The local darts community has been saddened by the passing of John Denny last Tuesday, April 7, after a four-year battle with prostate cancer.

The 63-year-old was a well-known and popular figure on the darts scene, both locally and internationally. For many years he was the driving force behind the national darts body - Isle of Man Darts Organisation.

A resident of Castletown, John moved to the island in 1989 and worked as an architectural technician for Isle of Man Government up to 2012 before transferring into housing until his retirement in 2015.

A Manchester City fan and ardent supporter of his community, John served as a committee member of Castletown MFC and utilised his skills to assist in the planning of the stadium’s re-development.

His love of tungsten began early and he played for a league in the northwest of England from 1974 to 1989. John’s move to the island didn’t stop him playing and he signed on for the Southern Darts League, more latterly playing for the Union in Castletown until 2019 when health issues forced his retirement from the league.

With affable charm and talent for organisation, he became more involved in promoting local darts and accepted a position on the Southern Darts League committee in 1992.

Following his success running a darts tournament in 1997, he was asked to run the World Airline Darts Association’s (WADA) Millennium competition in Las Vegas.

Becoming a member of WADA, John trotted the globe with the Manx Airlines team to competitions in Thailand and Dublin.

A passionate man full of enthusiasm, John took an active role in organising leagues and competitions all over the island. His love of darts, friendly smile and good sense of humour aided him in managing the Isle of Man national teams as they represented the island at various major tournaments like the Winmau World Masters, World Championship Qualifiers, Celtic Cup, WDF World Cup and Europe Cup.

John was responsible for securing places in the World Youth Masters for talented locals and was always on hand to mentor and provide support for players young and old.

He watched proudly as his daughter, Sarah, topped the local leagues and national ranking tables, going on to represent the island at a multitude of events.

Despite battling illness, John remained passionate about the game, only stepping down as IoM Darts general secretary in March 2019.

Feeling driven to give something back, he organised an annual darts marathon across the island’s leagues to raise funds for Prostate Cancer UK.

Gaining support from well-known darts legend Martin ’Wolfie’ Adams, he also organised a charity exhibition at the Falcon’s Nest Hotel in Port Erin, featuring the three-time BDO World Champion.

These events raised almost £21,000 for Prostate Cancer UK, inspiring the full support of the leagues - north, south, east and west.

Over the years local and national team members have enjoyed laughter, success, tears and many adventures with John. Sharing in his love of darts, ale, jigsaws, cups of tea and occasional dancing, the darts fraternity has fond memories of him and an abiding appreciation for all the work he put into local darts.

A dedicated family man, John was an outstanding husband, father and grandfather, and contributed unselfishly to the local sports scene.

He leaves a gaping hole in the community, irreplaceable and unforgettable.

Nic Libreri