John O'Shea confirms World Masters trophy returned to BDO: "That trophy truly brought out the ugly greed in all and it was only a pawn in the end"

Despite all the issues that surrounded the tournament back in 2019, John O'Shea achieved a darting dream by winning the World Masters in the final edition hosted by the BDO.

Like Wayne Warren and Mikuru Suzuki though at the World Championship, O'Shea when the BDO went bankrupt in 2020 kept hold of the trophy with Warren returning his after the police intervened and Suzuki having to return hers during the recent WDF edition.

But 'The Joker' who has since gone on to forge a career in the PDC reaching a final this year held firm and kept hold of it prompting a legal battle. This is now over with O'Shea returning it.

In a lengthy statement, he admitted this was for a number of reasons being that he 'no longer cared', wanted to move on and was receiving constant threats regarding the trophy.

"There was a case filed against me to return the trophy to the BDO. I received advice not to return it and also spoke with several parties involved in this who all advised me to retain the Trophy safe in my possession as it was an asset. The case has been adjourned and rescheduled numerous times. This has been hanging over me tying me to someone and something I wanted nothing to do with. I didn’t even attend the recent court date because of short notice and with everything going on presently I no longer cared and had decided with my wife we would concede, pay the cost and return it," said O'Shea on Facebook (below).

"So my family paid the price and no one else. Ongoing issues with my management and their handling of the solicitor in the case in the UK also added to the fact I no longer wanted to be the guardian of the Trophy. I do not for one moment regret my decision.

"So yes it went back to the BDO and yes I am classed as the loser in this case but I choose to no longer entertain the egos of two irrelevant men who don’t even respect the Masters Trophy and it’s history and I couldn’t watch this unfold anymore. I had to make a choice I had to end it here to be truthful, I myself and my family deserve to move on.

"The constant threats on us was disgusting, we made jokes out of it to ease the anxiety but now I have willingly taken this action with little to no choice left for the good of those who love me. We tried to do the right thing for the next holder of the most iconic Trophy in darts.

"That Trophy truly brought out the ugly greed in all and it was only a pawn in the end to the pride of those who had never even appreciated it. Everyone wanted it, like vultures but no one was willing to ever do the right thing and I got tired trying to.

"Everyone in the darting community wanted me to hold onto it, wanted me to keep it and I began to think for what? No one stood up to back me in the real world. Poor management and advice left me, my wife and children holding a legal case over our heads. We were now liable, we were left paying the consequences and no one came to aid me when I was doing my best on the advice of others in a UK legal system I know nothing about.

"I am an old school dart player I watched so many of my heroes hold that Trophy aloft with pride. My turn to hold it has been so tarnished so ruined I cannot describe it. My name will always be tied to the Trophy and I hope tied in the bracket of those who knew what it meant truly to hold it, knew what it meant to be honest and simply love the game."

WDF Format Changed

Another telling point for O'Shea was the format changing and as a result, he was the final winner in the set play with it being made into a 'laughing stock' according to 'The Joker'.

"But it appears sadly I am a dying breed. The format changing also made me realize I was the only one left thinking anything of its legacy I simply wanted to hand it to the next amateur world master who was living a dream but that’s all it is now a dream. It will never again exist as it did in the days of Bristow, Lowe and my heroes. It’s been made a laughing stock of now," he continued.

"I am professional Dart Player and I will continue to play the game I love. I have moved beyond this. I believe I will win something else that’s why I play. But as someone with 30 years experience on every level of the darts system when you kill your roots nothing grows. The Masters will never again grow as it was."