NESTLED in the shadow of the QE2 bridge that crosses the River Thames at Dartford and sitting amidst the Warehouses and Industrial Units just off the busy A13 that joins London and Essex for freight and commuter traffic is The Circus Tavern , the pub venue that is etched into the history of Darts .
Surrounded by a car park close to a Petrol Station, this unassuming building which had seen the Stars of the Day like Joe Longthorne, Chas and Dave ,Hot Chocolate and the legendary Drifters on its stage and had become synonymous with the PDC World Championships before the juggernaut of a tournament outgrew its intimate home and moved to the grander, bigger Alexandra Palace atop a hill overlooking the capital city.
Phil Taylor was the undisputed King of Purfleet ,competing in all 14 finals at the venue ,winning 11 of them, but there were other stars that created many memorable moments under the bright TV lights illuminating the small low stage.
One such special moment came in the 2006 championship. As usual the Tavern was packed to the rafters and although snow lay on the ground outside, inside the tight arena, the temperature was red hot as two of the most popular players on the circuit at the time, Alan Warriner-Little and Andy ”The Pieman” Smith battled it out for a place in the Quarter-Finals.
Unlike today, there were no barriers ,the tables were within touching distance from the edge of the stage and players made their way to the Oche through the crowd who would stand aside for them as they made their entrance.
The experienced Alan Warriner-Little was locked at 2-2 in a tense 3rd round tussle with Andy ”The Pieman” Smith, who had become a cult hero amongst the fans.
Smith led in sets 5 and 6 only for the old hand from Cumbria to hit back and take both sets to win the tie 4-2 and as Alan hit the winning double he set off on an impromptu lap of honour ,arms aloft he headed across the stage and back before stepping out onto the tables and walking the length of the Tavern ,taking the acclaim and slapping hands as he celebrated in the most unique way I have ever seen or photographed at a darts tournament.
As the match had reached its finale the packed audience was on it’s feet cheering both men, often obscuring my shot ,and with no photographers platforms at this time, I decided move to the slightly raised area at the side of the hall, it proved to be a good decision as Alan Warriner-Little became the one and only player to do a celebratory “Walk-off”!
For the camera enthusiasts I used a Canon 1d mk11 at 500th of a second with a 135mm lens at f2.8 at 3200 iso.
—–ENDS—–
Lawrence Lustig is a former PDC Official photographer who had a ringside seat at almost every major darts event during recent decades. His knowledge of and love for our sport is unsurpassed.
Words and Image: Lawrence Lustig ( First appeared in Darts World Magazine Issue 582)
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