Gordon Allpress

Gordon Allpress (born 12 June 1949) is a retired New Zealand darts player who competed in the 1970s,1980s, and 1990's before retiring in 1992. He eventually made a short comeback in 2003.

Early life

Allpress played rugby and rugby league before he started playing darts in a Saturday league team for the Woolston Working Men's Club in 1970 at the age of 21. His Mother and Aunty played darts and they were who introduced him to the game. The very first season he played he never won a singles match and was ribbed much by his team mates. In those days you played a round robin of pairs and then one game of singles. In 1972 he watched the Australasian Darts Championships when they were held in Lower Hutt. That was an annual competition which no longer exists between the Australian states and New Zealand. He decided he wanted to be part of that and by 1973 he was in the New Zealand team.^[1]

Career

Allpress has won the New Zealand men's singles title 6 times (1978,1985,1986,1987,1992, 2003) and is the only player in history to win the New Zealand singles three years in a row.^[2] Allpress has also won the New Zealand Men's Open (1986), the New Zealand Men's Pairs twice with partner Barry Whittaker (1986, 1991), the New Zealand Mixed Pairs twice (1980,1987) and the New Zealand Husband and Wife (1973)^[3] He has won every NZ title at least once. He has also represented New Zealand in 4 World Cups and 4 Pacific Cup Tournaments, and he played in the first ever New Zealand Pacific Cup winning team to win the Pacific Cup in Hawaii in 1984. Allpress competed in the 1980 and 1981 Embassy BDO World Darts Championships but was defeated by Scotland's Jocky Wilson in 1980 and by the American darts player David Miller in the first round in 1981.^[4] Allpress was also a New Zealand Darts Council Director for 5 years.

Allpress has played in various parts of the World. Australia, England and Hawaii representing NZ. He played in the Embassy World Championships twice. He was part of a NZ team of himself, Robbie Furmage, Lillian Barnett and Janie Karena who were the first NZ team to win the Asia Pacific Cup. He played in World Cups in Copenhagen, Nelson and Brisbane. He has played in Pacific Cups in Melbourne and Auckland. Won a men's pairs in those competitions with Barry Whittaker and mixed pairs with Lottie Chalcraft. Domestically he has been involved in many Canterbury Region teams, South island teams and won many titles. So many he has probably forgotten many of them. One highlight for him was winning the NZ singles the year he retired in 1992 and then after being absent from darts for 11 years coming out of retirement and winning the NZ singles in 2003. Players that he respected were Murray Smith and Barry Whittaker. Internationally John Lowe and Eric Bristow both of whom he got to play and win legs against. Older Canterbury players who have known Allpress for a long time hugely admired him in that part of the darting world and has the greatest respect. He has been a mentor to many.^[5]

References

External links

• Gordon Allpress profile and stats on Darts Database