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The News of the World was the Greatest Darts Championship of all Time!
Forget about the Embassy, Desert Classic, World Matchplay or World Trophy - none of these could match the sheer excitement of competing in the "News of the World".
It was the competition that all darts players wanted to win.
It was the competition that all pub players reckoned they had a chance of winning
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Entry was free and the format was the same from the first round in the pubs and clubs straight through to the Grand Finals on stage at Alexandra Palace or the London Arena - 3 legs 501 straight start.
The pub players loved it - the professionals hated it!
The format was too short.
On many occasions top players were eliminated by un-fancied opponents in the earlier rounds of the competition before they had a chance of warming up.
Even in the Grand Finals odds-on favourites often went out in the early rounds.
In 1974 the late Leighton Rees (Wales) was strongly fancied to take the title but he never got into his stride and he lost 0-2 in the preliminary round to the American Champion, Al Lippmann.
Newly-crowned Embassy Champion, Jocky Wilson (Scotland), was the hot favourite when he took to the stage in the 1982 Grand Finals in Wembley Arena. He was joined on stage by previous winner, Bobby George, and the ´Welsh Wizard´ Alan Evans but it was a complete outsider, Roy Morgan from Shropshire, who took the title.
Jocky appeared in the Grand Finals again at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1989 and this time he went out in the second round to the eventual winner, Dave Whitcombe (England).
Steve Beaton and Peter Evison were the bookies´ choice in 1990 but it was Peter Cook from Wiltshire who captured the first prize of £ 8,000.
