatical darts player).
Entries are now open and entry forms will be available at clubs, pubs and sports shops throughout the country within the next few days. By the closing date (20th December, 1974) it is expected that the names of more than 20,000 British and Irish darts players will have been fed into the Unicorn Computer. The venue of regional finals will be decided with the aid of the computer, which will provide information on the number of entries from each area.
It is estimated that 6½ million people in Britain play darts regularly, making this the largest participant sport in the country. Its popularity is expending rapidly overseas and the total entry for the Unicorn World Dart's Championship is expected to involve 100,000 players (50,000 teams). Sixty percent of the darts manufactured by Unicorn Products are already sold overseas and Managing Director, Stanley Lowy, hopes that the new Championship will stimulate the export drive still further.
Unicorn, who make fifty percent of the darts sold in Britain, produce over 2,000 items for the game, including a staggering variety of 120 different types of dart barrels. A single year's production of darts from their South London factory would stretch all the way from John O'Groats to Land's End.
October 1974
1975 Winners
Unicorn World Champions - Dave Jones & Ray Phillips
England Champions - Ken Brown & Dennis Nutt
Scotland Champions - Eddie McArthur & John Ramsay
Ireland Champions - Frank Duffy & Seamus O'Brien
Wales Champions - Dave Jones & Ray Phillips
Australia Champions - George Foster & Kevin White
Belgium Champions - Willy De Laere & Omer Bauwens
Canada Champions - Alan Mercer & Eric Murphy
Denmark Champions - Flemming Hansen & Oscar Villekjaer
Gibraltar Champions - Joe Goldwin & William Duo
Lebanon Champions - Gerald McNaughton & Gordon Trenholm
Malta Champions - Grezzju Scicluna & Francis Mifsud
South Africa Champions - Alid Esterhuizen & Jan Blignaut
Sweden Champions - Pierre Weckman & Peter Largerman
Switzerland Champions - P Pitt & J Bennett
USA Champions - Walt 'Ski' Mikolajewski & Gene 'Tim' Timonschuk
West Germany Champions - Roland Geuss & Roland Kaiser
Profiles of 1975 Finalists - England
Northern
Graham Lovegrove, 41.
Licensee from The Globe, Wisbech. Three times News of the World finalist.
Colin Balding, 38
Builders merchant, foreman. Dedicated darts player for 17 years. Keen sports follower
Essex
Bert Sontag, 44
Crane driver from Waltham Abbey. Twice London area News of the World finalist. Well known darting family.
Ron Woodham, 38
Fitter from Waltham Abbey. Plays for the 'Old English Gentlemen', the leading team in his own area.
Hampshire
White Brothers, Christopher 34 & Graham 28
From West Lulworth, one of two pairs of brothers to qualify for the England finals. Both play for the British Legion and have a string of local successes to their credit.
Kent
Sam Hawkins, 46
Heating & ventilating supervisor from Sidcup. Fixture and Results Secretary of British Darts Organisation, Kent team manager, Pontins Individual Champion 1973 and many other successes.
Sid Grist, 54
Crane Driver from Sidcup. Kent County Player with over 30 years in competitive darts.
London 1
Charlie Ellix, 34
Heating engineer from Mill Hill. A rising star in the London and Hertfordshire darts scene.
Jack Papworth, 28
Printer from Edgware. Known locally as 'the Babe',
has been playing darts "as long as I have been old enough to drink!"
London 2
Ron Emburey, 41
Printer from Camberwell. A dart fanatic, has been playing regularly since he was thirteen. A regular player for Southwark in the Greater London Super Darts League.
Duke Winser, 51
Driver from Camberwell, a Southwark team mate of Ron Emburey, has achieved many successes in only seven years of dart playing.
North of England
Doug McCarthy, 32
A butcher from Crook, Co Durham. A rising darts player - twice Yorkshire champion of champions, plays banjo and guitar.
John Thompson, 35
Builders labourer from Crook, keen jazz fan like his partner Doug.
North Midlands
Ron Allen, 31
Foreman turner from Chesterfield, plays for the Greyhound Inn and a keen gardener.
John Lowe, 29
Joiner from Clay Cross, dedicated dart player with ambition to be the best. Other interest, golf.
Northern
Joe Matthews, 27
Scaffolder from Ormesby, has won 10 local individual championships, would like to play for England and travel.
Terry Harrison, 42
Decorator from Middlesborough, has won 16 individual titles.
North West
Harry Cook, 36
Upholsterer from Manchester. Man of the Match at the recent London v Lancashire county match.
David Holden, 38
Sales manager from St. Helens whose ambition is to play darts for England in the Olympic Games!
South Midlands
Jack and Colin Mayes, 46 & 35
The other pair of brothers in the England Finals. Both with many dart achievements in the Midlands, Colin recently beat Jack in the Leicester Area News of the World Finals.
South West
Tommy O'Regan, 36
International Dart Star from Walthamstow and well-known TV Darts personality. National individual Champion for three years.
Cliff Inglis, 39
From Plymouth, reigning Phonogram World Masters Individual Champion. Man of the Match for the last two years playing for England in the Home International.
Southern
Ken Brown, 37
Surrey Darts Organiser from Carshalton. Great Britain International Player and Surrey Individual Champion 1974.
Dennis Nutt, 44
Engineering Manager from Byfleet, Secretary of Surrey Darts Organisation. London and Home Counties. Individual Champion and keen swimmer.
Thames Valley
Ray Rawlings, 18
Apprentice toolmaker from Cookham, the youngest of this weekends competitors, following in the footsteps of his famous father, Bernie.
John Mason, 42
Welder from Maidenhead. Thames Valley County Player. Shooting and crossbow enthusiast.
West Midlands
Paul Tunley, 24
Fitter from Birmingham. Plays darts seven nights a week, keen cricketer and golfer.
John Lynock, 29
Storekeeper, also plays seven nights a week, keen on football.
Western
David Purnell, 30
Warehouseman from Bristol, been playing darts for thirteen years and plays regularly four nights a week.
Gordon Maddocks, 37
Builder, been playing darts for sixteen years, his ambition is to 'do in a game what I can do in practice'.
Profiles of 1975 Finalists - Scotland
Ayrshire/Renfrewshire
Hugh McCullum, 27
Plumber from Paisley, keen player for nine years, also plays soccer and golf.
James Brogan, 39
Foreman bricklayer with a long string of successes to his credit.
Edinburgh/Central Borders
David Hill, 27
Scrap metal buyer from Edinburgh, many championship successes and his ambition is 'to play darts until I'm a hundred'.
Robert McGavern, 29
Labourer, many times local winner, keen and interested in all sports.
Fife/Stirling
Eddie McArthur, 24
Motor mechanic from Stirling. Holder of numerous Scottish trophies, interested in golf and fishing.
John Ramsay, 24
Assistant foreman at the Stirling Rubber Works. Scottish C.I.U. winner.
Glasgow/Dumbarton
Daniel Coombe, 21
Welder from Glasgow. Only been playing for 3 years, another young hope.
William Scott, 28
Painter, many local club successes. Rising stars in one of the strongholds of Scottish Darts.
Tayside/Northern
Stewart Fullarton, 21
Welder from Forres. First major success in championship darts.
Neil Adams, 28
Civil engineer from Dunkeld. Like his partner, his regional win gives him his first break in big time darts.
Profiles of 1975 Finalists - Ireland
Ireland South
Martin Byrne, 43
Wire drawer from Limerick, has been playing for 20 years and is a Limerick Champion.
Patsy Brunnock, 29
Mechanic, is a minor Hurler in Limerick and numbers golf among his interests.
Ireland Midland
Billy O'Brien, 25 & Jack Murphy, 32
Bus driver and porter, both from County Wexford and share a common interest in the traditional Irish sport of Hurling, Jack being a county Champion. They both have a number of major local darts tournaments to their credit, and Bill is one of the All-Ireland Grand Master Semi-Finalists.
Ireland North East
Jim and Bob McQuillan
Jim a brewery driver, is not only a well known Champion in his home town of Dundalk but is no stranger to the TV millions who saw him at last year's News of the World Final. He is partnered by his brother Bob who is a mechanic. Bob also lives in Dundalk and is a keen chess player.
Dublin
Seamus O'Brien & Frank Duffy, both 29
They both live in Dublin. They are John Player and Carew Cup winners. Their home team is Finnegans.
Profiles of 1975 Finalists - Wales
North Glamorgan
David 'Rocky' Jones, 25
Miner from Rhymney, has only been playing for two years, with much success.
Ray Phillips, 40
Former Boxing Champion plays for 5 different teams and has won many prizes.
North Wales
Ian Smith, 27
Hotel manager from Llanarmon.
John Morris, 23
Farmer. Both have been playing for 10 years, winning their region was their first major darts success.
South Glamorgan
John Assiratti, 29
Decorator from Portcawl.
Philip Obbard, 26
Carpenter from Pencoed. Both Glamorgan players, now hoping for a major national title.
West Wales
Norman Hayward, 39
Storeman from Pensarn, has been playing for 25 years.
Paul James, 23
Labourer from Carmarthen, who has only played for two years but together have become a well-known local pair.
Profiles of 1975 Finalists - Overseas
Australia
George Foster, 35
Maintenance supervisor from Mt. Pritchard, N.S. Wales, was born in Congleton, Cheshire. Competitive darts player for ten years.
Kevin White, 36
Electrical company storeman also from N.S.Wales, teamed up with George three years ago. George and Kevin did not lose a game in reaching the Finals from an all Australia entry.
Belgium
Willy De Laere, 39 & Omer Bauwens, 42
Both league players in the Federation Ostend and have been playing for over twenty years. Both have been Champions of Belgium and won many other titles.
Canada
Alan Mercer, 36
A computer supervisor
Eric Murphy, 41
Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Both were born in England and now live in Ottawa and have played darts for over twenty years. Both have had many dart successes.
Denmark
Flemming Hansen, 26
A glazier from Copenhagen.
Oscar Villekjaer, 42
A fitter from Greve Stand. Both Danish Doubles Champions, Flemming winning in 1972 and Oscar this year.
Gibraltar
Joe Goldwin, 50
President of the Gibraltar Darts Association, is no stranger to British dart playing circles. Four times Gibraltar Individual Champion.
William Duo, 29
A plumber, was twice runner up to Joe in the Individual Championship, these players are Gibraltar's undisputed darts champs.
Lebanon
Gerald McNaughton, 36 & Gordon Trenholm 35
Both are Canadians based in Egypt and presently working for the United Nations in Beirut. They play for Ismailia Hustlers and have both won many tournaments.
Malta
Grezzju Scicluna, 27
A heavy plant operator, has been playing darts daily for five years. He is also a keen swimmer.
Francis Mifsud, 35
Hospital attendant and current Malta Singles Champion, has been playing darts for twenty-one years and before winning his singles title was five times runner-up.
South Africa
Alid Esterhuizen, 33
Comes from Bromma and is a man of may parts, archeologist, deep-sea diver, photographer and marketing analyst. Has been playing darts for seven years.
Jan Blignaut, 39
An engineer from Boksburg, Transvaal, has been playing for fifteen years and is also interested in boxing. Both have numerous successes in the South African Championships and won through to London from an entry of over 7,000 pairs.
Sweden
Pierre Weckman, 33
From Bromma, is a man of many parts, archeologist, deep-sea diver, photographer and marketing analyst. He has been playing darts for seven years.
Peter Lagerman, 32
Decorator from Stockholm, like Pierre plays for Nightcap Clan Society, has many dart successes and a golf handicap of eleven.
Switzerland
Philip Pitt & Roland Kaiser
Biographical details not available.
United States of America
Walt 'Ski' Mikolajewski, 27
Warehouseman from Anaheim, California has been playing for four years and is a member of the Red Shirts team.
Gene 'Tim' Timoschuk, 32
Air conditioning engineer from Bellflower, California, also plays for the Red Shirts and with Walt is a member of the Southern California Darts Association All-Star team. Both have many U.S.A. tournament titles and enter international play for the first time this weekend.
West Germany
Roland Geuss & Roland Kaiser
From Pfaffenweiler and Freiburg respectively. Both 26 and have been playing darts for almost three years.
Endorsements 1975
1976 Winners
Unicorn World Champions - George Foster & Kevin White (Australia)
England Champions - James Jewell & Robert Baxter
Scotland Champions - George Bowman & Joseph Hunter
Ireland Champions - Noel Hickey & Eamon Constable
Wales Champions - Bob Williams & David Porter
Australia Champions - George Foster & Kevin White
Belgium Champions - Willy De Laere & Omer Bauwens
Canada Champions - Charles & Herbert Medeiros
Denmark Champions - Robert Dupois & Duke Astra
Gibraltar Champions - Ole Axholt & Palle Rasmussen
Lebanon Champions - Joe Goldwin & Peter Wakefield
Malta Champions - G Borg & F Buhagia
South Africa Champions - Paul Willemse & Samuel O'Kelly
Sweden Champions - Gunnar Eklund & Bert Berg
Switzerland Champions - C Wietan & J P Blondin
USA Champions - Michael Fechner & Georg Egender
West Germany Champions - Michael Fechner & Georg Egender
Profiles of 1976 Finalists - England
East Anglia
David Blackmore
Wimblington, Cambs. Nicknamed 'Buster' he has played darts since the age of 15 and now plays five nights per week. A builder by trade, he holds a regular place in the Cambridgeshire country team.
Kenneth Batchelor
March, Cambs. A plasterer who stands 6ft 2inch and weighs 16½ stone. He plays an average of three nights per week and represents two local pub teams in the March Super League.
London 1
Gerald Akers
A steeplejack and goes by the nickname of 'Supertramp' to his mates. He was taught to play darts at the age of 11 by his father. Also enjoys golf.
Philip Wilson
From Walworth, has played for six years and collected the Concord Super League singles title last year. Nicknamed 'Badger', he plays every day and harbours an ambition to play for England.
London 2
Richard Cattell
Learned the finer points of the game from his father and plays three times a week. He is a panel-beater by trade and has represented London
Jack Ambler
Chalked up his first title by winning the London Regional Final. He has been playing for 23 years and earned a place in the Great Britain team v USA.
North of England
John Thompson, 36
Father of six, he plays darts every day and also enjoys table tennis. 1975 'Nodor' Champion and last year's Unicorn Area finalist with his partner.
Douglas McCarthy
A butcher who has shared many successes with his partner. He plays for Durham and plays in the County Super League. Both players live in Crook, Durham.
North Midlands
John Gunn
Stapleford, Notts, has been playing darts since his early teens and throws regularly for the Alexander Club and Ilkeston miners. Enjoys fishing when not playing darts.
Stewart Beardsley
West Hallam, Derby. Another keen angler when not playing darts. He was persuaded to take up the game by his partner and now plays for Derbyshire.
North Thames
David Russell
A bachelor from Stratford who combines darts with a love of angling. He plays every night and competes in the Essex Super League. An Essex County player.
Gerald Coventry
A carpenter from East London with a simple aim 'to be a brilliant player'. He has played for four years, plays for Essex 'B' team, and is a boxing enthusiast.
North West
Thomas Bass
Works for the Press and plays darts three times per week. He is a Lancashire County player and was a finalist in the 1975 Inter-City Track Arrows Championships.
Gerald Wilkinson
First took up darts at his wife's suggestion 10 years ago, and practices daily. A foreman by trade, he plays regularly in the Tetleys League, Bolton.
Northern
Alan Venis
'Big Al 'to his darts colleagues. Stands 6ft 2inch and weighs 21 stone. He has been playing for 15 years and continues to throw on four evenings a week. A foreman civil engineer by trade.
Ian Dobson
A steelworker who has played for 11 years. He has a love of athletics when not playing darts. Eston Club League Individual champion 1966-7-8-, 1970-1-2. Both players come from Southbank.
South East
Combines a love of darts with angling and swimming and has been playing for nine years. He throws left-handed and, at 6ft 3inch is one of the tallest finalists.
Len Miller
'Dusty' as he is inevitably called, has been playing since 1945 and has collected an enviable string of titles en route. A Kent player with his sights set on an England place.
South Midlands
Jack Mayes
Appearing for the second year, has been playing for 20 years and still practices for an hour each day. He is a member of the Warwickshire County team and collected the Nodor Fours Midlands title last year.
Colin Mayes
A building sub-contractor and, like his brother, has been playing for 20 years. His successes include the Midlands singles title in 1974. A member of the England NDA team.
South West
Brian Baker
The beaten Regional finalist in the 1975 Unicorn Championships. He plays at least three times a week and plays regularly for Hampshire.
Ian Crombie, 22
Has been partnering Brian Bake for just over a year. The Unicorn Championship provided his first taste of competitive darts.
Southern
Joe Johnson
Finished runner-up in the Sussex Super League Championships last year and won the Eastbourne singles title. He is a carpet wholesaler and plays darts twice a week.
George Pantrey
Chalked up his first success by winning the Southern Region title. He loves all sports, but darts and cricket come top of the list. A Sussex County player.
Thames Valley
David Vincent
A lorry driver who plays four nights each week. He first took up the game 19 years ago and modestly admits his ambition is 'to improve'.
Cyril Webb
An electrician by trade, 'Cydge' first started to play in 1934. He practices for one hour each day and was a member of the Victorious Watney Straight Eight championship team.
West
John Knight
Has an enviable record in Paignton, where he has collected the singles title three times and the doubles title five times. His record in Torbay is memorable too, with four singles titles and the pairs championship. A Devon county player.
George Murphy
Has also claimed the Paignton title twice, and tops an enviable list of achievements with the Disneyland Pairs (USA) Championship in 1974. Also a Devon county player.
West Midlands
Robert Baxter
Combines his love of darts with a passion for shooting. Although he plays only once a week he has scooped several titles including the £500 Pontin's Northern Championship.
James Jewell
A 6ft bricklayer who plays five nights each week. He throws left-handed and is a familiar figure at the Three Tuns, Tamworth. He is a Staffordshire county player.
Western
Peter Lally
Hails from Ireland and took up the game in his early teens 'to supplement his pocket money'. He is an Irish International and combines darts with music - his hobby is playing the accordion.
Kim Brown
Nicknamed 'the Fox', Kim has been playing darts for 25 years. He plays regularly for the West of England and won the Swedish Open title in 1974.
Profiles of 1976 Finalists - Scotland
Central
George Young
An engineer who took up darts three years ago. He was a member of the winning Rothmans four-man team in 1975 and also collected the Whitbread singles title last year.
Robert Brown
Plays four nights per week and practices in 'every spare moment'. It seems to pay off as his recent success in the West of Scotland Team Championships testifies! Both players live in Glasgow.
Northern
A left-handed player and practices daily. He is an electrician by trade and is a regular member of the Dundee Darts Association representative team.
Robert Kindlen
Has been playing for eight years and, like his partner, plays for the D.D.A. team. Apart from darts, Bob is a keen soccer fan.
South
Derek Higginson
Inherited the love of darts from his father and also enjoys playing pool and snooker. He took up darts nine years ago and plays four nights a week.
Arthur Burnham
Has a string of triumphs to his name including the Scottish Nodor title in 1974-75. He is a reserve for the Scottish team and when not playing darts he pursues his other hobby - breeding budgerigars!
South East
Joseph Hunter
A regular member of the Inverkeithing team and plays four nights a week. His triumphs include the Civil Service doubles title.
George Bowman
A plasterer by trade 'Geordie' has won the Rosyth singles title, the Watney-Mann Inter City Championships and the Fife Phonogram title. He has been playing darts for five years.
Profiles of 1976 Finalists - Ireland
Eastern
Charlie Byrne & Terry O'Connor
Both come from Dublin and have already managed to win several senior league trophies. Charlie was selected to represent Ireland in last October's Home International in Cardiff.
Southern
Noel Hickey & Eamon Constable
Both from 'The Brazen Head' in Limerick, Noel is married with 4 children and has won many major tournaments. Eamon has only recently taken up darts and is a fast maturing player and should be an interesting newcomer to watch.
South Eastern
Michael Finlay
A publican and has been playing darts for 12 years. This is his first major success. He is married with 4 children.
Hugh O'Leary
Married with 4 children. He has also been playing darts for 12 years and again this is his first major win. He is looking forward to having a go at the 'Jackpot'.
Western
Padraic Flaherty & Eugene McDermott
Biographical details not available.
Profiles of 1976 Finalists - Wales
Mid Wales
David Porter
A Welsh international and a familiar figure in Welsh darts circles. Gained much experience and enthusiasm for the game from his older brother. Has played for about 10 years. A former Welsh NDA champion.
Bob Williams
The other half of this successful partnership which has collected a string of local titles. He is a car salesman and has been playing for eight years.
North
Chris Jones
Has been playing for only 12 months, but has already chalked up several notable victories. Aged 20, he is 6ft 2 inch tall and eventually hopes to become a professional player.
Anthony Andrew
Enjoys the strong competition that the game offers. He plays every day and is a regular player in the Conway Valley League.
South
Alfred Jeffries
Has claimed the 1975 Denmark Open and the Welsh News of the World (1968-9) titles in his 30 years in the game. Many other local titles have come his way and he represented Wales in 1973-74.
One of the best known darts personalities in Wales and has been on a representative tour with the Welsh Darts Organisation. He is a painter and decorator by trade and plays regularly for the West of England.
West
Philip Myodin Davies
Has been playing darts for 25 years and is a regular player in the Carmarthen and District League. Won the West Wales title in 1967, 1970 and 1971.
John Davies
Runs his own milk-vending business but still manages to play twice a week in the same League. When away from the board, John enjoys following football.
Profiles of 1976 Finalists - Overseas
Australia
George Foster & Kevin White
Both from New South Wales. Last year's winners - back again! After an exciting and very close fought qualifying final hey are to travel half way round the world once more to compete for the World Championships.
Belgium
Willy Delaere & Omer Bauwens
The only other overseas pair in this year's Finals to have also appeared in 1975. In fact they were ousted by no less than the Welsh Champions themselves. They come from near Ostende and have been playing darts for 20 years, both having been champions of Belgium. They surprised everyone by winning last year's International Invitation Match and they may well have some more surprises up their sleeves this year.
Bermuda
Charles & Herbert Medeiros
Both brothers, born in Sao Miguel, Azores. They are farmers by profession and operate a vegetable and fruit vending business in the City of Hamilton. Charlie has been playing darts for about 12 years and currently plays for the club Vasco da Gama. Herman is a relative newcomer to darts, playing only for the last four years. He also plays for Vasco da Gama. They have had many successes in darts including Bermuda Athletic Association Team Doubles in December 1975.
Canada
Robert Dupuis, 39
Has been playing competitive darts for 7 years. He is a director of the recently formed Canadian Darts Organisation and is married with four children.
Duke Astra, 28
Married with two daughters, approached the dartboard with a handy 6ft 5inch and although he has been playing for only 2½ years, has already amassed more than a hundred 180's - what is more he has won every major tournament he has ever entered.
Denmark
Ole Axholt, 21
Already has a number of championships to his name - being the Danish winner in 1972. It was his father who first introduced him to darts, which he has been playing for about 5 years.
Palle Rasmussen, 40
A father of three, has been playing darts for 11 years and is one of the few left-handed players in this year's Grand Finals. He has a number of Home Championships to his name and has been in the Danish National team for the last three years.
Gibraltar
Joe Goldwin
A familiar visitor from the Rock and will be remembered as having been one of last year's Gibraltar Pair. Has a new partner this year.
Peter Wakefield
Has been playing for 30 years and whose ambition is to score 180 with three darts!
Malta
Biographical details not available.
South Africa
Paul Willemse
Married with one daughter, first became interested in darts 5 years ago and plays in the Southern Transvaal First League. He is an engineer by profession and numbers rugby among his favourite sports.
Samuel O'Kelly
Despite his name, Samuel is a South African who also plays for the Southern Transvaal First League, where he has won a number of club titles.
Sweden
Gunnar Eklund & Bert Berg.
Two bachelors playing for the well-known Old Bowler Club in Stockholm. Bert is a teletechnology technician and Gunnar is a salesman. Bert was a member of a team, which visited Glamorgan in 1974.
Switzerland
Biographical details not available.
United States of America
Jack Currie, 29
A Bachelor and owner of the Prince of Wales pub in San Mateo, California, Jack is a regional director of the American Darts Organisation. He discovered darts on a visit to England in 1971 and now plays every day. Fourth in U.S. Open Singles 1975 and a winner of the Seattle Open Doubles and Northern California Singles.
Russ Zanardi, 28
From Oakland, California and a roofing contractor, was introduced to darts by his partner Jack. Has played for only 2½ years. Second in the Northern California Open Doubles he has also won several local tournaments. Plays for the Prince of Wales team.
West Germany
Michael Fechner & Georg Egender
Michael is a 25 year old medical student and Georg a 23 year old who is studying philosophy. Both been playing darts for about two years and numbers skiing among their sports. They both come from Donaueschingen in the south.
Endorsements 1976
Olly Croft, Hon. General Secretary BDO, British Darts Organisation
We welcome all competitors and visitors and particularly Bermuda making their debut this year.
Two players over this week-end are going to meet their lifetimes ambition by winning the 'Unicorn World darts Championship' and become famous overnight, so good darting to all involved.
The game of darts is fast becoming a major sport and at this World Championship level the pressures on the dart players are tremendous. However, whatever the pressures the traditional sportsmanship between the players goes on cutting across international boundaries so that this great sport is doing its bit to bring the world together in these difficult times.
We must thank Unicorn for promoting this great Darts Championship and involving the British Darts Organisation for the second time.
Unicorn's Directors, Stanley and Michael Lowy are just great people to work alongside and the unique way in which they involve themselves and their high standards make it a pleasure to be associated with them.
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