At ease. That’s how Richie Howson makes you feel. And then he inspires you.
On a grey Friday at Rush Green, he is thoughtful and reflective as he ponders his unlikely journey to the top of a sport he barely played until middle age. His life has been transformed from being a professional cabinet maker in Dagenham, throwing a few arrows in his spare evenings, to becoming the current world No3 on the World Seniors Darts Order of Merit.
In 2012, Howson persevered through the Professional Darts Corporation’s Q-School, a gruelling four-day test of talent and temperament to earn a coveted Tour Card. Just 40 players out of over 200 entrants went home with a prize, and Howson was one of the first to do so.
If ever there was a case of right player, but wrong time, it was surely personified in Howson’s time at the PDC, as he reached just one quarter-final in his first year, and failed to pass a round of 32 in his second. While Howson’s time on the PDC Pro Tour, by his own admittance, came ‘too early’ in his career, the 59-year-old feels the experience served him well, and that he is better placed now than he was upon his breakthrough in the sport.
In November 2021, having failed to regain his PDC Tour Card, Howson’s career was at a crossroads. Something needed to change for him.
There was one qualifying left for a spot in the inaugural staging of the World Seniors Darts Championship at the Circus Tavern. Feeling disillusioned, Howson refused his wife Lynn’s suggestion that he should make the almost 90-mile drive to Reading from his home in Rainham in a last bid to qualify.
He ended up winning after receiving his entry ticket as a birthday present. That was the moment that rekindled his flagging career, and the rest, as they say, is history.
In February 2023, he beat the legendary Phil Taylor on the way to the final of the World Seniors Darts Championship at the historic Circus Tavern in Purfleet – former home to the PDC World Darts Championship – but was defeated by Scotsman Robert Thornton.
He then reached the final of the World Seniors Masters, before Howson finally, delightfully, won the World Seniors' Champions of Champions in March 2024. Nearly a year on, fresh from his ‘Legends League’ win at the Modus Super Series, where he had a run of 14 successive wins and a career-best televised average of 115.62, he is targeting a maiden World Seniors Championship title…
Before returning to the Circus Tavern, the Romford-born darts star to look back on a career that has been littered with success and his support for his beloved Hammers…
Richie, where did it all begin for you as a darts player, then?
“I started playing darts very late in life. Most play when they're young and when they first go to the pub, but I didn't actually start playing darts until I was 42, so that's 17 years ago. I joined my local league, and in the first year of playing, I hit the most 180s in the year, and I'd been asked to play Super League (for Brentwood) and then got picked to represent my County (Essex) straight away.”
You earned a PDC Tour Card in 2012 and spent two years on the circuit. How do you reflect on your time there?
“I got my Tour Card the first time I tried on the first day. It's a brutal tour to be on, and if you aren’t on top of your game, you'll get beaten. I think I got my Tour Card far too early. I'd only been playing for about two or three years, and I didn't really understand what it was all about and probably didn't have the experience to handle it.”
So, how did you end up involved in the World Seniors Tour?
“I didn't fall out of love with darts, but I wasn't taking it seriously until the Seniors Tour came along, and that sort of ignited me again. My wife kept telling me I should have a go on the Seniors Tour. She bought my entry for my birthday for me, so she sort of forced me to go. I won the qualifier and got through to the Circus Tavern, and it has just spiralled from there.”
How important was the decision to join the World Seniors Tour, then?
“It was a massive decision, and to have done well so quickly has been amazing as it's really opened doors for me. It’s revived my darts career. I've been ranked World Number One, which is something you've always got to look back on!”
And, you won the World Seniors Champions of Champions last year, having lost your first three finals!
“There are no words to describe that feeling. When you've lost so many times in a final, you just think, ‘Are you ever going to win one?’ I was just relieved to cross that line, and I'm grateful as well because there are a lot of good players. I’ve been lucky to have a few chances, and I finally got it done.”
You enjoyed a brilliant start to the year, winning the ‘Legends League’ at the MODUS Super Series in January. How special was that week?
“It was another memorable week in my career. To play [1995 BDO World Champion and darts legend] Steve Beaton in the final and get one over him was great. It was special to hit a career-best televised average of 115.62 in front of everyone and to also win 14 games in a row. It was the perfect preparation for the Circus Tavern!”
The World Seniors Darts Championship is one of the most important tournaments in the darts calendar. How much are you looking forward to playing at the Circus Tavern, and what would it mean for you to win it?
“It would be the biggest thing that I've done [in my darts career]. I could die a happy man if I win that. I'm really looking forward to it. I feel like I'm playing as good, if not better than I've ever played now, so it's going to be good. I've got a massive chance. I've got a very tough quarter of my draw. I've got Steve Beaton in there, Simon Whitlock, Paul Hogan and Colin McGarry. It's going to be tough, but someone's got to do it. It’s a tournament that’s special to me as it’s literally a five-minute drive from my house, and I know I’m going to have the crowd on my side in any game. The atmosphere and support are things I'll never forget.”
Tell us about your West Ham allegiance, then?
“I've supported the Club all my life through thick and thin. I was born just off of Green Street and lived on Shaftesbury Road, which was a five-minute walk from the Boleyn Ground. My family supported West Ham, and I remember being out on the parade in 1975 when we beat Fulham in the FA Cup final. We’ve been blessed with so many good players, such as Sir Trevor Brooking, Billy Bonds and obviously Bobby Moore OBE as well.
“The recent UEFA [Europa] Conference League success was incredible, and it's probably one of the more memorable times in West Ham's history. I wear a Claret and Blue shirt when I play, so everyone knows I’m a Hammer, so hopefully I can lift another trophy for the Club at the Circus Tavern this month!”
