Eric Bristow - Early career, Technique, Achievements

Darts player, born in London, UK. World professional champion a record five times (1980–1, 1984–6), he was also the beaten finalist twice. His other major championships include the World Masters (1977, 1979, 1981, 1983–4), the World Cup individual (1983, 1985), and the News of the World Championship (1983–4).

Eric Bristow, MBE
Personal information
Nickname	The Crafty Cockney
Date of birth	27 April, 1957
Place of birth	Hackney, England
Home town	Leek, Staffordshire, England
Organisation
BDO	1979 to 1993
PDC	founder member (1994)
Current World Ranking	371
BDO Grand Slam Events - Best Performances
World Ch'ship	Winner 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986
World Masters	Winner 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1984
PDC Televised Events - Best Performances
World Ch'ship	SF 1997
Other Tournament Wins
Tournament	Years
News of the World WDF World Cup Singles British Professional British Open British Matchplay Butlins Grand Masters PDC World Pairs British Gold Cup	1983, 1984 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989 1982, 1985 1978, 1981, 1983 1981, 1982, 1983 1976, 1983 1995 1980
Other Achievements
1989 Awarded MBE 2005 Inducted (with John Lowe) as first members of PDC Hall of Fame
Infobox last updated on: 19 November, 2006.

Eric Bristow MBE (born Hackney, London, 27th April 1957) is a British darts player whose skill at the game in the 1980s helped turn it into a worldwide spectator sport.

Early career

Bristow won his first world championship in 1980, defeating fellow Londoner Bobby George, and so began a decade's worth of domination, in which he would retain his title in 1981 and win it again in 1984, 1985 and 1986.

Technique

The way players hold a dart when playing the game has no rules nor recommended technique - players grasp a dart simply in the manner with which they feel comfortable.

Achievements

Bristow emerged as the most successful and consistent darts player of the 1980s, reigning as number one in the world rankings from 1st January 1980 until 1987.

As well as his world championship exploits, Bristow also lifted the prestigious Winmau World Masters crown no fewer than five times (1977, 1979, 1981, 1983 and 1984). He was a winner of the World Cup Singles on four occasions (1983, 1985, 1987, 1989) and won the News of the World tournament in 1983 and 1984 together with countless other major tournaments including the British Open and Swedish Open three times each and the North American Open on four occasions.

Bristow had come across a raw darts talent in Stoke-on-Trent in the late 1980s and offered him 10,000 pounds to fund his development in the game, on the understanding that the cash would be repaid.