Legendary darts umpire Russ Bray recalls his big break into the PDC at the World Matchplay tournament in Blackpool almost 30 years ago.
For legendary darts umpire Russ Bray, it all began at the World Matchplay.
It is almost 30 years since the man known as “The Voice” of darts for his distinctive raspy voice made the life-changing decision to stand trials at one of the sport’s biggest events.
It was also a brave move given that animosity still existed between the PDC and BDO, just under two years after the bitter split that saw some of the game’s biggest names move to the WDC (later the PDC).
Bray had been a Hertfordshire county player and umpire and was therefore technically a BDO man, but he could not afford to be concerned with the politics that characterized darts in the mid-1990s: holding any role in the PDC, even at grassroots level, meant immediate banishment from BDO-sanctioned events.
“Back then, if you were associated with the PDC you were banned from playing darts anywhere, you couldn’t even play in your local league,” he said. “I’m not really into politics. It’s not my thing. Darts is something I’m paid to do and then someone tells me I can’t do this, I can’t do that. I thought, ‘No.'”
“So when someone asked me if I’d like to be a reserve umpire, I said ‘yes’ and they said they’d give me a tryout to see how I did. The trial was the World Matchplay. I was very excited because no one knew where the PDC was going – they were still trying to establish themselves.”
“It was a gamble, a risk, but I was willing to take it. It was getting bigger every month, so I knew what to expect.
“But it was a big step. I’ve been involved in darts since 1975 – 21 years on and back then I couldn’t even play with my friends in a local league!”
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So when he made his first match play appearance in the summer of 1996, initially as a reserve umpire, the pressure was on.
“Match play used to start on a Sunday and there were three matches played on that Sunday, and those three matches were televised but not broadcast live,” Bray, 66, recalled.
“In ’96 I went there for a PDC trial. The first game I called was John Law’s and the second was Paul Lim’s. It was a great introduction to being a darts umpire.”
“I came off the stage and Tom Cox, the tournament director, said, ‘There are no backup umpires’ and I thought, ‘Oh no, this is a mistake’. Then he said, ‘There are three umpires. Welcome to the PDC’. They were the first umpires. [PDC] “The 1996 Match Play was the greatest match I have ever called.”
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After the split, there was bitterness and animosity on both sides that, in some cases, lasted for years, but to his delight, Bray faced no backlash for his decision, which, given the growth of the PDC and the eventual demise of the BDO, proved a wise one.
“I had absolutely no issues, even with the Hertfordshire officials,” he added. “Looking back now it was one of the best things I’ve ever done. The PDC is going from strength to strength.”
Bray retired from frontline umpiring after the 2024 World Championship Final, but now serves as a PDC ambassador and continues to commentate on World Series and Asian Tour matches.
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