Bruce Spendley has passed away at the age of 80. He was one of the longest serving referees in darts during his illustrious career.
He made his television debut in 1979 during the World Team Matchplay. Subsequently, Spendley was present at every BDO World Championship from 1980 to 1993. Together with colleagues Sid Dowson and Freddie Williams, he came up with the concept of calling a 180 score in a fun way. In addition, they introduced terms such as 'game on' and 'game, shot and the match'.
Spendley also refereed the first-ever televised PDC game. He witnessed nine TV nine-darters and waved goodbye after the 2013 World Darts Championship. Phil Taylor, who then claimed the world title, then dedicated the title to him. A day later, he was inducted into the PDC Hall of Fame.
BREAKING NEWS: We are saddened to hear that darts referee Bruce Spendley has sadly passed away! He first refereed in 1979 for the BDO until 1993 where he joined the PDC until his retirement in 2013! RIP Bruce and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends!
