How Darts World magazine covered* the first television event staged by the nascent WDC:
DARTS was the winner at the ‘Talk of the East’ in Norwich when the World Darts Council put together their first ever tournament, the Lada UK Masters.
From the moment when the first darts players under the WDC banners saw a inside top form Kevin Spiolek to happy times if ever there was one? to the time 48 hours later when Mike Gregory took the title with an 8-5 victory over Dennis Priestley.
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The Lada UK Masters had been put together in less than three months following the WDC’s announcement during the summer that it would stage two promoting events over Christmas, with a Television had speculated quickly in the line of putting on a 16-man-card covering the world’s top players and Lada had snapped up the opportunity of sponsoring the £23,000 event.
Play started on the Friday evening and Spiolek, matched against Keith Deller, produced nearly the sort of thrills that had been visualised by the WDC in adopting the “equal darts” rules, for the first time ever.
The match had moved to an exciting conclusion with everything resting on the 11th leg, with both players having won 5 legs each.
Spiolek finished in 15 darts which, under the new rules gave Keith Deller precisely one dart at double 16 which, to the crowd’s delight, he took. The Scottish favourite that was the following winner of the day to take the match and move into the quarter finals.
Another former world champion, Eric Bristow, saw off the fancied Alan Warriner 6-3, while the popular Cliff Lazarenko, better despite playing possibly the best darts of his life to former chainman Dennis Priestley in the heights of 6-4.
At if the sort of darts talent so the rounded was not enough, the final bout of the opening day saw current world champion Phil Taylor, against yet another as world champion Bob Anderson, 6-4, Taylor winning 6-4.The best day, two more former world champions were on show, with Jocky Wilson sporting a new body and 6-5 was against Ritchie Gardner, but John Lowe had a much tougher road beating 6-3 Paul Hartshorn. Bates, both had qualified from a 16 man knock out on the previous Thursday night, to play in the main event, in fact, fully and ensured at the suggestion of Lowe.
The next bout saw them on of another Scot, Jamie Harvey, just out the well-densed Rod Harrington, not 6-3, while an onfire Mike Gregory progressed over Peter Evison by the same margin.
The quarter finals saw some of the matches that wary at that stage.Harvey’s 6-4 win over Bristow. Dennis Priestley continued his serene progress, surging that for champ real in modern darts, Phil Taylor, which Jocky Wilson was to greet next on to face Keith Deller 6-3.
However, the most interesting bout of all past from Mike Gregory, who is the best form of his life. He continued in the same vein next day, with an extraordinary demolition of Jocky Wilson, 7-0, who was playing pretty well.
As we had expected, Priestley, beat Harvey for the third successive time 7-3.
So to the final and what a final it was. Crowds just received from victory in the English Open, continued its spectacular run, but it was though Priestley’s ability to counter quickly, that he pulled to win the link. He and 11-7 legs to wrest back from 5-2 downs so 6-5 those.
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LADA UK MASTERS (Darts) 1992
RESULTS
- (£5,000) Mike Gregory;
- 2. (£3,000) Dennis Priestley;
- 3-4 (£1,200) Jamie Harvey, Jocky Wilson;
- 5-8 (£750) Eric Bristow, Phil Taylor, Keith Deller, John Lowe;
- 9-16 (£400) Kevin Spiolek, Alan Warriner, Cliff Lazarenko, Bob Anderson, Ritchie Gardner, Paul Hartshorn, Rod Harrington, Peter Evison.
Qualifying tournament
Preliminary Round: The Roman International 8, Carl Needham (heading/north) 2, Steve Sturman, Durham 4, Chris Hoyt (Fleetwood) 1; Barry Rutter (Westmorland) 5, Dennis Bissell (Perth) 2; Mike Manning (Hants) 6, Gerry Peters (Portsmouth) 4; Chris Stroy (Glocester) 1, Mark Simmons (Ashford) 5; Dave Haywood, Burnwell 6, Paul Hardwick (Stourbridge) 1; Robert Thomas (Sheffield) 5, Steven Jenkins (Oxford) 1; Wim Steenhof 8, Anthony L. Lee (Brendan, Burned) 5; Dadfield Nunn (Arch Newtown) 5, Lloyds Saverack 5; Jan Brandlor 4, Dave Peet 2; Paul Barrett 1, Gary Robson 1; Ben Acton 1, Paul Hartshorn 2.Semi-final: Paul Hartshorn 5, Ray Mays 2; Jan Brandlor 2, Mick Manning 2.Final: Paul Hartshorn 5, Mick Manning 3.
Images and original piece: DartsWorld Ltd
*Digital restoration can contain error., mistranslations and miss words
