Millennium Darts

It was not until the first weekend of 2000 that darts returned to the mecca of London Road. There had been changes since the previous event, and a new garage replaced the one that had seen Williamson's special maximum all those years before. It was pleasing to see a mixture of old and new faces turn out to toast the new millennium and provide a darting send off for Pugh who shortly after would depart the UK to embark on 13 months of travelling. Three groups consisting of old stalwarts: Dampier, Fisher, King, Snelders, Pugh and Manser; and newcomers: Martin Arnold, Jon Sheridan and Christy Howard would battle it out to see who would reach the semi-finals. In one last attempt to try and put in a decent performance after years of disappointment, Pugh reached a semi-final, through a first ever 180, but went on to lose to Williamson, who himself made his first final. The other semi saw new boy Howard up against the player who had known nothing but success, King. Howard put on some pressure, but eventually the undiminished class of the two-time champ told, and it was he who faced off against Williamson in the final. A new opponent, but same story, and King, after an eight year absence, retained the trophy that had become such a fixture on his mantelpiece.

While statistics and scores are unavailable, there are photos from this, so we at least know who was there!

There would be another sizable gap before the next tournament, but when it came, it ushered in a new era. An era of computerisation and a commitment to recording stats and results so that details would never be lost again.