John Lowe recorded the first televised nine-dart finish in 1984.
Lowe achieved the feat against fellow English player Keith Deller at the 1984 MFI World Matchplay in Slough. He completed the perfect leg with a double 18, winning a £102,000 prize supplied by the event’s sponsor.
A nine-dart finish is the shortest possible leg in a standard 501 game. Players must reduce 501 to zero using nine darts and finish on a double or the bullseye. Lowe’s televised achievement made the combination famous among a much wider audience.
The feat is often confused with other landmark nine-darters. Paul Lim threw the first nine-dart finish at the World Championship in 1990, while Lowe’s 1984 finish was the first shown on television in a major darts context.