The Darts World 50: 1989

1989 was a landmark year for Women in Darts. One of the greatest trailblazers for the female game went back-to-back at the Winmau World Masters and another of the most prestigious competitions in darts launched its Women’s event:

In a classic piece of mistiming, the grand old major of the darts’ world finally announced a women’s only event in 1989. Sadly the event itself was to come to an end the following year! Darts World are sure that there was no connection between these two events!

Linda Ormond was the first and only Lady winner in that original hosting of the Women’s event while Paul Cook was the last in a long line of legendary Champions in the original run of this totemic tournament and you can see more about his triumph in a later episode of The Darts World Years.

The remarkable and somewhat under credited Mandy Solomons claimed the second of four World masters titles in 1989. The details of Mandy’s win (in the article) show how talented a player she was.

Solomons is often overlooked in the group of women who have advanced women’s darts. It seems strange that she is not mentioned alongside the Flowers, Battens, Gullivers and Hedmans of the darts world:

Even this single report should be enough to remind fans of the talent Solomons possessed. An average of over 28 in a major final against a legend of the game and in the 1980’s!

Indeed, the England International claimed 4 World Masters titles, the World Cup singles and later reached the World Championship final.

Darts World looks forward to giving MANDY greater coverage, in another special feature, perhaps to coincide with our 50th anniversary celebrations.

The Darts World 50

Very few publications can lay claim to being “The Official Voice” of their sport. But then not many are almost 50 years old and have coexisted side by side with the object of their affection throughout the swings and roundabouts of two golden eras and at least one near collapse.

In the early 1970s, a handful of ingredients were coming together to form the recipe for the massive success of the hitherto lesser-known pub game. Darts World Magazine was one of those ingredients.

Editor, proprietor, and instigator, Tony Wood, welcomed readers to the new Darts World magazine for our November/December 1972 debut (Issue 1). The ingredients mentioned above could all be seen within those first 36 pages and then in every issue that followed.

DW has chronicled the ups and downs, the major events, and the minutiae while championing the game at every opportunity.

The Darts World 50 offers 50 highlights selected direct from our pages during what must now be thought of as the ‘Golden Age/s of Darts’.