Leighton Rees
Encyclopedia
Leighton Thomas Rees was the first ever World Professional Darts Champion.
where one of his teachers famously declared on his report card that he would be "good only for reading the sports pages of the South Wales Echo
". After leaving school he found work in the store room of a motor spares company, a job he did for over twenty years until he became a professional darts player in 1976.
It was during his time working as a store man that Leighton found the sport of darts
, becoming a regular for his local pub and county. It was not until 1972 though that he gained any real national attention. Sid Waddell, now a commentator for Sky Sports
, was at the time producer of Yorkshire Television
's Indoor League
- a show with pub games tournaments. Waddell and his researchers had heard reports of a trio of great darts players in the South Wales
valleys, an area that was quickly becoming a hotbed of talent for the sport. The three names mentioned were Tony Ridler
of Newport
, Alan Evans
of Rhondda
and especially Leighton Rees of little Ynysybwl
.
Waddell quickly offered all three the chance to play on national television and they did not disappoint, Ridler and Evans both scored a number of 180s in their matches, but although he did not perform as well on the night it was Leighton Rees who stole the show. Over a lager and a cigar he told presenter Fred Trueman
, in his soon to be famous brand of dry humour, stories about himself and Evans hustling the English.
. He was also part of the 1977 Wales team that won the very first World Darts Federation World Cup
.
Rees' finest hour however would come in 1978 at the inaugural Embassy World Professional Darts Championship
, in Nottingham. Seeded third he easily dispensed with Australian Barry Atkinson
in round one at a score of 6-0 before taking on his close friend, Welsh team-mate and fifth seed Alan Evans
in the second round. It turned into a classic with both players averaging over 90 per three darts (almost unheard of in those days). Evans took an early lead with a couple of 180s before Rees recorded the championship's first ever ten-dart finish (also the first ever televised) before eventually running out a 6-3 victor. At the time the BBC
's executive producer Nick Hunter proclaimed it as the match that made darts live up to all their expectations and cemented it as a National TV item for years to come.
In the semi-final Rees actually struggled to beat a determined American, Nicky Virachkul
8-7 in the semi-finals but showed a whole different set of battling qualities to pull through into a final against the great John Lowe
. Rees would again average over 90 with Lowe not far behind in a great final, eventually sealed 11-7 by Rees to win his only ever World Championship
.
In the defence of his title in 1979, Rees returned to the final, again beating Evans along the way before this time losing to Lowe by 5 sets to 0. A quarter-final in 1980 and a last-16 place in 1981 followed, after which Rees could only manage round one exits in 1982, 1983, 1985 and 1990. Despite this his matches nearly always resulted in full arenas and he remained one of darts most popular competitors.
It is because of this that he is credited alongside the likes of Lowe, Eric Bristow
, Bob Anderson
, Jocky Wilson
, Cliff Lazarenko
and now Phil Taylor as bringing darts to the masses via the television screens. He had an exceptionally good record on Bullseye
, frequently scoring more than 301 with nine darts and thus having his charity money doubled.
Rees also wrote autobiographical account of his life in 1979, titled “On Darts” which also featured tips on playing the game.
named after him, Leighton Rees Close. Despite being the first world champion, Rees possibly missed out on darts' glory years. The prize for his title was £3,000 and as the prize money rose and tournaments began to spring up all over UK television channels, Rees' form began to slide and he never managed to match the continued success of Lowe, Bristow and Wilson. Rees was forced to make his living from playing exhibition matches with his great friend Evans.
Early life
Rees was born in the village of Ynysybwl, where he was to spend most of his life. He attended the local Mill Street School in PontypriddPontypridd
Pontypridd is both a community and a principal town of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales and is situated 12 miles/19 km north of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff...
where one of his teachers famously declared on his report card that he would be "good only for reading the sports pages of the South Wales Echo
South Wales Echo
The South Wales Echo is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Cardiff, Wales and distributed throughout the surrounding area.The newspaper was founded in 1884 and was based in Thomson House, Cardiff city centre. It is published by Media Wales Ltd , part of the Trinity Mirror group...
". After leaving school he found work in the store room of a motor spares company, a job he did for over twenty years until he became a professional darts player in 1976.
It was during his time working as a store man that Leighton found the sport of darts
Darts
Darts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...
, becoming a regular for his local pub and county. It was not until 1972 though that he gained any real national attention. Sid Waddell, now a commentator for Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
, was at the time producer of Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
's Indoor League
Indoor League
Indoor League was a television series broadcast in the United Kingdom by Yorkshire Television during the 1970s.It was hosted by England cricketer, Fred Trueman who often wore a cardigan whilst smoking a pipe throughout his links...
- a show with pub games tournaments. Waddell and his researchers had heard reports of a trio of great darts players in the South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
valleys, an area that was quickly becoming a hotbed of talent for the sport. The three names mentioned were Tony Ridler
Tony Ridler
Anthony Ridler is a Welsh darts player who competed in the 1970s and 1980s - however he made comebacks in 1997 and also in 2006.- Achievements :...
of Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
, Alan Evans
Alan Evans (darts player)
David "Alan" Evans was a Welsh professional darts player who competed in the 1970s and 1980s.Evans was one of the early faces of television darts and had some tournament success in the 1970s...
of Rhondda
Rhondda
Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley , is a former coal mining valley in Wales, formerly a local government district, consisting of 16 communities built around the River Rhondda. The valley is made up of two valleys, the larger Rhondda Fawr valley and the smaller Rhondda Fach valley...
and especially Leighton Rees of little Ynysybwl
Ynysybwl
Ynysybwl is a village in Cwm Clydach in Wales. It is situated in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, roughly north-north-east of Cardiff, north of Pontypridd and south of Merthyr Tydfil, and forms part of the community of Ynysybwl and Coed-y-cwm....
.
Waddell quickly offered all three the chance to play on national television and they did not disappoint, Ridler and Evans both scored a number of 180s in their matches, but although he did not perform as well on the night it was Leighton Rees who stole the show. Over a lager and a cigar he told presenter Fred Trueman
Fred Trueman
Frederick Sewards Trueman OBE was an English cricketer, generally acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers in history. A bowler of genuinely fast pace who was widely known as Fiery Fred, Trueman played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1949 until he retired in 1968...
, in his soon to be famous brand of dry humour, stories about himself and Evans hustling the English.
Darts career
After the early exposure on Indoor League, Rees turned professional in 1976 and went on to make the final of that year's News of the World Darts ChampionshipNews of the World Darts Championship
The News of the World Individual Darts Championship was one of the first major organised darts competitions, which began in 1927. It became England's first national darts competition from 1947 until its demise in 1990...
. He was also part of the 1977 Wales team that won the very first World Darts Federation World Cup
WDF World Cup darts
The WDF World Cup is a darts tournament held biennially since 1977. The tournament consists of a team championship, a pairs championship and a singles championship. All events have a men's competition, a women's competition and a youth competition . The next World Cup will be held in 2013, in St...
.
Rees' finest hour however would come in 1978 at the inaugural Embassy World Professional Darts Championship
World Professional Darts Championship
The World Professional Darts Championship is one of the most important tournaments in the darts calendar. Originally held as an annual event between 1978 and 1993, players then broke off into two separate organisations after a controversial split in the game...
, in Nottingham. Seeded third he easily dispensed with Australian Barry Atkinson
Barry Atkinson
Barry Atkinson is a retired Australian darts player.Atkinson played in the 1977 Winmau World Masters where he lost in the last 16 stage to Paul Reynolds who went on the reach the final and lose to Eric Bristow. He played in the inaugural BDO World Darts Championship in 1978, but lost in the first...
in round one at a score of 6-0 before taking on his close friend, Welsh team-mate and fifth seed Alan Evans
Alan Evans (darts player)
David "Alan" Evans was a Welsh professional darts player who competed in the 1970s and 1980s.Evans was one of the early faces of television darts and had some tournament success in the 1970s...
in the second round. It turned into a classic with both players averaging over 90 per three darts (almost unheard of in those days). Evans took an early lead with a couple of 180s before Rees recorded the championship's first ever ten-dart finish (also the first ever televised) before eventually running out a 6-3 victor. At the time the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's executive producer Nick Hunter proclaimed it as the match that made darts live up to all their expectations and cemented it as a National TV item for years to come.
In the semi-final Rees actually struggled to beat a determined American, Nicky Virachkul
Nicky Virachkul
Nicky Virachkul was a professional darts player who competed in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He competed in the third WDF World Cup darts tournament in 1979 and won the singles title...
8-7 in the semi-finals but showed a whole different set of battling qualities to pull through into a final against the great John Lowe
John Lowe
John Lowe is an English darts player who was one of the best-known men in darts during the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the United Kingdom. Lowe is one of only five players to have won the World Championship 3 times.-Biography:Lowe won the World Championship title in three different decades -...
. Rees would again average over 90 with Lowe not far behind in a great final, eventually sealed 11-7 by Rees to win his only ever World Championship
World Professional Darts Championship
The World Professional Darts Championship is one of the most important tournaments in the darts calendar. Originally held as an annual event between 1978 and 1993, players then broke off into two separate organisations after a controversial split in the game...
.
In the defence of his title in 1979, Rees returned to the final, again beating Evans along the way before this time losing to Lowe by 5 sets to 0. A quarter-final in 1980 and a last-16 place in 1981 followed, after which Rees could only manage round one exits in 1982, 1983, 1985 and 1990. Despite this his matches nearly always resulted in full arenas and he remained one of darts most popular competitors.
It is because of this that he is credited alongside the likes of Lowe, Eric Bristow
Eric Bristow
Eric Bristow MBE is a British darts player, whose skill at the game in the 1980s helped turn it into a worldwide spectator sport.- Early career :...
, Bob Anderson
Bob Anderson (darts player)
Robert Charles "Bob" Anderson is a former world darts champion. He was ranked as world number one for over three years in the late 1980s. Nicknamed The Limestone Cowboy, he lives in Clevedon in Somerset.-Before Darts:Anderson threw his first darts maximum at the age of just five...
, Jocky Wilson
Jocky Wilson
John Thomas Wilson known as "Jocky" Wilson, is a former Scottish darts champion. He retired from the game in 1995.Wilson was twice World professional Darts Champion in 1982 and 1989...
, Cliff Lazarenko
Cliff Lazarenko
Cliff Lazarenko is an English professional darts player who competed for the British Darts Organisation and the Professional Darts Corporation...
and now Phil Taylor as bringing darts to the masses via the television screens. He had an exceptionally good record on Bullseye
Bullseye (UK game show)
Bullseye was a popular British television programme. It was first made for the ITV network by ATV in 1981 and Central from 1982 until 1995, and hosted by Jim Bowen. The show originally aired on Monday nights from 1981, it was then moved to Sunday nights from 1982 to 1993 where it was watched by...
, frequently scoring more than 301 with nine darts and thus having his charity money doubled.
Rees also wrote autobiographical account of his life in 1979, titled “On Darts” which also featured tips on playing the game.
Outside Darts
In 1980, Rees married his wife Debbie, a Californian, in Las Vegas while he was competing in a tournament there. There is a street in YnysybwlYnysybwl
Ynysybwl is a village in Cwm Clydach in Wales. It is situated in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, roughly north-north-east of Cardiff, north of Pontypridd and south of Merthyr Tydfil, and forms part of the community of Ynysybwl and Coed-y-cwm....
named after him, Leighton Rees Close. Despite being the first world champion, Rees possibly missed out on darts' glory years. The prize for his title was £3,000 and as the prize money rose and tournaments began to spring up all over UK television channels, Rees' form began to slide and he never managed to match the continued success of Lowe, Bristow and Wilson. Rees was forced to make his living from playing exhibition matches with his great friend Evans.