Reason why World Darts Championship silverware is named Sid Waddell trophy
Luke Littler and Gian van Veen clash in the PDC World Championship final at Alexandra Palace for the prestigious Sid Waddell Trophy, named after the darts legend
Luke Littler and Gian van Veen are set to go head-to-head in the PDC Darts World Championship final at London’s Alexandra Palace.
Both darts giants got through their semi-finals with contrasting levels of ease, Littler breezed past Ryan Searle 6-1 before Van Veen had to stamp out Anderson 6-4 later on Friday. The two have set the stage for an electrifying showdown on Saturday night.
The pair will vie for the esteemed Sid Waddell trophy, named in honour of the iconic commentator who was the voice of darts for nearly two decades.
Waddell’s first darts tournament was the 1994 World Matchplay at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens, where he became a fixture behind the microphone for the following 17 years. Tragically, he was diagnosed with bowel cancer in September 2011 but continued to provide commentary for some 2012 Premier League events.
Sadly, he passed away on 11 August 2012, his final commentary being the 2012 Premier League final between Phil Taylor and Simon Whitlock on 17 May.
In 2021, the PDC announced that they would rename the World Championship trophy in his memory, as a tribute to his significant contribution to the sport.
Speaking months before his death, Waddell told Sky Sports about his journey into darts and how he honed his craft in commentary. “I think I could go down as the man that saw the potential in darts, but it took me, because I’m a big head. You have to be a big head to play darts,” Waddell said in 2012.
“They let me have a go at darts commentating for the BBC, when the BBC executives were saying it would go on the television over their dead bodies and they could write what they knew about darts on a postcard.
“I sent to the head of sport: ‘If all he knows about darts he can write on the back of a postcard, it says more about him than it does about darts. I then got the job as commentator. There were rules.
“Never speak over the other bloke if you can. Never state the obvious. Make sure the viewer knows you’re talking to him, rather than the bloke next to you, and shut up when you can, but when you get the chance go nuts. I did alright with that.”
