The MFI World Matchplay championship was a major darts tournament organised by the British Darts Organisation.
The tournament only lasted for five years but is historic in darts as it featured the first ever televised nine-dart finish on 13 October 1984 when John Lowe won £102,000 for the perfect game of darts against Keith Deller. Lowe went on to win the title that year.
MFI World Matchplay finals The complete list of final results:
Year Champion Score Runner-up Prize money Sponsor Venue Total Champion Runner-up 1984 John Lowe 5–3 Cliff Lazarenko £36,000 £12,000 £5,000 MFI Fulcrum Centre, Slough 1985 Eric Bristow 5–4 Bob Anderson £41,000 £15,000 £6,000 1986 Mike Gregory 5–1 Jocky Wilson £41,000 £15,000 £6,000 Festival Hall, Basildon 1987 Bob Anderson 5–1 John Lowe £47,400 £18,000 £7,000 1988 Eric Bristow 5–1 Bob Sinnaeve £52,000 £21,000 £7,500
Finalists RankPlayerWonRunner-upFinals1 Eric Bristow202 2 Bob Anderson112 John Lowe1124 Mike Gregory101 5 Cliff Lazarenko011 Bob Sinnaeve011 Jocky Wilson011
Nine-dart finish John Lowe threw the first ever televised nine-dart finish on 13 October 1984 against Keith Deller. As well as for being the first, it stands out for the rarity of the final visit combination.
PlayerYear (+Round)MethodOpponentResultPrize John Lowe1984, Quarter-Final3 x T20; 3 x T20; T17, T18, D18 Keith Deller3–1£102,000
Media coverage The tournament was broadcast on ITV and originally came from The Fulcrum Centre, Slough, before moving to Festival Hall, Basildon. The tournament ceased after the 1988 tournament due to ITV announcing that they were pulling out of darts coverage altogether.
Sponsors Sponsor Years MFI 1984–88
See also MFI World Matchplay draws
References
External links Dartsdatabase: MFI World Matchplay Winners Mastercaller MFI World Matchplay