British Professional Championship
| British Professional Championship | |
|---|---|
| Tournament information | |
| Venue | Fiesta Club Stockton-on-Tees (1981), Gaskins Conference Centre Middlesbrough (1982), Coatham Bowl Redcar (1983–88) |
| Country | Great Britain |
| Established | 1981 |
| Organisation(s) | BDO Major (8 editions) |
| Format | Sets |
| Final Year | 1988 |
| Final champion(s) | |
| Jocky Wilson | |
The British Professional Championship [1] was a darts tournament organised by the British Darts Organisation and televised by the BBC between 1981 and 1988. After the 1988 championships, the BBC withdrew their coverage of the event and it left UK terrestrial television with only one televised tournament – the World Championships. The game was at an all-time low and players eventually went on to set up the World Darts Council in an attempt to bring back sponsors and television.
Jocky Wilson won the title a record four times – John Lowe also reached four finals but lost them all.
British Professional Championship finals
| Year | Champion (average in final) | Score | Runner-up (average in final) | Prize money | Sponsor | Venue | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Champion | Runner-up | ||||||
| 1981[2][3] | Jocky Wilson | 6–5 | John Lowe | £12,000 | £6,000 | £3,000 | Fiesta Club Stockton-on-Tees | |
| 1982[4][5] | Eric Bristow | 7–3 | John Lowe | £26,000 | £7,000 | £3,500 | Gaskins club Middlesbrough | |
| 1983[6][7] | Jocky Wilson | 7–2 | Dave Whitcombe | ? | £8,000 | ? | Coatham Bowl Redcar | |
| 1984[8][9] | Mike Gregory | 7–5 | John Lowe | £29,600 | £8,000 | £2,000 | ||
| 1985[10][11] | Eric Bristow | 7–4 | John Lowe | £34,000 | £9,000 | £4,500 | ||
| 1986[12][13] | Jocky Wilson | 7–6 | Dave Whitcombe | £35,800 | £10,000 | £4,500 | ||
| 1987[14][15] | Keith Deller | 7–5 | Leighton Rees | £38,200 | £10,000 | £5,000 | ||
| 1988[16][17] | Jocky Wilson | 7–2 | Ray Battye | £39,700 | £11,000 | £5,500 | ||
References
- ^ Waddell, Sid (10 November 2009). Bellies and Bullseyes: The Outrageous True Story of Darts. Random House, 2009. ISBN 9781407030449. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
- ^ "British Professional 1981". DartsDatabase. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ "Wilson shock for Evans". Sunday Sun (Newcastle). 27 September 1981. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ "British Professional 1982". DartsDatabase. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ "Bristow is champ". Sunday Sun (Newcastle). 26 September 1982. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ "British Professional 1983". DartsDatabase. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ "Jocky retains title in superb style". Sunday Sun (Newcastle). 25 September 1983. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ "British Professional 1984". DartsDatabase. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ "Gregory's on a high". The Sunday People (London). 30 September 1984. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ "British Professional 1985". DartsDatabase. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ "Ah, it's Bristow". Sunday Sun (Newcastle). 29 September 1985. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ "British Professional 1986". DartsDatabase. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ "Jocky back on the trail". Northern Echo (Darlington). 29 September 1986. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ "British Professional 1987". DartsDatabase. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ "Deller champion and a dad-to-be". Northern Echo (Darlington). 28 September 1987. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ "British Professional 1988". DartsDatabase. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ "Huddersfield darter". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. 12 September 1988. Retrieved 7 November 2025.