Recently I received a “Facebook Chat” message from David Tomlinson, well more of a picture than message but it brought back many, many fond memories as it was a copy of the programme for the Welsh Select v BDO Midland Counties played on Saturday 9th August 1980 at the Starlite Room, Baglan Moors, Port Talbot, West Glamorgan.
It brought back fond memories for me because I actually represented the BDO Midland Counties in that match, played and won 3-1 against Bill Styling. Although the Midland Counties stormed to a 4-0 lead the final score for the men’s game was 9-6 in favour of the Welsh Select but a 3-2 win for the Midland Counties ladies gave an overall slightly closer result of 11-9 to the Welsh Select.
I later discovered that the copies from the programme sent to me by David Tomlinson had actually been put on Facebook by Warwickshire County Darts Chairman Neil Pritchard who after seeing my article on Facebook about the programme contacted me and since has very kindly sent me the actual programme which is in perfect condition. A big “THANK YOU” to Neil for that and also to David for initially letting me know that it was on Facebook.
Not only did the programme remind me of that very day and the pride in playing and winning in the game but it also brought back another very warm-hearted memory as the very next day I participated in the prestigious Manns-Rothmans Warwickshire Open at the Locarno Ballroom, Birmingham which I very nearly didn’t turn up for.
After a long and tiring Saturday against the Welsh Select I woke up on the Sunday morning and said to my wife Sheila that I didn’t think I was going to go to the Warwickshire Open, her reply was I’ve done your breakfast, you’ve paid your entry fee to enter the knockout so you may as well go. Reluctantly I got up, got dressed, had my breakfast and set off to Birmingham for the open.
I began the competition by once again playing and beating one of the Welsh players from the previous day and then carried on winning and progressing towards the final. On the way to the final I went up to the then Warwickshire County Darts Organisation Chairman, the late Ken Glidle and asked if there was anything for hitting a maximum and Ken replied “Why I suppose you hit one” and I said no I’ve hit two, but on the day there was nothing for a maximum. Since then I’ve had Ken Hinde message me saying “I was there that day and it was the first time I had ever seen back to back maximums which were thrown by Alan Towe”
My winning run continued straight through to the final where I met the reigning champion Trevor Peachey. It was a fantastic final which I was more than proud to have won 2-0 against such a fantastic player Trevor Peachey who actually won the News of the World title in 1956..
After the event I went home, Sheila had got me something to eat and quite some time after eating my meal and having a drink she asked me how I had got on and I just pulled the £500 (which was a lot of money in the early eighties) winnings out of my pocket, threw it all over the floor and exclaimed “I won!!”.
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