10/01/2021

THROWBACK VIDEO: Keith Deller stuns Eric Bristow to claim 1983 BDO World Darts Championship

Usually in January, the BDO World Darts Championship would take place but due to the demise of the organisation, this is no longer the case. As a result, DartsNews looks back at some of the classic moments and matches from the showpiece event.

For the next Throwback Video, we head to 1983 and Keith Deller’s crowning glory with a stunning win over Eric Bristow. He had only narrowly qualified for Lakeside through a qualifying tournament.

En route, he defeated John Lowe and Jocky Wilson, the number three and two in the world, on their way to the final. There he met number one in the world Eric Bristow.

The final became iconic, because of the way Deller claimed the world title. Bristow was at 121 in the last set, while Deller was at 138. First it was Bristow's turn, who left 50 with one dart in hand. However, he decided not to go for the bull, hoping that Deller wouldn't hit 138.

That did happen and to this day it is still often referred to as the ‘’Deller'' when a player is on a 138 finish.