Eric Bristow

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Eric John Bristow (25 April 1957 – 5 April 2018) was an English professional darts player nicknamed "the Crafty Cockney" from Hackney. One of the most recognisable and successful players of the 1980s, Bristow was a five-time BDO World Darts Champion, a five-time World Masters Champion, a four-time WDF World Cup singles champion, and a two-time winner of the News of the World Darts Championship; he was ranked world number one on multiple occasions. He hosted the first two episodes of the darts-themed ITV game show Bullseye and regularly featured on the show.

In late 1986, Bristow began experiencing dartitis, which affected his career thereafter. In 1993, he became involved in the split in darts as one of the 16 players who left the British Darts Organisation (BDO) to form the World Darts Council, which later became the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). His last major achievement as a player was reaching the semi-finals of the 1997 WDC World Darts Championship, losing narrowly to his former mentee Phil Taylor.

After retiring from competitive darts in 2007, Bristow worked as a commentator and pundit on Sky Sports darts coverage. In April 2018, he suffered a heart attack while attending a Premier League Darts event in Liverpool and died at the age of 60.

Early life

In 1957, Bristow was born in the London Borough of Hackney, but brought up at 97 Milton Grove, Stoke Newington, when Stoke Newington was a borough in its own right, where his father was a plasterer and his mother worked as a telephone operator.[1] He left school at age 14.[1]

Career

Peak years

The nickname Crafty Cockney was given to Bristow when he visited an English pub of that name in 1976 during a visit to Santa Monica, California. Bristow wore a shirt (which he received from the same pub) depicting a uniformed British policeman, a Union Flag and the title Crafty Cockney whenever he took part in a tournament.[2]

Bristow emerged as the most successful and consistent darts player of the 1980s, reigning as number one in the world rankings during most of the period from 1980 until 1987. Television began showing increased interest in the sport in the late 1970s, with the first world championship occurring in 1978.[3]

Bristow won his first world championship in 1980, defeating fellow Londoner Bobby George. Bristow retained his title in 1981 (over John Lowe) and won it again in 1984 (over Dave Whitcombe), 1985 (over Lowe) and 1986 (over Whitcombe). He also suffered a shock defeat in a final during the 1980s, when the relatively unknown Keith Deller beat him in the 1983 final; he had also lost to Steve Brennan in the previous year's first round. As well as his five world titles, Bristow also finished as runner-up on five occasions, the last in 1991.[3]

As well as his world championship exploits, Bristow also lifted the prestigious Winmau World Masters crown five times (1977 beating Paul Reynolds, 1979 beating Canadian Allan Hogg, 1981 beating defending champion John Lowe,[3] 1983 beating Mike Gregory and 1984 beating Keith Deller).[3] He also reached the final in 1989, losing to Peter Evison.[3]

Bristow was a winner of the World Cup Singles on four occasions (1983 beating Jocky Wilson, 1985 beating Tony Payne, 1987 beating Bob Sinnaeve and 1989 beating Jack McKenna) and won the News of the World Darts Championship in 1983 beating Ralph Flatt and 1984 beating Ian Robertson (becoming only the second man in 57 years to successfully defend that title) together with countless other major tournaments including the British Open and Swedish Open three times each and the North American Open on four occasions.[3]

Dartitis

During the Swedish Open in November 1986, Bristow found himself unable to let go of his darts properly – a psychological condition known as dartitis,[2] similar to the yips in golf. He was never quite the same player again, but did regain the number-one ranking briefly in late 1989 and early 1990 before losing his form again. He reached the semi-finals of the 1997 WDC World Darts Championship at the Circus Tavern, where he narrowly lost to Phil Taylor 4–5 in sets.[3]

Mentoring Phil Taylor

In the 1980s, Bristow came across Phil Taylor,[4] then a raw young darts talent in Stoke-on-Trent, and he sponsored him with about £10,000 to fund his development in the game,[2] on the understanding that the money would be repaid. Taylor went on to usurp his mentor as the greatest darts player ever.[2]

Later career and retirement

Bristow's form deteriorated in the early 1990s and he was dropped from the Merseyside team in 1992. Bristow had joined Merseyside, his third county, in 1988, after previously playing for London from 1976 to 1980 and for Staffordshire from 1980 to 1988. With Merseyside, Bristow played with his international teammate Kevin Kenny, and after being dropped by Merseyside, he was dropped from the England national side later the same year. The split within darts saw Bristow become a founding member of the Professional Darts Corporation.[2]

At the World Matchplay event in Blackpool, Bristow made six appearances without winning a match.[3] His swansong came in a classic semi-final at the 1997 PDC World Championship, which he lost to his protégé, Phil Taylor.[3] Bristow's last appearance came at the World Championships in 2000, ending his 23-year run of playing in a world championship,[3] after which, he stopped playing professionally after the event.[3]

From late December 1993,[5] until November 2016, when he was dismissed,[6] he worked mainly as a spotter, a pundit and an occasional commentator for Sky Sports[2] during televised PDC tournaments, while continuing to travel and play on the exhibition circuit. Bristow returned to TV screens as a player in 2008 on Setanta Sports to compete in the BetFred League of Legends tournament, beating Bobby George 7–5 in the opening match. Bristow failed to maintain his form, however, and did not win another match in the tournament, failing to qualify for the semi-finals and finishing bottom of the League of Legends table. In 2004, Bristow played John Lowe, with Bristow showing glimpses of his old form in winning the match 6 legs to 1.[3]

Rivalries

John Lowe

John Lowe played Bristow many times in televised tournaments, often in finals. Bristow said "Lowey has the perfect throw and he is a steady rather than spectacular player, but all I had to do was play my normal game and I'd beat him every time because he can't go up a gear. He couldn't raise his game like I could, or Jocky for that matter. However, I also knew that if I was off my game he'd grind me down and win by simply hitting ton, ton, ton, ton and just being consistent with his throwing", said Bristow in his autobiography.[7] Lowe talked about Bristow (in Lowe's autobiography) "I've been friends with him, I've fallen out with him and I've celebrated on more than one occasion with him. Indeed, my own darting career wouldn't have been the same without him. Eric Bristow, MBE, is simply one of the greats".[8] Lowe also admitted he would have won a lot more world titles if Bristow hadn't come along.[9]

Jocky Wilson

Bristow's rivalry with Jocky Wilson was sometimes volatile. Just before walking onto the stage for a World Cup match in Edinburgh in 1983, Wilson kicked Bristow, as Bristow recalled in his autobiography. "We were both standing at the back of the stage waiting to go on, the TV cameras were running and everything was set. Then the announcer said 'representing England we have Eric Bristow'. Just as I was about to go on stage and give the booing crowd some gyp Jocky took a run at me and kicked me as hard as he could in the shin. He took about two inches of skin off."[10] Bristow responded saying "I grabbed him by the throat and I was going to kill him, but five officials managed to prise me off".[10] Blood was dripping down his leg but Bristow said he proceeded to beat him easily "I had to after what he did to me. I was fuming all the way through the game. When it was all over he put his arm round me and, with a smile on his face, said 'I've got to try to beat you somehow'. I couldn't do anything but laugh. One minute I wanted to tear him apart, the next we were at the bar having a drink".[10] Bristow said "deep down, I think he liked me, and I had a soft spot for him".[11]

Personal life

File:Bristow, Eric.jpg
Bristow in 2009

Bristow was educated at Newington Green JM School before leaving for Hackney Downs Grammar School from 1968 to 1971, having passed his eleven-plus exam. He left grammar school at the age of 14.[2]

From 1978 to 1987, Bristow was in a relationship with former darts player Maureen Flowers. In 1989, he married Jane Higginbotham (born 1962). They had two children, a daughter and a son. They divorced in 2005 after 16 years of marriage, and he was later in a relationship with Rebecca Gadd until his death.[2]

Bristow was awarded the MBE in 1989 for his services to sport.[12]

In 2005, Bristow was accused of assaulting his wife. North Staffordshire magistrates ordered him to stay away from the family home in Milltown Way, Leek, Staffordshire and he was remanded on conditional bail.[13] Bristow was alleged to have punched her in the face during a drunken row in their bedroom on 29 April 2005.[14] He was subsequently cleared of the charges.[15]

In 2012, Bristow participated in the reality show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here![16] He was voted out on 29 November 2012, finishing fourth out of 12 celebrities.[17]

On 29 November 2016, Bristow was sacked by Sky Sports following a series of tweets in which he responded to the United Kingdom football sexual abuse scandal centred around the football coach and convicted child sex offender, Barry Bennell. Bristow suggested the victims should have "sorted out" the perpetrators when they were older.[6][18][19] According to him, "Dart players tough guys footballers wimps". Bristow was condemned by some social media users, including alleged victims of Bennell, for his comments.[20] Bristow apologised for his comments the following day. In a statement, he compared himself to a "bull in a China shop" and "appreciated my wording was wrong and offended many people".[21][5]

Death

Bristow died on 5 April 2018 after a heart attack while attending a Premier League Darts event at the Echo Arena in Liverpool. Bristow had finished playing some VIPs at a promotional event and was walking back to his car when he collapsed and was rushed to hospital.[22]

Speaking to BBC Radio 2, Bobby George said: "In the afternoon, I was doing a show at a pub opposite the Premier League (darts) building, and he just came in, said 'hello' and had a pint, then said 'see ya'. I said 'see ya' because I was working... he went across the road, and two-and-a-half hours later, he was gone."[23][22] On learning of Bristow's death, PDC chairman Barry Hearn said "We often talk about the absence of characters in sport but Eric Bristow was a character with a capital 'c'. He was very much a man of the people. He understood what crowds wanted to see - he was controversial, he was a maverick, he spoke his mind and upset a few people from time to time, but the man in the street warmed to him because he was very much one of theirs."[24]

World Championship results

BDO

Bristow's World Championship results are as follows:[3]

PDC

Bristow's PDC results are as follows:[3]

Career finals

BDO and WDF

Bristow appeared in BDO and WDF major finals 31 times with a record of 22 wins and 9 runners-up.[3]

Legend
World Championship (5–5)
World Masters (5–1)
British Professional (2–0)
World Matchplay (2–0)
Grand Masters (5–1)
British Matchplay (3–2)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score[Note 1]
Runner-up 1. 1977 British Matchplay (1) Template:Flagicon Rab Smith 2–3 (s)
Winner 1. 1977 Winmau World Masters (1) Template:Flagicon Paul Reynolds 3–1 (s)
Runner-up 2. 1977 Butlins Grand Masters(1) Template:Flagicon John Lowe 4–5 (l)
Winner 2. 1979 Winmau World Masters (1) Template:Flagicon Allan Hogg 2–0 (s)
Winner 3. 1980 World Darts Championship (1) Template:Flagicon Bobby George 5–3 (s)
Winner 4. 1981 World Darts Championship (2) Template:Flagicon John Lowe 5–3 (s)
Winner 5. 1981 Butlins Grand Masters (1) Template:Flagicon John Lowe Unknown
Winner 6. 1981 Winmau World Masters (3) Template:Flagicon John Lowe 2–1 (s)
Winner 7. 1982 British Matchplay (1) Template:Flagicon Dave Whitcombe 2–0 (s)
Winner 8. 1982 Butlins Grand Masters (2) Template:Flagicon Cliff Lazarenko 4–3 (l)[25]
Winner 9. 1982 British Professional Championship (1) Template:Flagicon John Lowe 7–3 (s)
Runner-up 3. 1983 World Darts Championship (1) Template:Flagicon Keith Deller 5–6 (s)
Winner 10. 1983 British Matchplay (2) Template:Flagicon Keith Deller 3–2 (s)
Winner 11. 1983 Butlins Grand Masters (3) Template:Flagicon Jocky Wilson 5–1 (l)
Winner 12. 1983 Winmau World Masters (4) Template:Flagicon Mike Gregory 2–1 (s)
Winner 13. 1984 World Darts Championship (3) Template:Flagicon Dave Whitcombe 7–1 (s)
Winner 14. 1984 Winmau World Masters (5) Template:Flagicon Keith Deller 3–1 (s)
Winner 15. 1985 World Darts Championship (4) Template:Flagicon John Lowe 6–2 (s)
Winner 16. 1985 Butlins Grand Masters (4) Template:Flagicon Terry O'Dea 5–3 (l)
Winner 17. 1985 MFI World Matchplay (1) Template:Flagicon Bob Anderson 5–4 (s)
Winner 18. 1985 British Professional Championship (2) Template:Flagicon John Lowe 7–4 (s)
Winner 19. 1986 World Darts Championship (5) Template:Flagicon Dave Whitcombe 6–0 (s)
Winner 20. 1986 British Matchplay (3) Template:Flagicon Dave Whitcombe 3–1 (s)
Winner 21. 1986 Butlins Grand Masters (5) Template:Flagicon Bob Sinnaeve 5–3 (l)
Runner-up 4. 1987 World Darts Championship (2) Template:Flagicon John Lowe 4–6 (s)
Runner-up 5. 1987 British Matchplay (2) Template:Flagicon Dave Whitcombe 0–3 (s)
Winner 22. 1988 MFI World Matchplay (2) Template:Flagicon Bob Sinnaeve 5–1 (s)
Runner-up 6. 1989 World Darts Championship (3) Template:Flagicon Jocky Wilson 4–6 (s)
Runner-up 7. 1989 Winmau World Masters (1) Template:Flagicon Peter Evison 2–3 (s)
Runner-up 8. 1990 World Darts Championship (4) Template:Flagicon Phil Taylor 1–6 (s)
Runner-up 9. 1991 World Darts Championship (5) Template:Flagicon Dennis Priestley 0–6 (s)

WDF

Bristow appeared in WDF major finals 6 times with 4 titles and 2 runners-up.[3]

Legend
World Cup (4–0)
Europe Cup (0–2)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Runner-up 1. 1980 Europe Cup Singles (1) Template:Flagicon Tony Brown 0–4 (l)
Runner-up 2. 1982 Europe Cup Singles (2) Template:Flagicon Bobby George 1–4 (l)
Winner 1. 1983 World Cup Singles (1) Template:Flagicon Jocky Wilson 4–2 (l)
Winner 2. 1985 World Cup Singles (2) Template:Flagicon Tony Payne 4–2 (l)
Winner 3. 1987 World Cup Singles (3) Template:Flagicon Bob Sinnaeve 4–1 (l)
Winner 4. 1989 World Cup Singles (4) Template:Flagicon Jack McKenna 4–1 (l)

Independent major finals

Bristow appeared in independent major finals 2 times and won 2 titles.[3]

Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Winner 1. 1983 News of the World Championship (1) Template:Flagicon Ralph Flatt 2–0 (l)
Winner 2. 1984 News of the World Championship (2) Template:Flagicon Ian Robertson 2–0 (l)

Note

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  1. ↑ (l) = score in legs, (s) = score in sets.

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Performance timeline

Bristow's performance timeline is as follows:[3] CH= County Heats, CF= County Finals, DF= Divisional Finals

BDO

Tournament 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993
BDO World Championship NYF 1R QF W W 1R F W W W F SF F F F 2R 2R
Winmau World Masters W 3R W QF W QF W W 4R 4R SF QF F 4R 4R 4R DNP
British Matchplay F SF QF SF[26] SF W W SF SF W F SF QF QF QF DNP
British Professional Championship Not held 2R W SF SF W 2R 1R 1R Not held
Butlins Grand Masters F QF 1R[27] 1R W W W SF W W Not held
MFI World Matchplay Not held 1R W 1R QF W Not held
News of the World Darts Championship ??? DF ??? CF ??? W W CF ??? DF ??? CH CF Not held
WDF majors performances
Tournament Event World Cup 1977 Euro Cup 1978 World Cup 1979 Euro Cup 1980 World Cup 1981 Euro Cup 1982 World Cup 1983 Euro Cup 1984 World Cup 1985 Euro Cup 1986 World Cup 1987 Euro Cup 1988 World Cup 1989 Euro Cup 1990 World Cup 1991
WDF World Cup & WDF Europe Cup Singles Template:TournQF Template:TournLR Template:TournQF Template:TournRU Template:TournQF Template:TournRU Template:TournW Template:TournQF Template:TournW Template:TournSF Template:TournW Template:TournSF Template:TournW Template:TournQF Template:TournQF
Pairs Template:TournW Template:TournW Template:TournW Template:TournLR Template:TournRU Template:TournLR Template:TournW Template:TournLR Template:TournW Template:TournW Template:TournW Template:TournQF Template:TournW Template:TournRU Template:TournLR
Team Template:TournRU Template:TournSF Template:TournW Template:TournW Template:TournW Template:TournW Template:TournW Template:TournW Template:TournSF Template:TournW Template:TournW Template:TournSF Template:TournSF Template:TournW Template:TournW
Overall Template:TournRU Template:TournW Template:TournW Template:TournW Template:TournW Template:TournW Template:TournW Template:TournW Template:TournW Template:TournW Template:TournW Template:TournW Template:TournW Template:TournW Template:TournW

[28][29]

PDC

Tournament 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
PDC World Championship RR RR RR SF RR 1R 1R
World Matchplay 1R 1R 1R 1R 1R 1R DNP

Template:TournLegend

High averages

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Eric Bristow televised high averages
Average Date Opponent Tournament Stage Score Ref.
105.30 17 September 1983 Template:Flagicon Alan Glazier British Professional Championship Last 32 3–0 (S)
103.24 22 October 1983 Template:Flagicon Jocky Wilson World Cup Final 4–2 (L)
101.16 8 December 1984 Template:Flagicon Keith Deller Winmau World Masters Final 3–1 (S)
99.66 11 January 1985 Template:Flagicon Dave Whitcombe World Darts Championship Semi-finals 5–2 (S)

References

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External links

Template:Cc

Records
Preceded byTemplate:S-bef/checkTemplate:Succession box/check World record highest televised average
17 September 1983 – 5 December 1991 Template:S-ttl/check 		Template:S-aft/check Succeeded by

Template:World Darts Championship (BDO)

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