Keith Deller facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Keith Deller MBE
Deller in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Keith Noel Deller
Nickname	"The Fella" "Milky Bar Kid" "The Delboy"
Born	(1959-12-24) 24 December 1959 (age 65) Ipswich, England
Home town	Icklingham, England
Darts information
Playing darts since	1972
Darts	23 Gram Loxley Keith Deller
Laterality	Right-handed
Walk-on music	"Things Can Only Get Better" by D Ream
Organisation (see split in darts)
BDO	1983–1993
PDC	1993–2007 (founding member)
BDO majors – best performances
World Ch'ship	Winner (1) 1983
World Masters	Runner-up: 1984
PDC premier events – best performances
World Ch'ship	Semi-final: 1998
World Matchplay	Semi-final: 1998
World Grand Prix	Quarter-final: 1999
UK Open	Last 32: 2006
Other tournament wins
Double Diamond Masters 1983 Unipart British Professional 1987 WDF World Cup – Team 1983 Nations Cup – Team 1984 PDC Eastbourne Open 2001 Eastbourne Pro 2001
Updated on 12 April 2019.

Keith Deller is a famous English former darts player. He was born on December 24, 1959. He is best known for winning the 1983 BDO World Darts Championship. This was a huge surprise because he was not expected to win.

Keith Deller was the first player who had to qualify for the tournament to ever win the World Darts Championship. He was also one of the youngest champions in the history of the sport. For his big win, Deller used special darts that had springs inside them. These darts were later not allowed in tournaments, but they are now legal again.

Keith Deller's Darts Career

Becoming a World Champion

Keith Deller's victory in the 1983 BDO World Darts Championship was one of the biggest upsets ever in darts. He beat Eric Bristow by six sets to five in the final. Before that, he had also defeated other top players. He beat John Lowe, who was ranked third in the world. Then, he beat the defending champion, Jocky Wilson, who was ranked second. This made him the only player to ever defeat the world's top three players in one World Championship! After his win, newspapers called him "Killed Three," which was a clever way to use the letters in his name. He won £8,000 for being the champion in 1983.

One of the most memorable moments was when Deller finished the game by hitting a score of 138. This is called a "checkout." Eric Bristow, his opponent, had a score of 50 left. Instead of trying for a difficult bullseye, Bristow aimed for a single 18 to leave himself with a double 16. Deller then hit a treble 20, a treble 18, and a double 12 to win the title! Even today, darts commentators often call 138 the "Deller checkout."

After the Big Win

Even though Keith Deller became a world champion, his career did not always stay at that high level. The next year, when he tried to defend his title, he lost in the first round. He only won three more matches in the BDO World Championship in the years that followed.

However, he did win the British Professional Championship in 1987. His world ranking slowly went down, and he did not qualify for the World Championship between 1989 and 1993. One of his impressive achievements after his world title was in 1985. In a match against John Lowe, he scored an average of 100.30 points per turn. This made him the first player to ever get a three-figure average in a BDO World Championship match.

Joining the PDC

In 1992, Keith Deller was one of the players who left the British Darts Organisation (BDO). They started a new group called the WDC, which is now known as the PDC. This move helped him get more chances to play on television.

He had some strong performances again, reaching the semi-finals of the 1998 PDC World Championship. He also made it to the semi-finals of the 1998 PDC World Matchplay. Around 2005, Deller's ranking in the PDC dropped out of the top 32. This meant he had to try to qualify for major tournaments, but he did not succeed for the World Championships in 2006, 2007, and 2008.

Keith Deller's Records

Keith Deller has set a few records in darts. He once held the Guinness World Record for the fastest three legs of 301 points, finishing in just 97 seconds.

On October 13, 1984, he was part of another historic moment, though it was not his record. John Lowe achieved the first-ever televised nine-dart finish against him. A nine-dart finish is when a player completes a game of 501 points in the fewest possible darts, which is nine. Deller was also the first player to get a match average of 100 points in a BDO World Championship match.

On August 7, 2012, Deller set a new world record for the fastest 301 checkout. He finished the game in just 25 seconds by hitting a 130 checkout on the bullseye. This beat the previous record of 33 seconds set by Dean Gould on the same day.

Working as a Spotter

For many years, Keith Deller has worked with the Sky Sports broadcasting team. He works as a "spotter" for the cameras. His deep knowledge of the players and how they score helps the camera operators know where the next dart will be thrown. This makes watching darts on TV much better for fans!

Personal Life

Keith Deller supports his local football team, Ipswich Town. He lives with his wife, Kim, and they have two children.

In the 2024 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This honor was given to him because he has raised a lot of money for different charities. He has raised over £500,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support, which helps people with cancer.

World Championship Performances

BDO World Championship Results

• 1983: Winner (beat Eric Bristow 6–5)
• 1984: First round (lost to Nicky Virachkul 1–2)
• 1985: Quarter-final (lost to John Lowe 2–4)
• 1986: Second round (lost to Alan Glazier 1–3)
• 1987: First round (lost to Brian Cairns 0–3)
• 1988: First round (lost to John Lowe 1–3)

PDC World Championship Results

• 1994: Group Stage (lost to Steve Brown 1–3 and Kevin Spiolek 1–3)
• 1995: Group Stage (lost to Larry Butler 2–3 and Kevin Spiolek 1–3)
• 1996: Quarter-finals (lost to Phil Taylor 0–4)
• 1997: Quarter-finals (lost to Phil Taylor 1–5)
• 1998: Semi-finals (lost to Dennis Priestley 1–5 and lost the third place match to Rod Harrington 1–4)
• 1999: First round (lost to Bob Anderson 2–3)
• 2000: Second round (lost to John Lowe 1–3)
• 2001: Quarter-finals (lost to Phil Taylor 0–4)
• 2002: First round (lost to Rod Harrington 3–4)
• 2003: Second round (lost to Richie Burnett 3–4)
• 2004: Third round (lost to Peter Manley 2–4)
• 2005: Second round (lost to Wayne Jones 1–3)

WSDT World Championship Results

• 2022: Second round (lost to Larry Butler 2–3)
• 2023: Second round (lost to Neil Duff 0–3)
• 2024: First round (lost to Richie Burnett 1–3)