Oliver Albert Croft, was a darts administrator and the founder of the British Darts Organisation. He was one of the most influential protagonists in darts for almost four decades having set up and run the British Darts Organisation from its inception in 1973 until he was voted off the board in August 2011. Prior to the formation of the British Darts Organisation, the major organisation for county darts had been the National Darts Association of Great Britain which had been formed in London on 25 September 1954. Croft began playing darts himself in 1961 for the Harringay Arms in Crouch Hill and was soon playing seven nights per week.
Early life
Croft was born on 17 November 1929 to the North London tiler Oliver Croft and his wife May Gladys, who later died while giving birth to his younger brother. His father remarried and his son was rebellious towards his stepmother. She beat Croft and locked him in the home cupboard under the stairs in response. The children were subsequently evacuated when the Second World War broke out. After Croft did his national service as an electrician for the Royal Air Force, he established a kitchen tile company called Croft Brothers, which had two shops in Muswell Hill and Bushey Heath, Hertfordshire, and generated £2 million in income.
BDO formation
The British Darts Organisation was formed at its inaugural meeting at Croft's home in Creighton Avenue, Muswell Hill in North London on 7 January 1973. Twelve others attended that meeting including his wife Lorna, Sam Hawkins, Jim Sweeney and James Rogers. They agreed to start an inter-county league that autumn and instead of working within the NDA decided to go it alone. After the British Darts Organisation separated from the NDA in 1973, he said, "We have 61 counties, our links with television and the big sponsors. Our ultimate aim? I think it is a headquarters where we can hold big finals... But I can't see that in our lifetime." There are now 66 counties providing competitive darts for men, women and youth, backed up with internal county Super Leagues. Croft also affiliated the British Darts Organisation as a founder member of the World Darts Federation which set up the World Cup and Europe Cup.
With the creation of the Winmau World Masters in 1974 and World Professional Darts Championship in 1978, darts began to become increasingly popular, appearing on BBC television and ITV usually on their World of Sport show. But as the mid-to-late eighties approached and World of Sport was cancelled, the image of the game collapsed. Some top players became frustrated at lack of opportunities, and Croft would become a central character in a devastating split in the game.
Acrimonious split
The top players left the British Darts Organisation and formed the World Darts Council, but Croft and his organisation proceeded to ban the rebel players from playing County Darts. Croft is quoted as saying, "I don't owe any dart players a breath mint ". The acrimony ended up in court in an expensive proceeding that neither side could really afford - either financially or for the good of the game. The two sides eventually came to an agreement in 1997 with a Tomlin Order, but there is still division, rivalry and often animosity between the two organisations.
After the split
Croft asserted that his British Darts Organisation set-up is for the good of all players and not just a select few. The World Championship still continues, but many of the players that make their way through the county system have gone on to join the PDC as their tournaments offer higher prize money and more chance of making a full-time living from the game. Passionate debate often rages amongst darts fans as to the relative merits of the BDO and PDC, and Croft's role in the split in the game. He pioneered a system of county darts which still produces top players and in many respects built the game's foundation in the 1970s and 1980s. But criticism for the fact that there are now two Organisations and thus no unified World Championship is equally rife. Mike Watterson, the sports promoter who created the Embassy World Professional Championship, was one of Croft's biggest critics. He said in 2009 that he no longer watched the BDO World Championship on television, and strongly believed all of the best players now played in the PDC.
Voted off board
On 7 August 2011, Croft was voted off the BDO board at their AGM ending 38 years as the main figurehead of the Organisation. It also brought to an end his role as tournament director for the BDO as Wayne Williams succeeded him. Croft was the Chief Technical Advisor at the WDF. He died on 23 November 2019, at the age of 90.
