Background
He was eligible to play for Northern Ireland because his father Pat was born in Derry.
He was eligible to play for Northern Ireland because his father Pat was born in Derry.
He was a civil engineer from Leiston and began playing county darts for Suffolk in 1979-1980. He also knocked out Dave Whitcombe in the second round before losing 0-4 to Stefan Lord in the quarter-finals. His last appearance came in 1986 when he lost in the first round to Paul Lim.
After another surprise victory over Bristow in the 1986 MFI World Matchplay tournament, The Crafty Cockney famously declared that "he kept losing to wallies.".
He made his World Darts Championship debut in 1982 and caused one of the great upsets in darts history by beating defending champion Eric Bristow in the first round. He appeared at the next four World Championships, but only managed to win two more matches – both first round victories in 1984 and 1985.