Nieuwlaat recalls memories of Fitzmaurice: "I actually miss him every tournament"

For years Martin Fitzmaurice was the regular master of ceremonies at the BDO World Championship in the Lakeside Country Club. In 2013 however this came to an abrupt end. Jacques Nieuwlaat, himself a referee and master of ceremonies, reminisces about the legendary Englishman.

Fitzmaurice made his debut as master of ceremonies at the 1986 World Championship. He became known for his unique way of introducing players to the stage and also providing entertainment during breaks in matches. He always had the public in his hand with the well-known phrase 'Are you ready?! Ladies and gentlemen, let's play darts!

Jacques Nieuwlaat, remembers Fitzmaurice particularly well. "He was a very big man, larger than life you could say. Someone with a lot of charisma. He had started as a stand-up comedian and he took that with him to the darts stage. Often he picked someone out of the audience and made fun of them", explains Nieuwlaat to the NOS.

"He brought entertainment into the sport", Nieuwlaat continues. "Before his time you were just called by your name as a dart player. He came up with a nickname, listed the titles he had won and made an iconic introduction. But he also had his downsides, his character was difficult. He thought that newcomers should have a lot of respect for him, otherwise he could become troublesome. And he was a nasty man if you had him against you."

In 2013 Fitzmaurice, then already 72, was working as master of ceremonies at the BDO British Internationals. "Why? Because he had been there for 25 years," says Nieuwlaat. "And in the break he made the same jokes he had been making for 25 years. Only the stream of that tournament stayed on during the break. Fitzmaurice made an inappropriate joke in the hall. He did, but people should also understand that he has made that joke a hundred thousand times. This time it was fatal. It was a racist joke and it got into the media. He had no choice but to offer his resignation."

Fitzmaurice then apologised in an extended letter, but we never saw him on a stage again after that. "It's incredibly unfortunate how it turned out, because he deserved a grand farewell. Fitzmaurice had grandchildren and I hope he spent a lot of time with them after he retired. I still miss him every tournament," concluded Nieuwlaat.