Tony Green | |
---|---|
Born | Anthony John Green 29 January 1939 Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England |
Died | 4 March 2024 85) Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England | (aged
Occupation(s) | Sports commentator, television presenter |
Years active | 1978–2022 |
Known for | Darts commentary and Bullseye |
Anthony John Green (29 January 1939 – 4 March 2024) was an English sports commentator and television presenter, best known as the scorer and later co-host of the British TV show Bullseye, from 1982 to 1995 and again in 2006 & 2007.
Green was also the commentator for the annual BDO World Darts Championships from 1978 to 2016.
Green (alongside) Sid Waddell, were the darts commentators on the BBC from 1978 to 1994. [1] Waddell left the BBC in 1994, whilst Green remained until the 2016 BDO World Darts Championships, (this being Green's final appearance ), and the last one televised by the BBC. [2] In 1990, Green was commentating during the first ever nine-dart finish at the BDO World Darts Championship. In the second round, Paul Lim netted £52,000 by hitting 180 twice, finishing with treble 20, treble 19, then double 12, to the delight of Green, commentating for the BBC. [2]
In 2000, he appeared as himself in all six episodes on the talk show Meet Ricky Gervais broadcast on Channel 4. Green was well known as the announcer and co-host, alongside Jim Bowen, of the popular television darts quiz Bullseye , produced by Central for ITV from 1982 to 1995. [2] In 2006, a reprised version of the show was aired, which was produced by Granada Productions for Challenge, and hosted by comedian Dave Spikey. [3]
Green reprised his role of 'scorer' on a special edition of Bullseye, which aired as part of the Gameshow Marathon series and was broadcast on ITV on 19 May 2007. On 18 and 19 May 2007, Green co-hosted Challenge TV's coverage of the inaugural PDC US Open tournament. [4]
In 2015, Green was narrator and commentator for the BBC's Let's Play Darts for Comic Relief . [5]
In 2010, Green took a career break while being successfully treated for tongue cancer. [6]
After developing Alzheimer's disease, Green died on 4 March 2024, at the age of 85. [7] His last ever commentary came in the 2022 Darts World Seniors Masters quarter-finals, where Phil Taylor beat Les Wallace. [8]
Darts or dart-throwing is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small sharp-pointed projectiles known as darts at a round target known as a dartboard.
Bullseye is a British darts-themed television game show created by Andrew Wood and Norman Vaughan.
A nine-dart finish, also known as a nine-darter, is a perfect leg or single game in the sport of darts. The object of the game is to score a set number of points, most commonly 501; in order to win, a player must reach the target total exactly and hit a double scoring area with their last dart. When the target is 501, the minimum number of darts needed to reach it is nine. For example, one way to achieve a nine-dart finish is to score 60 on each of the first seven throws, then a 57 on the eighth, and lastly a 24 on the ninth. It is regarded as an extremely difficult feat to achieve—even for the sport's top players—and is considered the highest single-game achievement in the sport, similar to a maximum 147 break in snooker or a 300-point game in bowling.
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The British Darts Organisation (BDO) was a darts organisation founded on 7 January 1973 by Olly Croft, and killed off by Des Jacklin in 2019. Made up of 66 member counties, it oversaw professional, semi-professional and amateur darts competitions in Britain. The BDO was a founder member of the World Darts Federation in 1974. It also staged a World Professional Darts Championship from 1978 to 2020.
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The 2011 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship was the 18th World Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it separated from the British Darts Organisation. The event took place at the Alexandra Palace, London from 16 December 2010 and 3 January 2011. A total of 72 players took part, 16 of whom began at the preliminary round stage, with the eight winners joining the remaining 56 players in the first round proper.
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