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 (born 24 December 1959) is an English former professional darts player. He is most famous for winning the 1983 BDO World Darts Championship. This was a huge surprise in the darts world! He also won the Unipart British Professional Championship in 1987.

Keith was the first player who had to qualify for the tournament to ever win the World Darts Championship. He is also one of the youngest champions in the history of the sport. When he won, Deller used special 18-gram darts that had springs inside. These darts were later banned from tournaments but are now allowed again.

Darts Career Highlights

Becoming a World Champion

Keith Deller's victory in the 1983 BDO World Darts Championship was one of the biggest upsets ever. He played against Eric Bristow, who was a top player, and won by six sets to five.

Before the final, Keith had already beaten two other very strong players. He defeated 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 in history to beat the world's top three players in one World Championship! Newspapers even made headlines like "Killed Three" (an anagram of his name). For winning, Keith received £8,000.

One of the most memorable moments was how he won the final match. Keith needed to finish a score of 138. Eric Bristow, his opponent, had a score of 50 left. Bristow tried to leave himself an easier shot, but it gave Keith a chance. Keith 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

After becoming world champion, Keith's career didn't always stay at that top level. The next year, he lost in the first round when defending his title. He only won a few 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 dropped, and he didn't qualify for the World Championship between 1989 and 1993. Still, he achieved another amazing feat in 1985. In a match against John Lowe, he scored an average of 100.30 points per turn. This made him the first player ever to 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 appear on television more often.

He had some strong performances in the PDC. In 1998, he reached the semi-finals of both the PDC World Championship and the PDC World Matchplay. After 2005, Keith dropped out of the top 32 players in the PDC. This meant he had to try and qualify for major tournaments, which he didn't manage to do for a few years.

Amazing 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. He finished them in just 97 seconds!

On 13 October 1984, Keith was part of another historic moment, though it wasn't his record. John Lowe achieved the first-ever televised nine-dart finish against him. This happened in the quarter-finals of the MFI World Matchplay. A nine-dart finish is when a player completes a game of 501 points in the fewest possible darts, which is nine.

Later, on 7 August 2012, Keith set a new world record for the fastest 301 finish. He completed it in an incredible 25 seconds! He checked out 130 points by hitting the bullseye. This beat the previous record set by Dean Gould on the same day.

Working as a Spotter

For many years, Keith Deller has been part of the Sky Sports broadcasting team. He works as a "spotter" for the cameras during darts matches. His deep knowledge of the players and how they score helps the camera operators. He can tell them where the next dart is likely to be thrown, making the TV coverage better for viewers.

About Keith's Life

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

In 2024, Keith was given a special award called the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). He received this honor 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.