Chris Johns (darts player)
Encyclopedia
Chris Johns is a former Welsh darts player. He played county darts for Glamorgan
and played in the BDO World Darts Championship
on five occasions, but will be best remembered as a controversial figure in an acrimonious split in the game
between 1992 and 1994.
Johns made his debut at the 1988 Embassy World Championship
- reaching the second round. He made just four further appearances (with only one more match win) at the championships, losing in the first round in 1989, 1991 and 1993 and the second round in 1992. His only two wins at Lakeside were against Mike Gregory in 1988 and Steve Beaton
in 1992.
He had only moderate success in British Darts Organisation
(BDO) Open tournaments. As early as 1986, he reached the semi-finals of the Winmau World Masters
- beating Eric Bristow
in the last 16 before falling to Bob Anderson
in the last four. He later reached the semi finals of the Swiss Open in 1991 and the Denmark Open in 1991.
He was one of the 16 players who decided to leave the BDO and form another organisation (the World Darts Council WDC, which later became the Professional Darts Corporation
PDC). The BDO banned the rebel players from all tournaments and this also meant their exhibition work was going to be restricted. This possibly contributed to Johns having a change of heart. More famously, Mike Gregory also became reluctant to stick with the other players. They both decided to stay with the BDO but their decision left them ostracised by the players of the WDC (who felt let down) and to some degree by the BDO (who were upset that they'd left in the first place).
After the split, Johns never even managed to qualify to play in the BDO World Championship again and never featured in the later rounds of any BDO Open events again.
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
and played in the BDO World Darts Championship
BDO World Darts Championship
The BDO World Darts Championship is a world championship competition in darts, organised by the British Darts Organisation . It began in 1978, and was the only world championship tournament until 1994...
on five occasions, but will be best remembered as a controversial figure in an acrimonious split in the game
Split in darts
The split in darts refers to an acrimonious dispute between top professional darts players and the game's governing body which began in 1992 and resulted in the formation of a new organisation to arrange tournaments - including a second version of the World Professional Darts Championship...
between 1992 and 1994.
Johns made his debut at the 1988 Embassy World Championship
1988 BDO World Darts Championship
-The results:Malcolm Davies of Wales who broke his hand was replaced by Terry O'Dea of Australia in the first round-References:...
- reaching the second round. He made just four further appearances (with only one more match win) at the championships, losing in the first round in 1989, 1991 and 1993 and the second round in 1992. His only two wins at Lakeside were against Mike Gregory in 1988 and Steve Beaton
Steve Beaton
Steve Beaton is an English professional darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation...
in 1992.
He had only moderate success in British Darts Organisation
British Darts Organisation
The British Darts Organisation, or the BDO for short, is a darts organisation founded on 7 January 1973 by Olly Croft, OBE. The BDO is a founder member of the World Darts Federation which was formed in 1976....
(BDO) Open tournaments. As early as 1986, he reached the semi-finals of the Winmau World Masters
Winmau World Masters
The Winmau World Masters is one of the longest running and most prestigious professional darts tournaments, which began in 1974 - even before the current World Professional Championship...
- beating Eric Bristow
Eric Bristow
Eric Bristow MBE is a British darts player, whose skill at the game in the 1980s helped turn it into a worldwide spectator sport.- Early career :...
in the last 16 before falling to Bob Anderson
Bob Anderson (darts player)
Robert Charles "Bob" Anderson is a former world darts champion. He was ranked as world number one for over three years in the late 1980s. Nicknamed The Limestone Cowboy, he lives in Clevedon in Somerset.-Before Darts:Anderson threw his first darts maximum at the age of just five...
in the last four. He later reached the semi finals of the Swiss Open in 1991 and the Denmark Open in 1991.
He was one of the 16 players who decided to leave the BDO and form another organisation (the World Darts Council WDC, which later became the Professional Darts Corporation
Professional Darts Corporation
The Professional Darts Corporation is a professional darts organization, established in the United Kingdom during 1992, when a group of leading professional players split from the British Darts Organisation to form what was initially called the World Darts Council...
PDC). The BDO banned the rebel players from all tournaments and this also meant their exhibition work was going to be restricted. This possibly contributed to Johns having a change of heart. More famously, Mike Gregory also became reluctant to stick with the other players. They both decided to stay with the BDO but their decision left them ostracised by the players of the WDC (who felt let down) and to some degree by the BDO (who were upset that they'd left in the first place).
After the split, Johns never even managed to qualify to play in the BDO World Championship again and never featured in the later rounds of any BDO Open events again.
World Championship performances
- 1988 last 16 lost to Rick Ney 2-3
- 1989 last 32 lost to Paul LimPaul LimPaul Lim Leong Hwa known simply as Paul Lim is a professional darts player who will be best remembered for being the first player to hit a perfect nine-dart finish during the Embassy World Professional Darts Championship in 1990...
0-3 - 1991 last 32 lost to Tony Payne 1-3
- 1992 last 16 lost to Mike Gregory 3-0
- 1993 last 32 lost to John LoweJohn LoweJohn Lowe is an English darts player who was one of the best-known men in darts during the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the United Kingdom. Lowe is one of only five players to have won the World Championship 3 times.-Biography:Lowe won the World Championship title in three different decades -...
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