Lakeside should have been buried with it's 80's glory days, and decoration to match! Once the PDC split, there's was more atmosphere on the moon. Like a glorified Working Mens Club, surprised they didn't have Bingo at the interval! The lame walk ons and cheesey music before games, was a cringe fest!
@@idi0tdetectioninprogress The BDO started to deteriorate when Van Barneveld left to join the PDC, it was still a top tournament when he won it, you're telling me that Van Barneveld's walk on theme The eye of the tiger was cheesy? 🙄, you're having a laugh 😂.
@@Zarkava8 Barneveld won his last title at just about the last time it was acceptable to call it a World Championship. There were only a handful of players of note in the competition even then, namely Gary Anderson and Rob Thornton, who went on to win PDC titles. The cheesy music was between games and during intervals, playing Status Quo to whip up the crowd was an absolute cringe fest. Maybe you should read comments properly before replying.
It is such a shame, growing up I never had sky so the lakeside was always like the come down after Christmas! The tree came down but the lakeside was on! Happy memories.
Martin is a true gentleman, i had my photo took with him many years ago, he took the time to ask about my family and spent 5 minutes chatting, really nice guy!
BDO started going downhill when Barney joined the PDC in 2006. Created a vortex of players leaving. Wolfy always remained loyal towards the BDO even though he could have been a nice addition to the PDC roster. Not that many old school characters any more in darts 😞
Thing is as well that people forget is at the time the BDO had two huge events in the Netherlands broadcast over there - which included PDC players but when Barney, MVG and Jelle moved away, to the PDC, a few years later Barry Hearn and his intelligence basically said no PDC players are competing in those two BDO majors anymore and the broadcasters quickly cancelled the tournaments. The BDO therefore no longer had any big publicity, revenue or presence in Holland and simply never recovered. Mervyn King moved away in huge controversy which did nothing but tarnish the BDO further, sooner or later the BBC gave in and that was it - and while all this was going on the PDC was effectively doubling and tripling in size, prize money, tournaments etc. BDO just hadn't a clue what to do no more.
Sadly down to its prehistoric and stubborn organisers. Barry Hearn approached them several times about a merge where the BDO would have been a sort of Championship tier where young players or new tour card holders would gain experience and hope to be promoted to the main PDC tour. Barry was willing to put time/money into the structure but, as it has done for decades, it fell on deaf, antique ears.
No ..dont make excuse for Barry Hernes ..a parasite and Bully ...remember 'premier League snooker'? . . . .bear that in mind . . .-Herne is the man who forever destroyed British darts . . . ..in 10 year you will know that .
Based on what Barry Hearn and other top players at the time were saying. Olly Croft was uncompromising and refused to agree to anything that meant him halving less control over how things were done.
you are all talking as if you have won a war ...lol . . .meanwhile a foreign culture is taking over Britain . Darts will die out in 10 years ..like old fashioned British culture .
Ollie Croft effectively killed the BDO. He pissed of the elite players so much that they banded together and formed the PDC. The BDO always seemed second rate from that point onwards. Winning the BDO basically was a calling card to enter the PDC.
I did more or less the same thing. Barney and Mervyn King were the ones that kept me watching the BDO but when they left for the PDC my interest in the BDO also died.
BDO.......( Broken ....Down.....Organization).......sad time for the sport, ....I will always remember the golden era of world darts in the 1980s at a packed and vibrant Lakeside ...with the likes of Bristow..... Wilson,...Lowe,.... Rees......Lazarenko,...Evans .....Dellar..... Anderson and the flamboyant Bobby George producing sporting drama at its finest......Great Memories
I grew up watching the BDO at the lakeside in the 80s & 90s . Leaving there was a big mistake. PDC nailed what fans and TV and players wanted. I'll miss the BDO format and lakeside. I just can't get into the PDC format. Ah well happy childhood memories at Xmas playing darts with my brother and cousins .
The same thing that caused the split lead the BDO to its demise outdated thinking, venues and broadcast teams allowed the PDC to be the place to be and inevitably lead to the players moving over. Their final chance at survival was to embrace its amateur/feeder status but the powers in the BDO couldn’t put their ego aside
I used to prefer watching the BDO World Championships at the Lakeside. The crowd used to give the very best of order and there was none of the crass vulgarity of the PDC equivalent.
@@koen8185 Yes but being a training ground for a larger competition was never going to work long term. Also some of the later players maybe should not have moved across like Mark Webster and even Ted Hankey,
@@misfit2022 Sure , for some it didn't work , that's life , and others were loyal to the BDO , like Wolfie , and you're right , if young talent constantly leaves , you're stuck with a veteran competition of loyals , it fades away and perishes .
@@markpugh6808 I’m not blaming anyone. Other than Adams, anyone with ability and who wanted to make money at the sport, should of left as soon they could compete in the PDC.
@@austinpowers9340 it was always gunna end this way when all the decent or world class throwers defected to the PDC you end up with a shit product it is a shame as The BDO was the main body in darts before the split in 94 that lead to the PDC
Exactly. The PDC could possibly used the location of Lakeside in Frimley Green to add a new concept of tournament and calling it Lakeside Classics, with the use of a classic thick wiring board. Just an idea 🙂.
@shredderkrang I would write Martin Adams says "The BDO has died" .....But your right I glanced at it and my brain automatically thought the worst especially with all the bad news at the mo.
@Paul Blackman Sounds like you should have been a darter. Whilst those guys were pissed you would have just got started . FairPlay you survived it all as well ✌️
I played Martin in a exhibition match in Bala years ago he started on 701 I started on 601 I got down to 81 and he won the leg I think he scored a 140 in the leg it was many years ago he seemed like a nice bloke.
the pros in the UK come from county darts which was supported by the BDO. The PDC just cherry picks the best players and does little to support grass roots.
@@nigelmacdonald9999 Nonsense. The BDO hasnt supported anyone for ages. Absolute disgrace not paying the tournament winnings. What do you think the JDC and youth tournaments are? You're living in 1980
In a harrowing year where bottom end of society have suffered the most it sums things up that the BDO the sporting heart beat of the working classes has official died!! This is a watershed moment of epic proportions for many people who's lives socially and emotionally are intertwined is the beloved Organisation. All we can do now is hold on to the memories R.I.P
It's been competitive for a lot longer times, in the Netherlands, the focus only shifted to the PDC after van Barneveld switched. Until that point, the PDC WC wasn't even televized.
If you compare the BDO to the PDC, the PDC have world class dart players playing for their version of the world championship, whereas the BDO have pub league dart players or at best county dart players playing for their version of the world championship
Zero sympathy for the BDO whatsoever They had plenty of chances to embrace the change in darts and work with the PDC They chose not to ,stubbornly,now look where you’ve ended up
Martin Adams and the rest of the BDO should be grateful the elite left and joined the PDC or you would never have heard of the majority. I remember the first BDO World Championships after the best players left. I honestly didn’t know anyone in it!
Olly Croft killed it due to being stubborn and not moving with the times. BDO died years ago. Adams is in the same mould. Bitter towards PDC deep down.
He did a lot of damage, but his successors did a great deal more damage than him. At least if Olly Croft was still around. The organisation might have limped on for another 10 years.
@@jameskemp2273 He could have kept up 15-20 years ago. The level in the PDC was completely different. Maybe not with Taylor or Barney, but definitely Top 32/64.
@@jto0194 He is crap for the PDC. Not necessarily because of his level of play but because he can't handle a crowd where the median age is below 80. If there's any noise, he just stops. He's done it a couple times at the BDO and I'd expect him to do the same.
The only reason the BDO survived so long after the split as it did was because the PDC existed and it could piggy back from its popularity slightly but that aftershock can only last so long.
BDO "we play proper darts" - Martin Adams. _well that aged like a fine milk_ Seriously though, I would loved to have seen Martin in the PDC. You can only know how good you really are when playing against the best of the very best.
...still think pdc is the very best now ? . ....you seriously think 'Nathan aspinall' could have won a set against John Lowe or Phil Taylor ? . . . !!! LOL....
He said it.Unrecoverable.The saddest day was when it ended but it was understandable why players left.The pigheadedness of Olly Croft just didnt listen to them.
..I see people talking about Glenn Durrant ...Glen Durrant signalled the end of BDO Lakeside darts...with his zombie-like inhuman characterless persona ...occasional darts fans that used to watch at xmas time were no longer interested and the Game died in the minds and hearts of british public! ......
Shut up what a stupid comment. Durant is a player and competes in the tournament. Its his job to do his best not somehow carry the Bdo to better things or be a massive personality which admitted he doesn't have but that's not his fault.
If he'd had the balls to move to the PDC like the rest, he'd have earned shit loads of money like the rest of them too! And for the idiot that called the breakaway players 'greedy' for going after more money, don't be so stupid. You'd have done the same. Why hang around in the BDO when they were getting very little money thrown at them and had very few events? The management was shocking. Barry Hearn knew what he was doing!
@@Timekeeper1200 yeah right!!! Don't talk stupid. Adams was scared to move coz he knew he wasn't good enough to compete with the breakaway players. He thought he could be the big fish in a little pond.
pissing myself laughing at some of the comments on here about the bdo....3 of the4 semi finalists in the pdc worlds yesterday...camefrom the bdo...and 2 of them didnt even win the bdo worlds.....
@@andyhumphrey9351 In real terms though, it meant nothing. There were quite a few (BDO players) got giddy over this `playing for my country` nonsense. At the end of the day, darts is an individual sport, one annual World Cup event is quite sufficient, for players to represent their country. Funny thing is, they played all these games for England, against the same relatively poor opposition, pretty much a waste of time.
I bet he regrets never moving to the PDC he was defo good enough , shame about the BDO and a shame on the current BDO world champion Wayne Warren only getting about £20,000 for winning it yet Glen durrant 2019 world champion got £100,000 ,says a lot really
BDO was the working class amateur game .....barry hernes 'private darts corporation' is a disgrace to british everywhere ..like when they privatised British Gas ...
@@alanhargreaves-thevoiceofr2361if the split in 1993 hadn't happened then darts would have died a death long before the BDO did...The split saved darts in the long run
Probably but Martin Adams had been competing on the BDO circuit before there was a PDC and even though he would've been a lot less relevant he probably would've made more money in the PDC so I can't begrudge him sticking with the BDO.
@shredderkrang I agree completely and that kind of loyalty is very rarely shown in pro sports now or in most things in life. Most people are looking for that greener grass and those that don't regret it sometimes. When friends ask me advice on personal matters I just tell them go with your gut, at least then if it's the wrong decision it was your decision.
@@Lovelylove4everyone yes I do. He’s played really well in the online tournaments and he’s hit a 9 darter as well, and Martin plays better against the top players. He’ll go with a target on his back but that will just spur him on. I’d love to see him play at the Ally Pally next year, the guy deserves it as much as Deta does
@@Lovelylove4everyone he loves to play darts John. My only concern is, if he does get his tour card, which I’m pretty sure he will, the seriousness of the PDC circuit might dampen his love for it. I’ve been to a few pro tours, and while it’s a fun experience and they’re so well run, it’s all business, everyone’s there to win, as opposed to the Opens, where everyone has a drink and a bit of a laugh. Martin loves all that. There’s none of that at the Pro Tours. You can’t even take alcohol into the hall, your phone must be turned off and you can’t shout for your player, it’s almost silent. But that’s how they’re playing for the big bucks. Martin does belong in that elite group, even if only for 2 or 3 years. He’s 63 now, but he’s still got it.
@@itsainsley1072 Exactly. If it was ever going to happen, it needed to happen at least 5 years ago when he was still competitive. He wouldn't have won a PDC world title but at his peak, he would've been a top 10 player in the PDC.
