- 1980 BDO World Darts Championship
The 1980 Embassy World Darts Championship was the third year that the
British Darts Organisation had staged a world championship. Again the field was 24 players, with the top seeds receiving a bye to the last 16 stage. For the second successive year the tournament was staged atJollees Cabaret Club inStoke-on-Trent .Defending champion
John Lowe , who had released a book "The Lowe Profile" just before the event suffered a surprise defeat 0-2 toCliff Lazarenko saying afterwards "If you miss your doubles in this one, you must expect to go out."Eric Bristow was then immediately installed as favourite to win the event and would meet another flamboyant character of the game in the final -Bobby George .George, who wasn't even invited to the qualifiers the previous year appeared in a sequined shirt and when arriving on the stage was presented with a
candelabra to complete aLiberace effect. He also made the early running in the final leading 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2. The first six sets all went to a deciding leg until Bristow won the seventh 3-1 to establish a 4-3 set lead. In the next set at 2-2 in legs, George had a golden opportunity to level the match and take it to a decider but burst his score and nonchalently threw his third dart into the board before putting his darts into his top pocket in anticipation of Bristow checking out to win the title. Bristow did so.The Results
Paul Gosling |0
|Allan Hogg |1
|Len Heard |0
|Rab Smith |1
|Eric MacLean |1
|Stefan Lord |1
|Conrad Daniels |0
|Alan Glazier |0
|flagicon|EnglandCliff Lazarenko |2|flagicon|EnglandJohn Lowe |0
|flagicon|WalesCeri Morgan |2|flagicon|Australia Alan Grant|0
|flagicon|EnglandBobby George |2|flagicon|EnglandDave Whitcombe |0
|flagicon|WalesLeighton Rees |2|flagicon|EnglandTony Sontag |0
|flagicon|EnglandTony Brown |2|flagicon|AustraliaTerry O'Dea |0
|flagicon|EnglandBill Lennard |2|flagicon|United StatesNicky Virachkul |0
|flagicon|ScotlandJocky Wilson |2"'|flagicon|EnglandDoug McCarthy |0
|flagicon|EnglandEric Bristow |2|flagicon|Wales Tony Clark|0
|flagicon|EnglandCliff Lazarenko |3|flagicon|WalesCeri Morgan |1
|flagicon|EnglandBobby George |3|flagicon|WalesLeighton Rees |1
|flagicon|EnglandTony Brown |3|flagicon|EnglandBill Lennard |0
|flagicon|EnglandEric Bristow |3|flagicon|ScotlandJocky Wilson |0
|flagicon|EnglandBobby George |4|flagicon|EnglandCliff Lazarenko |1
|flagicon|EnglandEric Bristow |4|flagicon|EnglandTony Brown |3
("Best of 9 sets")Jollees Cabaret Club ,Stoke-on-Trent ,9 February 1980 ).
flagicon|EnglandEric Bristow
5-3Bobby George flagicon|England
Set scores (Bristow first)
2-3 3-2 2-3 3-2 2-3 3-2 3-1 3-2|
flagicon|EnglandEric Bristow wins the 1980 Embassy World Darts Championship
"Best of 3 sets"
"Best of 3 sets"
"Best of 5 sets"
"Best of 7 sets"THIRD PLACE MATCH (Best of 3 sets)
flagicon|England
Tony Brown beatCliff Lazarenko flagicon|England 2-0
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