Tony Brown (darts player)
Encyclopedia
Tony Brown is a former English
professional
darts
player. He reached the World Professional Darts Championship
s semi-finals four times, losing twice to Eric Bristow
and twice to John Lowe
.
He appeared in the first-ever World Championship in 1978
as the number 8 seed, but surprisingly lost to Australian namesake Tim Brown. Brown then went on to reach the semi-finals of the World Championship for three successive years - 1979, 1980 and 1981. After a surprise second-round defeat in the 1982 Championships, Brown reached the semi-final again in 1983 - losing to Bristow.
He also enjoyed success in other major tournaments, winning the televised British Open in 1979 and Yorkshire Television's Indoor League darts competition in 1977. He won the first two Darts World KO Cup tournaments held in Oldham - these were subsequently sponsored by Dry Blackthorn Cider from 1983 to 1989. He defeated Nicky Virachkul in the 1980 final. He also won the WDF Europe Cup Singles event in 1980. Brown reached the final of the prestigious Winmau World Masters
in 1978, losing out to Welshman Ronnie Davies
.
Brown enjoyed team success with England - winning the WDF World Cup
team event in 1979 and 1981 and the WDF World Cup pairs with Cliff Lazarenko
in 1981. He also teamed up with Lowe and Bristow to enjoy Nations Cup triples success for England in 1979 and 1980.
Brown was one of the players who helped form the players' association PDPA (Professional Dart Players Association) along with Lowe, Lazarenko and Dave Whitcombe
. The association was set up with the intention of promoting more televised tournaments. Although Brown was not part of the darts scene in the 1990s (his last World Championship appearance was 1984), the PDPA would be instrumental in the formation of the World Darts Council (now Professional Darts Corporation
) and would split the game into two organisations.
Brown moved back to his home town of Dover, and is back playing in the local league, the Dover Invitation Darts League.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
darts
Darts
Darts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...
player. He reached the World Professional Darts Championship
World Professional Darts Championship
The World Professional Darts Championship is one of the most important tournaments in the darts calendar. Originally held as an annual event between 1978 and 1993, players then broke off into two separate organisations after a controversial split in the game...
s semi-finals four times, losing twice to 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 :...
and twice to John Lowe
John Lowe
John 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 -...
.
He appeared in the first-ever World Championship in 1978
1978 BDO World Darts Championship
The 1978 Embassy World Darts Championship was the first World Darts Championships. The tournament was organised by the British Darts Organisation who had already set up the WDF World Cup and Winmau World Masters in its five years since formation...
as the number 8 seed, but surprisingly lost to Australian namesake Tim Brown. Brown then went on to reach the semi-finals of the World Championship for three successive years - 1979, 1980 and 1981. After a surprise second-round defeat in the 1982 Championships, Brown reached the semi-final again in 1983 - losing to Bristow.
He also enjoyed success in other major tournaments, winning the televised British Open in 1979 and Yorkshire Television's Indoor League darts competition in 1977. He won the first two Darts World KO Cup tournaments held in Oldham - these were subsequently sponsored by Dry Blackthorn Cider from 1983 to 1989. He defeated Nicky Virachkul in the 1980 final. He also won the WDF Europe Cup Singles event in 1980. Brown reached the final of the prestigious 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...
in 1978, losing out to Welshman Ronnie Davies
Ronnie Davies
Ronnie Davies is a Welsh former darts player.Davies won the 1978 Winmau World Masters, beating Keith Harvey, Colin Baker and Cliff Lazarenko before beating Tony Brown in the final. Davies then played in the 1979 BDO World Darts Championship, beating Tony Sontag in the first round before losing in...
.
Brown enjoyed team success with England - winning the WDF World Cup
WDF World Cup darts
The WDF World Cup is a darts tournament held biennially since 1977. The tournament consists of a team championship, a pairs championship and a singles championship. All events have a men's competition, a women's competition and a youth competition . The next World Cup will be held in 2013, in St...
team event in 1979 and 1981 and the WDF World Cup pairs with Cliff Lazarenko
Cliff Lazarenko
Cliff Lazarenko is an English professional darts player who competed for the British Darts Organisation and the Professional Darts Corporation...
in 1981. He also teamed up with Lowe and Bristow to enjoy Nations Cup triples success for England in 1979 and 1980.
Brown was one of the players who helped form the players' association PDPA (Professional Dart Players Association) along with Lowe, Lazarenko and Dave Whitcombe
Dave Whitcombe
Dave Whitcombe is an English professional darts player who won several major tournaments and reached two World Championship Finals. He had a long professional career between 1980 and 1992.-Biography:...
. The association was set up with the intention of promoting more televised tournaments. Although Brown was not part of the darts scene in the 1990s (his last World Championship appearance was 1984), the PDPA would be instrumental in the formation of the World Darts Council (now 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...
) and would split the game into two organisations.
Brown moved back to his home town of Dover, and is back playing in the local league, the Dover Invitation Darts League.