Andy Fordham is a name that is universally missed in the world of darts.
The 2004 BDO world champion sadly passed away in 2021 after a string of health problems, mostly related to his drinking. ‘The Viking’ often helped himself to what could be 24 bottles of lager and a flask of spirit before taking to the stage, citing that he never felt comfortable playing fully sober.
Weighing 26 stone, Fordham collapsed behind the stage at the 2007 BDO World Championships after complaining of chest pains – a result of his drinking that used to help him win.
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He said: “The first time I played at the Lakeside, I drank a shedload, and the worst thing was that I won, so you feel like it works. From then on, every time I played, I felt like I had to have a shedload. I’m not proud of it, but I was just good at drinking.”
Fordham did take to sobriety after the incident, but the damage to his body was too grave, and he was lost at the age of 59 to organ failure.
A plethora, or even the majority of the world's best players, used to drink before competing, and 1994 BDO world champion Dennis Preistley recently claimed they still do.
Which current darts player do you think likes a drink before a game? Let us know in the comments section below
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A lighter memory of Andy was his blood test tale, as he added: “Later that year, I came back from a trip feeling rough, and the doctor told me to have a blood test.
“A few days afterwards, my son hurt himself, so the missus took him to the doctor, and while she was there, the doctor said: ‘Can I have a quick word about Andy – why did he have a drink before his blood test?’
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“My blood test was on a Wednesday, and she told him I hadn’t touched alcohol since the previous Sunday. She reckons he literally threw the pencil out of his hand and said, ‘You must be f****** joking.'
"He told her: ‘If he had been pulled over in the car, he would have been nicked for drink-driving because of the alcohol still in his system – three days later'.”
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