BACK IN THE DAY WITH: Les Wallace - from world champion in a kilt to a life that went completely off the rails

In this feature, we regularly travel back in the day with a particular darts player. Today, we're doing so with Les Wallace. There are few world champions in darts history with a story quite as remarkable as Les Wallace. The Scot rose to prominence in the 1990s as one of the most distinctive players on the Lakeside circuit, partly thanks to his trademark kilt and nickname, 'McDanger'. In 1997, Wallace made history by winning the BDO World Championship. He became not only the second Scottish world champion after Jocky Wilson, but also the first left-handed player to win a BDO or PDC World Championship.

Yet Wallace's story is about much more than that of a surprise world champion. Behind his greatest success was a life that would completely unravel several years later. Personal problems, the loss of his children, an addiction to alcohol and multiple legal issues caused Wallace to withdraw almost completely from professional darts.

Les Wallace was born on February 22, 1962, in Forres, Scotland. He showed as early as 1993 that he possessed exceptional ability. During the Winmau World Masters, he reached the final, where he faced Steve Beaton. The Englishman was too strong, winning 3-1, but Wallace had firmly established his name. Five years later, he would finally win the World Masters, defeating Alan Warriner-Little in the final.

His first appearance at the BDO World Championship came in 1995. Wallace faced Raymond van Barneveld in the opening round, with the Dutchman eliminating him 3-2. A year later, the Scot went much further. He reached the semi-finals, where defending champion Richie Burnett ended his run.

Wallace therefore appeared to be gradually moving towards the absolute top. In 1997, everything came together. He began the 1997 World Championship as an unseeded player, but would ultimately turn the entire tournament on its head. In the first round, he defeated Bob Taylor. Then came another meeting with Van Barneveld, the man who had eliminated him two years earlier.

This time, Wallace came out on top. In a thrilling match, he defeated the Dutchman 3-2. Paul Williams and Mervyn King followed. King, who was one of the promising names in the BDO at the time, was beaten 5-3 in the semi-finals. That put Wallace into the World Championship final for the first time in his career.

His opponent was another surprise finalist: Welshman Marshall James. Before the tournament, virtually nobody had expected a final between these two unseeded players.

Wallace, however, showed that he had no intention of letting his dream slip away. He initially struggled to get going in the final. James won two of the opening three sets, but Wallace responded impressively and then won five sets in a row. James managed to take another set, but Wallace wrapped things up convincingly in the ninth set.

The Scot won the final 6-3 and lifted the trophy. In the deciding set, he produced finishes of 96, 137 and 130 in succession. It was a fitting way to bring the match to an end. Wallace also recorded an average of more than 30 points per three darts in each of his five matches.

It was a historic victory. Wallace became the second Scottish world champion after the legendary Jocky Wilson. He also made history as the first left-handed player to win the BDO or PDC World Championship.

His distinctive appearance completed the picture. Wallace was known not only for his performances, but also for the Scottish kilt he regularly wore on stage. It gave him a unique image at a time when darts was becoming increasingly popular.

Winning a world title is difficult. Defending it often proves even harder. Wallace experienced that immediately. At the 1998 World Championship, he was the eighth seed and therefore one of the players from whom much was expected. In the second round, he faced Steve Beaton, coincidentally the man he had lost to in the 1993 World Masters final.

Once again, Beaton came out on top. Wallace lost 3-2 and had to surrender his world title early. The tournament was ultimately won by Raymond van Barneveld, who claimed his first world title.

Wallace did manage to get his revenge later that year. He reached the World Masters final again, where he defeated Alan Warriner-Little 3-2. As a result, Wallace had both the World Championship and World Masters titles on his résumé within a relatively short period. He belonged to an exclusive group of players to have won both prestigious titles.

At the oche, Wallace was still a world-class player. Away from darts, however, his life was beginning to encounter more and more problems. In 1999, his personal life was hit by tragedy. Wallace and his partner Carol lost their premature twins, who lived for just four days. The devastating loss had enormous consequences for their relationship. Eventually, it broke down and Wallace began drinking increasingly heavily.

His professional darts career consequently faded further into the background. At the 1999 World Championship, Wallace again faced Raymond van Barneveld. The Scot came close to victory and even had darts for the match, but failed to take his opportunity. Van Barneveld won 3-2 once again.

In 2000, Wallace made his final appearance at the BDO World Championship. He lost 3-0 to Ritchie Davies in the first round. After that, he largely disappeared from the professional circuit.

Wallace also encountered several legal problems in the years that followed. In 1996, he was already convicted of drink-driving, driving without insurance and failing to stop. He was fined and banned from driving for 12 months.

In 2001, he received a much more serious conviction for dangerous driving. Wallace was sentenced to four months in prison and banned from driving for three years. In the same year, he also received a suspended prison sentence after failing to pay more than £778 in council tax.

The man who had earned £38,000 just a few years earlier by winning the World Championship now found himself in a completely different reality.

Yet Wallace never completely lost his love for darts. In 2004, he won the Hampshire Open. Even years later, he occasionally attempted to make a comeback.

In 2006, he appeared in front of a television audience again during a Legends match against Bobby George, held before the final of the World Darts Trophy. It was a notable moment for a player who had largely disappeared from the spotlight by then.

But the biggest surprise came in 2012. At the age of 49, Wallace appeared at PDC Q-School. Against all expectations, the former world champion managed to secure a PDC Tour Card. He finished 23rd on the Q-School Order of Merit, earning a two-year return to the professional circuit. It ultimately did not lead to a major comeback. After two years, Wallace lost his Tour Card again.

In 2022, Wallace made another appearance in the darts world, this time on the World Seniors Darts Tour. He lost 3-2 to John Walton at the World Seniors Championship. He also competed at the World Seniors Masters, where he even reached the quarter-finals before losing to Phil Taylor.

Les Wallace's story therefore remains one of the most poignant chapters in darts history. He had everything an athlete could dream of: a world title, a World Masters title, historic records and an iconic image. But immediately after his greatest triumph came a period in which his personal life completely fell apart.

That perhaps makes his 1997 World Championship victory even more remarkable. In an era featuring major names such as Richie Burnett, Steve Beaton and Raymond van Barneveld, an unseeded Scot battled his way through a formidable field. He defeated Van Barneveld, eliminated Mervyn King and left Marshall James in his wake in the final.