Dave Whitcombe and Lazarenko ending in a draw, Whitcombe slumped to fifth and failed to reach the semi final stage. Whitcombe failed to qualify for the 2010 Lakeside World Darts Championship and the 2009 Winmau World Masters. Dave Whitcombe Dave Whitcombe (born 27 June 1954 in Kent) is an English retired professional darts player who won several major tournaments and reached two World Championship Finals. He had a long professional career between 1980 and 1992. Whitcombe was twice a winner of the Winmau World Masters (1982 and 1985) and lost to Eric Bristow in the World Championship finals of 1984 and 1986.
News of the World Darts Championship of the World decided against running it again. The tournament remains discontinued. The tournament was arranged on a regional basis from 1927 until 1939. The National Championship began in 1947–48 winners and runners-up included: No player has ever won the national title three times, seven players managed two wins each. News of the World Darts Championship The News of the World Championship was one of the first major organised darts competitions, which began in 1927. It became England's first national darts competition from 1947 until its demise in 1990. There was also a brief revival of the event in 1996/97,