Alan James Glazier (21 January 1939 – 12 November 2020) was an English professional darts player. He used the nickname "The Ton Machine" and was noted for his all-black outfits.
| Alan Glazier | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Alan James Glazier |
| Nickname | "The Ton Machine" |
| Born | 21 January 1939 Hampton, London, England[1] |
| Died | 12 November 2020 (aged 81) |
| Home town | Hayes, Hillingdon, England |
| Darts information | |
| Playing darts since | 1961 |
| Darts | 21 Gram |
| Laterality | Left-handed |
| Walk-on music | "I Go Wild" by The Rolling Stones |
| Organisation (see split in darts) | |
| BDO | 1975–1989, 1994–1997 |
| WDF major events – best performances | |
| World Ch'ship | Semi Finals: 1986 |
| World Masters | Last 32: 1986, 1989 |
| Other tournament wins | |
| Tournament | Years |
| North American Open Swedish Open | 1977 1978 |
Career
editGlazier was one of the first darts players who turned professional in an attempt to make a full-time living from the game of darts as it grew in popularity during the 1970s. He was one of the players who appeared in the very first World Professional Darts Championship in 1978, losing to Alan Evans in the first round. In 1979, he reached the quarter-finals at the World Championship before being beaten by Tony Brown. Glazier then had a disappointing run as he went out in the first round of the World Championship in 1980, 1982 and 1983, and did not make it to the 1981 Championships.[citation needed]
His best run at the World Championships came in 1985, losing a quarter-final to Eric Bristow, and in 1986, when he reached the semi-finals for the only time, again falling to Bristow. Glazier's last appearance at the Lakeside Country Club was in 1987, when he lost in the first round to Richie Gardner.[citation needed]
Outside of the World Championship, Glazier managed to reach the final of the News of the World Darts Championship in 1979 and won the Swedish Open in 1978.[2][3]
Glazier appeared on the UK television show Bullseye 15 times as one of the professionals and he represented England 27 times between the years 1974–1988.[citation needed]
Glazier quit the BDO in 1997. He went on to sell and distribute his own darts of the same design as the ones he used as a professional. These were originally manufactured by Winmau Darts but more recently are made by McKicks Darts.[4]
Glazier died on 12 November 2020 at the age of 81 from post COVID-19 complications.[5][6]
World Championship results
editBDO
edit- 1978: 1st Round (lost to Alan Evans 4–6) (legs)
- 1979: Quarter Finals (lost to Tony Brown 2–3) (sets)
- 1980: 1st Round (lost to Tony Clark 0–2)
- 1982: 1st Round (lost to Bobby George 1–2)
- 1983: 1st Round (lost to Jerry Umberger 0–2)
- 1984: 2nd Round (lost to Jocky Wilson 0–4)
- 1985: Quarter Finals (lost to Eric Bristow 0–4)
- 1986: Semi Finals (lost to Eric Bristow 3–5)
- 1987: 1st Round (lost to Ritchie Gardner 0–3)
Career finals
editIndependent major finals: 1 (1 runner-up)
edit| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score[N 1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 1979 | News of the World Championship |  Bobby George
|
0–2 (l) |
- ^ (l) = score in legs, (s) = score in sets.
Performance timeline
edit| Tournament | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BDO World Championship | 1R | QF | 1R | DNQ | 1R | 1R | 2R | QF | SF | 1R | Did not participate | |||||||||
| Winmau World Masters | 2R | 2R | Did not participate | 3R | DNP | 3R | Did not participate | 1R | DNP | RR | ||||||||||
| British Professional | Not held | 2R | SF | 1R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | DNP | Not held | ||||||||||
| News of the World | ??? | F | ??? | Not held | DNP | |||||||||||||||
| Performance Table Legend | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DNP | Did not play at the event | DNQ | Did not qualify for the event | NYF | Not yet founded | #R | lost in the early rounds of the tournament (WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin) |
| QF | lost in the quarter-finals | SF | lost in the semi-finals | F | lost in the final | W | won the tournament |
References
edit- ^ Brown, Derek (1981). Guinness Book of Darts. London: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. ISBN 0-85112-229-9.
- ^ "News of the World 1979 - Wedstrijd uitslagen". mastercaller.nl. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- ^ "Sweden Open Men 1978 - Wedstrijd uitslagen". mastercaller.nl. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- ^ "Vergeten helden van de dartssport: Alan "Ton Machine Glazier"". dartfreakz. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- ^ Gill, Samuel (12 November 2020). "Former World Championship semi-finalist Alan Glazier passes away". DartsNews. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ "Update given on condition of Alan Glazier after being hospitalised with Coronavirus and Heart Attack". Dartsnews.com. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2023.