Darts Star Turned Down PDC Move Despite Barry Hearn And Phil Taylor Requests
A darts star rejected a request to switch from the BDO to the PDC despite receiving a phone call from Barry Hearn.
Hearn, now 77, formed Matchroom in 1982, with the management company initially focusing entirely on snooker.
Steve Davis was part of the Matchroom stable and won six World Championships during the 1980s.
Hearn expanded into other sports in the 1990s and 2000s, and acquired a majority stake in the PDC in 2001, through Matchroom, before becoming its chairman.
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His son Eddie replaced him in the role in 2021, and the pair have played crucial roles in overseeing the worldwide growth of darts over the years.
Hearn senior was heavily involved in negotiations to bring some of the BDO's top stars to the PDC, including four-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld.
Gary Anderson, Michael van Gerwen, Glen Durrant and Stephen Bunting are some of the others to have directly switched between the two organisations, with the BDO now known as the WDF after the company went into liquidation in 2020.
But Hearn's attempts to recruit players have not always been successful.
Darryl Fitton joined the BDO in 2000, and reached the semi-final of the World Championship on three separate occasions.
He won his first major tournament, the Zuiderduin Masters, in 2009, defeating Martin Adams in the final.
Fitton did participate in the 1997 PDC World Matchplay, which allowed BDO players to compete, and reached the quarter-final of the Grand Slam in 2008.
Now 63, 'The Dazzler' did make an attempt to join the PDC full-time in 2018, but failed to obtain a tour card through UK Q-School.
He now plays on the senior tour and at exhibition events.
In an interview with Online Darts in November, Fitton opened up on why he had never previously switched to the PDC - even after receiving a phone call from Hearn.
"I always said I had a chance to go to the PDC," he said.
"Barry Hearn had contacted one of our friends at the time, who was helping Phil Taylor, and he wanted us to go.
"One of our sponsors said, 'We've got unfinished business with the BDO'. So I decided to stay, which then was a mistake.
"But I've no regrets. I was at the BDO at the best times. My memories from the BDO have been fantastic. Maybe the memories from the PDC, if I went, wouldn't have been so good.
"It's no good crying over spilt milk. I made my choice, and I stand by it."
Fitton did not reveal when Hearn made the phone call, but Phil Taylor urged him and fellow BDO star Tony O'Shea to move to the PDC in 2013.
"Players can make themselves millionaires these days if they stick with the PDC," Taylor said (via Manchester Evening News).
"It isn't all about money though, and I believe Tony is a case in point. He seems to like it where he is. He's happy, he's content.
"I am a little bit more surprised at Darryl giving the PDC a try. He does seem a little more ambitious, and maybe a bit more enthusiastic about making a move.
"They've both been as good as they can be with the BDO, they should come over now and give it a go. I would definitely encourage them to switch.
"They're both very good players, and nice lads as well, but I don't think either of them have reached their potential yet. Especially in Darryl's case."
Topics: Darts, World Darts Championship
Ryan Smart