The Crafty Cockney, Eric Bristow, was close to his peak in 1985 and certainly in his pomp as the dominant player in our game. His skill, swagger and confidence would take him to a fourth world final in six years. Here is how DW observed his remarkable 1985 efforts:
THEY say that good wine improves with age, a factor which is equally true of darts phenomenon Eric Bristow. The No 1 seed confirmed his standing as the world-ranked No 1 for the fifth year running with an emphatic display of darting skills in the Embassy World Professional Championships, crushing number two seed John Lowe at the Jollees showclub in Stoke-on-Trent.
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Any pretensions Lowe may have had of lifting the impressive new Embassy trophy (the old one was awarded to Bristow for winning the event three times) were sent crashing in the 6-2 drubbing, handed out by the confident Londoner.
Really though, the week belongs to Eric Bristow, who collected his fourth Embassy title in a six year period.The 27-year-old record-maker added yet another page to the history books, firing out 14 maximums during the final, played out in front of a capacity audience.
After annexing his fourth Embassy title, Bristow declared: “I just want to be a winner — to be the greatest darts player ever.”
Just eight days earlier the eighth Embassy championships got underway as 32 gladiators went into combat vying for a slice of the £43,000 prize money.
The first round provided its usual difficult time for the big names as they flirted with elimination.
The dubious honour of being the first seeds to go out went to No 3 Mike Gregory who surprisingly crashed 2-1 to Bobby George, and Dave Lee (No 8), who after a confident start went off the rails against Belgium railway worker Luc Marreel. Leighton Rees and Peter Locke, the two Welsh representatives, were also surprising first round casualties.
Top seeds Eric Bristow and John Lowe tottered on the brink of elimination after nailbiting cliff-edge encounters.A further eight players joined the casualty list at the end of the second round — hopes of glory dashed for another 12 months, but £1,000 the richer.
Former champion John Lowe sounded out a warning to his opponents “whitewashing” British Open champion John Cosnett is a one-sided encounter which cost the Wolverhampton man a multi-thousand pound sponsorship deal, including a car.
After tasting the glory of ending the hopes of Mike Gregory, Bobby George’s dazzling run was ended by 50-1 tournament outsider Fred McMullan.
Eric Bristow marched on in the first quarter final easily stamping out the challenge of Alan Glazier.In a real ding-dong encounter between the No 4 and No 5 seeds — Jocky Wilson and Dave Whitcombe — a staggering 10 180’s were fired out as the two exchanged legs and sets to go 3-3, before a decisive 180 from Whitcombe — his eighth — paved the way for his semi final spot.
Not even 11 x 180’s by former champion Keith Deller and the then highest checkout of the tournament (164) was enough to stop an in-form John Lowe making the semi-finals. He recorded three bull finishes in his 4-2 success.
On-song Cliff Lazarenko continued his winning ways, maintaining his record of not having lost a set in the tournament to easily dispose of gutsy Fred McMullan.
After the opening 3-0 set reverse Eric Bristow always had upper hand in an absorbing hour-long high scoring semi final encounter with Dave Whitcombe, in which both players averaged 32 plus with each dart. Whitcombe had threatened to pull off a revenge victory in the game, which was effectively a repeat of last year’s final, but Bristow confirmed his standing as No 1 seed with an emphatic display of darts to take him to his fourth final in six years.
Spurred on by a 164 checkout — equalling Keith Deller’s finish — John Lowe motored through to the final with a resounding 5-3 victory over Cliff Lazarenko in a 105 minute 36-leg marathon.
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The final opened cautiously with each player testing the other with Bristow’s superior double play earning him the first set, 3-1.
There was talk of a 6-0 drubbing for Lowe as the traditionally slow starting Bristow took a 2-1 lead in the second set only to see the spirited 1979 champion blasting back to take the final two legs and the set.
Hopes of a Lowe revival were sparked by a brilliant 170 checkout in the fourth game of the following set which landed him £1,000 for the top checkout of the tournament (which he later announced he was donating to the Ethiopian famine appeal).
The Crafty Cockney replied with typical arrogance annexing the next six legs (and two sets), firing our four 180’s in the process to leave a shell-shocked John Lowe who had opened the final so well, trailing 3-2 as the players paused for short break.
Bristow opened the sixth set by scooping his seventh winning leg in a row. Lowe captured the next leg and the fourth, to level the set at 2-2.
Throwing first in the deciding leg, Eric Bristow fired out a maximum and a murmur of expectancy echoed round the Jollees hall. He edged up to the oche and fired out his 14th maximum of the final to set himself up for the nine dart checkout.
The Crafty Cockney, sensing a £52,000 jackpot relied on the accuracy of his next three darts paused at the oche, looked down briefly, and composed himself before firing out the first dart. The electronic scoreboard flashed out a light on the 60 segment the audience gasped for breath as the impassive Bristow quickly fired his second dart.
The vague smile on his face told the story — his second dart, aimed at treble 19 was way off course, firmly embedded in the seven segment.
There was a strange anti climax after Bristow’s failure to net the minimum checkout, and both players struggled to settle in the following set, won 3-2 by Bristow, who required just another three legs to capture the Embassy title.Bristow edged to a 2-1 lead and Lowe fired out a 14-dart checkout reply to level the scores.
With the advantage of the darts, Bristow opened confidently on 140 in the deciding leg, as Lowe fired out an uncharacteristic 45. Scores of 99, 100, and 130 left Bristow with his favourite 32 with Lowe stranded on 156. Patting the darts in his left hand Bristow moved up to the oche fixing his stare on the double 16 segment, took aim, and fired the first dart. Bristow remained unmoved, showing no signs of emotion as the dart grazed the outer wire.
Quickly he fired a second dart placing it just quarter of an inch to the right of the tiny green segment. The electronic scoreboard flickered, denoting the dart had reached its target, the crowd erupted, and a victorious Bristow flung his arms to the sky in celebration.
8 Darts World
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Originally published in Darts World Magazine 147 (February 1986)
Images: Darts World Magazine
