In this edition of Back in the Day, we revisit the remarkable story of Phill Nixon, the English househusband who made his World Championship debut at age 50 and came within a whisker of winning the title. Born on March 13, 1956, in Durham, Nixon was a solid local league player for years, with his best early results being a quarter-final at the 2002 Winmau World Masters and a semi-final at the 2004 British Open. He qualified for the 2007 BDO World Championship through regional and national qualifiers, entering the tournament as a 150/1 outsider—joint lowest odds with Dutchman Albertino Essers.
Nixon, nicknamed 'Nixy' and 'The Ferryhill Flyer', immediately caused a major upset by defeating seventh seed Darryl Fitton 3–1 in the opening round, averaging 92.43—among the top 10 highest averages of the tournament. He then dispatched tenth seed Martin Atkins 4–1, edged past Scotland's Paul Hanvidge 5–4 in the quarter-finals, and beat Dutch surprise package Niels de Ruiter 6–4 in the semi-finals. This set up a final against top seed Martin Adams, with both men chasing their first world title.
The final began disastrously for Nixon, who failed to win any of the first six sets and trailed 6–0 at the break. However, Adams missed four match darts, and Nixon clawed back to 6–6 in front of a frenzied Lakeside crowd. In the deciding set, Adams proved too strong, but Nixon still earned £30,000 as runner-up. His comeback from 6–0 down to level at 6–6 had never been seen before in a World Championship final.
Nixon qualified for the Grand Slam of Darts in 2007 and 2008. In 2007, he lost 5–4 to James Wade and Pat Orreal, with his only win a 5–0 victory over De Ruiter. In 2008, he lost 5–0 to Phil Taylor and 5–1 to Vincent van der Voort, beating Andy Jenkins 5–3. He returned to the BDO World Championship in 2008, losing 3–0 to Martin Adams with a low average of 77.61. That proved his final World Championship appearance; his last notable result was a quarter-final at the 2012 Winmau World Masters.
In June 2013, Nixon was diagnosed with stomach, liver, and lung cancer, and passed away on August 9 that year at age 57. He left behind his wife Suzanne and eight children. Martin Adams paid tribute: 'I’d known him a lot of years... He was a great darts player, a great competitor and a very nice man with it.' The BDO noted Nixon played seven times for England in full internationals, winning five, and Bobby George said: 'So saddened to hear the news... A lovely fun guy who will never be forgotten.' Nixon's story remains an inspiration, proving that in darts, glory can be achieved later in life.
