Mixing
John Lowe
| John Lowe MBE | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal information | |
| Nickname | Old Stoneface |
| Born | (1945-07-21) 21 July 1945 New Tupton, Derbyshire, England |
| Home town | Chesterfield, Derbyshire England |
| Darts information | |
| Playing darts since | 1966 |
| Darts | 21g Unicorn World Champion Golden John Lowe |
| Laterality | Right-handed |
| Walk-on music | "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday" by Boney M. |
| Organisation (see split in darts) | |
| BDO | 1976–1993 |
| PDC | 1993–2007 (Founding Member) |
| BDO majors - best performances | |
| World Ch'ship | Winner (3) 1979, 1987, 1993 |
| World Masters | Winner (2) 1976, 1980 |
| PDC premier events - best performances | |
| World Ch'ship | Semi-Final: 1995, 1996 |
| World Matchplay | Semi-Final: 1995, 2002 |
| World Grand Prix | Semi-Final: 2001 |
| UK Open | Last 16: 2005 |
| Other tournament wins | |
| Tournament | Years |
Australian Grand Masters Autumn Gold Cider Masters BDO Gold Cup British Open British Pentathlon Canadian Open Denmark Open Dry Blackthorn Cider Masters Finnish Open MFI World Matchplay pairs North American Open WDF Europe Cup Pairs WDF World Cup pairs | 1985 1987 1978, 1979, 1982 1977, 1988 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984 1977 1978, 1979, 1982 1983 1984 1978, 1985 |
| Other achievements | |
| 1984 – First televised nine-dart finish 1986 to 1993 – England Captain (unbeaten) | |
| Updated on 11 February 2008. | |
John Lowe MBE (born 21 July 1945 in Chesterfield) is a former World No. 1 English retired professional darts player who was one of the most talented and best known darts players during the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the United Kingdom. Lowe is one of only six players to have won the World Championship three times, having done so in 1979, 1987 and 1993. He is the first player to have won the World Championship in three separate decades. Lowe's titles and achievements span a career of almost forty years, but he is also well known for being the first player to achieve a televised nine-dart finish (in 1984).
Contents
1 Biography
2 Personal life
3 World Championship results
3.1 BDO
3.2 PDC
4 Career finals
4.1 BDO major finals: 25 (9 titles, 16 runners-up)
4.2 WDF major finals: 6 (5 titles, 1 runner-up)
4.3 Independent major finals: 1 (1 title)
5 Performance timeline
6 Nine-dart finishes
7 References
8 External links
Biography
Lowe won the World Championship title in three different decades – 1979, 1987 and 1993. He met Eric Bristow six times in the World Championship in various semi-finals and finals, and it was not until his fourth attempt (in the 1987 final) that he managed to overcome his great rival. His record against the "Crafty Cockney" in majors was three wins and six defeats.[1]
Lowe achieved the ultimate feat in darts on 13 October 1984 during the World Matchplay tournament against Keith Deller, when he managed a nine-dart finish – the sport's equivalent of a 147 break in snooker. This was the first time it had ever been accomplished by any darts player whilst being televised, although it was not live and instead shown on a highlights programme on ITV. Lowe won £102,000 for this success. He went on to win the tournament.
In addition to his three world titles Lowe has also won two World Masters titles, two British Open titles, two British Matchplay championships, two World Cup Singles and three European Cup Singles Titles, as well as countless other titles around the world in a hugely successful career. He played for England over 100 times and was captain for seven years, during which time his team were unbeaten.
He also gained credit for his decorum and sportsmanship at the oche, often in notable contrast to the gifted but arrogant Bristow. He was also probably unique in darts in that he looked after his health, never developing the weight difficulties associated with darts players, though he did consume alcohol onstage alongside other players when it was still permitted during matches.
Nicknames have always been common in darts, but Lowe never really had one which caught on. A studious, composed performer, he didn't have anything which stood out in his demeanour or personality – until someone decided to use these very traits to come up with the soubriquet of Old Stoneface. This is also the title of Lowe's autobiography which was published in 2005.
Lowe has enjoyed a longevity at the sport. He played in the televised stages of the World Championship for a then record 28 consecutive years, from the inaugural championship in 1978 to his last appearance in 2005 where he was defeated by the Canadian John Verwey in a final leg tie-break. This feat was beaten by Phil Taylor at the 2018 PDC World Championship.
According to Lowe, he also played at the Alexandra Palace in 1980 in front of 7,000 people in the News of the World Championship.[2]|
He was secretary of the World Professional Dart Players Association (later to become the Professional Dart Players Association (PDPA)) and in 2005 enjoyed a testimonial year in the sport to commemorate his 30th year as a professional. He still attempted to qualify for the World Championship each year until 2008, but fell short in the early qualifying rounds. After joining a short-lived venture, the Setanta Sports-televised BetFred League of Legends in 2008, Lowe became ineligible to compete at the PDC World Championship so could not attempt to qualify for the 2009 event.
In May 2009 Lowe released a book, The Art of Darts, in which he offered his personal insights into the game to both amateur and aspiring professional dart players.[3] In 2013 The Art of Darts was produced in app form for the Apple iPhone and iPad; it is a 45-minute masterclass containing coaching and tips from Lowe.
Lowe planned an exhibition tour of the United States in November and December 2011.[4]
In 2014 Lowe was one of several celebrities to take part in ITV's new game show Amazing Greys, in which members of the public take on icons of British sport and entertainment.[5]
Personal life
Lowe was born in New Tupton, Derbyshire. He is married to Karen and lives in Chesterfield, from where they both support Sunderland.[6]
World Championship results
BDO
- 1978: Runner Up (lost to Leighton Rees 7–11 legs)
- 1979: Winner (beat Leighton Rees 5–0 sets)
- 1980: 2nd Round (lost to Cliff Lazarenko 0–2)
- 1981: Runner Up (lost to Eric Bristow 3–5)
- 1982: Runner Up (lost to Jocky Wilson 3–5)
- 1983: Quarter-Finals (lost to Keith Deller 3–4)
- 1984: Semi-Finals (lost to Eric Bristow 0–6)
- 1985: Runner Up (lost to Eric Bristow 2–6)
- 1986: Quarter-Finals (lost to Bob Anderson 3–4)
- 1987: Winner (beat Eric Bristow 6–4)
- 1988: Runner Up (lost to Bob Anderson 4–6)
- 1989: Semi-Finals (lost to Eric Bristow 1–5)
- 1990: 2nd Round (lost to Ronnie Sharp 2–3)
- 1991: 1st Round (lost to Peter Evison 2–3)
- 1992: Semi-Finals (lost to Phil Taylor 4–5)
- 1993: Winner (beat Alan Warriner 6–3)
PDC
- 1994: Last 24 Group (beat Tom Kirby 3–2) & (lost to Larry Butler 2–3)
- 1995: Semi-Finals (lost to Phil Taylor 4–5)
- 1996: Semi-Finals (lost to Phil Taylor 1–5)
- 1997: Last 24 Group (lost to Jamie Harvey 2–3) & (beat Paul Lim 3–1)
- 1998: Last 24 Group (lost to Peter Manley 0–3) & (lost to Gary Mawson 0–3)
- 1999: 2nd Round (lost to Phil Taylor 1–3)
- 2000: Quarter-Finals (lost to Dennis Smith 3–5)
- 2001: 2nd Round (lost to Jamie Harvey 0–3)
- 2002: 2nd Round (lost to Peter Manley 5–6)
- 2003: 2nd Round (lost to Les Fitton 1–4)
- 2004: 3rd Round (lost to Alan Warriner 3–4)
- 2005: 2nd Round (lost to John Verwey 2–3)
Career finals
BDO major finals: 25 (9 titles, 16 runners-up)
Legend |
| World Championship (3–5) |
| World Masters (2–3) |
| British Professional (0–4) |
| World Matchplay (1–1) |
| Grand Masters (1–2) |
| British Matchplay (2–1) |
Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score[N 1] |
| Winner | 1. | 1976 | Winmau World Masters (1) |  Phil Obbard | 3–0 (s) |
| Winner | 2. | 1977 | Butlins Grand Masters (1) |  Eric Bristow | 5–4 (s) |
| Runner-up | 1. | 1978 | World Darts Championship | Leighton Rees | 7–11 (l) |
| Winner | 3. | 1978 | British Matchplay (1) | Tony Brown | 2–1 (s) |
| Runner-up | 2. | 1978 | Butlins Grand Masters | Leighton Rees | unknown |
| Winner | 4. | 1979 | World Darts Championship (1) | Leighton Rees | 5–0 (s) |
| Winner | 5. | 1980 | Winmau World Masters (2) |  Rab Smith | 2–0 (s) |
| Runner-up | 3. | 1981 | World Darts Championship (2) | Eric Bristow | 3–5 (s) |
| Runner-up | 4. | 1981 | Butlins Grand Masters (2) | Eric Bristow | unknown |
| Runner-up | 5. | 1981 | British Professional Championship | Jocky Wilson | 5–6 (s) |
| Runner-up | 6. | 1981 | Winmau World Masters | Eric Bristow | 1–2 (s) |
| Runner-up | 7. | 1982 | World Darts Championship | Jocky Wilson | 3–5 (s) |
| Runner-up | 8. | 1982 | British Professional Championship (2) | Eric Bristow | 3–7 (s) |
| Winner | 6. | 1984 | MFI World Matchplay (1) | Cliff Lazarenko | 5–3 (s) |
| Runner-up | 9. | 1984 | British Professional Championship (3) | Mike Gregory | 5–7 (s) |
| Runner-up | 10. | 1985 | World Darts Championship (4) | Eric Bristow | 2–6 (s) |
| Winner | 7. | 1985 | British Matchplay (2) | Cliff Lazarenko | 3–0 (s) |
| Runner-up | 11. | 1985 | British Professional Championship (4) | Eric Bristow | 4–7 (s) |
| Winner | 8. | 1987 | World Darts Championship (2) | Eric Bristow | 6–4 (s) |
| Runner-up | 12. | 1987 | MFI World Matchplay | Bob Anderson | 1–5 (s) |
| Runner-up | 13. | 1987 | Winmau World Masters (2) | Bob Anderson | 1–3 (s) |
| Runner-up | 14. | 1988 | World Darts Championship (5) | Bob Anderson | 4–6 (s) |
| Runner-up | 15. | 1988 | British Matchplay | Bob Anderson | 2–3 (s) |
| Runner-up | 16. | 1988 | Winmau World Masters (3) | Bob Anderson | 2–3 (s) |
| Winner | 9. | 1993 | World Darts Championship (3) | Alan Warriner | 6–3 (s) |
WDF major finals: 6 (5 titles, 1 runner-up)
Legend |
| World Cup (2–0) |
| Europe Cup (3–1) |
Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score[N 1] |
| Winner | 1. | 1978 | Europe Cup Singles (1) | Jocky Wilson | 4–1 (s) |
| Winner | 2. | 1981 | World Cup Singles (1) | Jocky Wilson | 4–3 (s) |
| Winner | 3. | 1984 | Europe Cup Singles (2) | Leighton Rees | 4–0 (s) |
| Winner | 4. | 1986 | Europe Cup Singles (3) | Cliff Lazarenko | 4–2 (s) |
| Winner | 5. | 1991 | World Cup Singles (2) | Martin Phillips | 6–4 (s) |
| Runner-up | 1. | 1992 | Europe Cup Singles | Phil Taylor | 2–4 (s) |
Independent major finals: 1 (1 title)
Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score[N 1] |
| Winner | 1. | 1981 | News of the World Championship (1) | Mick Norris | 2–0 (l) |
^ abc (l) = score in legs, (s) = score in sets.
Performance timeline
| Tournament | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BDO World Championship | NYF | F | W | 2R | F | F | QF | SF | F | QF | W | F | SF | 2R | 1R | SF | W | No longer a BDO Member | ||||||||||||
Winmau World Masters | W | QF | 3R | QF | W | F | 3R | SF | 4R | QF | 3R | F | F | 1R | SF | QF | 3R | Did not participate | ||||||||||||
British Professional | Not held | F | F | SF | F | F | 1R | 2R | 1R | Not held | ||||||||||||||||||||
MFI World Matchplay | Not held | W | 1R | 1R | F | QF | Not held | |||||||||||||||||||||||
PDC World Championship | Not yet founded | RR | SF | SF | RR | RR | 2R | QF | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | |||||||||||||||||
World Matchplay | Not yet founded | 1R | SF | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | QF | 2R | SF | 1R | 1R | DNP | |||||||||||||||||
World Grand Prix | Not yet founded | QF | DNP | 1R | SF | 1R | 1R | DNP | ||||||||||||||||||||||
UK Open | Not held | 3R | 1R | 6R | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
News of the World | ??? | SF | ??? | SF | W | ??? | Not held | DNP | Not held | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Performance Table Legend | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DNP | Did not play at the event | DNQ | Did not qualify for the event | NYF | Not yet founded | #R | lost in the early rounds of the tournament (WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin) |
| QF | lost in the quarter-finals | SF | lost in the semi-finals | F | lost in the final | W | won the tournament |
Nine-dart finishes
Lowe accomplished the first ever televised nine-dart finish. This finish was not broadcast live.
| Date | Opponent | Tournament | Method | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 October 1984 | Keith Deller | World Matchplay | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T17, T18, D18 | £102,000 |
References
^ "John Lowe V Eric Bristow Head To Head". Dartsdatabase.co.uk. Retrieved 31 May 2015..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ [1] Twitter: @jloweprodart
^ "The Art of Darts". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
^ Lowe, John. "America here I Come". Unicorn-darts.com. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
^ [2]
^ "Legends of Darts". Legendsofdarts.com. 20 June 2014. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
External links
- Interview with John Lowe
- John Lowe's profile and stats on Darts Database
- John Lowe's Blog at Unicorn-Darts.com
Nine Dart Finish from 1984 on YouTube in 2017 he lost to Brian Murray in Kilcock GAA
Authority control  |
|
|---|
Comments
Post a Comment