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Olly Varney at his Bicester home with some of his hundreds of trophies

Despite being at the top of his sport for nearly 50 years, Oxfordshire darts legend Olly Varney still has one ambition left.

The 68-year-old from Bicester - an almost permanent member of the county team since his debut in 1975 - has never played in the Premier Division of the County Championship.

Now after three successive promotions, Oxon are within touching distance of the top flight for the first time, with just two matches to play this season.

The first of these comes next weekend when they entertain Dorset at the Lord Nuffield Centre (formerly Morris Motors SC) in Crescent Road, Oxford.

"I've never played in the Premier and would love to do so, before I get dropped from the side," said Varney, whose distinguished career includes tournament victories over world champions Keith Deller and Eric Bristow.

In fact, Varney has never been axed from the county side since he played in Oxfordshire's first ever Championship contest against Hampshire in 1975.

"I remember playing in the last match and everything depended on my result. I managed to win and we drew the match," he recalls.

Since then, Varney has competed in 230 of the 286 matches that Oxon have played in the Championship, collecting 41 man-of-the-match awards.

"In the late 70s, I missed a number of away matches, because of my interest in pigeon racing."

Varney had a loft of up to 100 birds, but that had to be knocked down due to a housing development on the land.

It all began for Varney at the Sun Hotel in his home village of Brill, on the Oxfordshire/ Buckinghamshire border, in 1959.

"I was 19, it was the first time I'd been into a pub, as I was more interested in football at the time."

A speedy winger, he was a member of the successful Brill Minors team, who won a host of trophies.

But darts soon became his No 1 sport.

"I remember winning 27 of my first 28 matches," he said. "We just played for half-a-pint of beer in those days."

Since then, it's been a tale of success. In Oxfordshire competitions alone, he won two Gold Cup singles, six Gold Cup pairs (with Wilf Hearn) and six World Masters qualifiers.

Varney can boast a record eight singles titles - five summer and three winter - in the Oxford & District Darts Association (ODDA), where he now throws for the Railway Club, Botley.

In his first concession to his age, he is taking a break from the current ODDA Winter League.

However, he is still competing successfully for the White Lion, Fewcott in the Oxfordshire Super League, having won 20 of his 21 matches.

Varney never quite made the top grade. "At my best in the mid-1970s, I was averaging 26.50, compared with the top players' 27.

"But it never bothered me much, as I only play for fun."

However, he did have his moments.

The first came in 1983, when he defeated Deller in a qualifier for the Dry Blackthorn Masters, to earn a first-round televised contest against Bristow, the reigning world champion.

The Oxfordshire man took the Crafty Cockney all the way, before going down three sets to one.

However, Varney gained his revenge two years later in the British Professional Championship at Redcar, again in front of the TV cameras.

Varney caused national headlines when beating Bristow 3-1.

"I remember being interviewed by Tony Green afterwards, and all he could talk about was Bristow suffering from 'dartitis' (a condition similar to the yips in putting)," he said.

"All I know is that Eric had two 180s in one leg, while I had an overall average of 29.57. I played better than I thought I could ever play."

In the next round, he went out to little-known West Midlands player Wayne Jones.

The Bristow win was the highlight of a distinguished career, which has seen him at the top for, arguably, longer than any other Oxfordshire sportsman.

Varney, who shares his home with long-time partner Helga Phillips and hundreds of trophies, is a plasterer by trade ands till works when the weather is fine.

He also spends much time fishing on "Old Father Thames".

But it as a darts player that he will always be remembered.

So all eyes will be on how Oxfordshire fare next weekend.

Olly Varney deserves to finish at the top - double top!

5:13pm Friday 21st March 2008

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