Pharmacist got shock PDC World Championship call-up amid match-fixing scandal

Sifting through countless work emails is part of the everyday grind for so many of us.

However, none of us can boast about being asked over email to play darts at Alexandra Palace while sipping our morning cuppa.

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None of us apart from Bhav Patel, a west London pharmacist who as he modestly said on Sky’s Game of Throws documentary about the 2024 PDC World Championship, ‘sometimes plays darts’.

Patel dreamed of playing at the PDC World Championship as a child but only seriously picked up the darts as a grown up, joining local leagues having discovered during lockdown he had a penchant for throwing the arrows at the board.

What started as a simple release from the stresses of the 9-5 (or in Patel’s case 9-6pm, and also working Saturdays), fused into a sudden appearance at Ally Pally, competing alongside the likes of Luke Littler and Luke Humphries.

Having Indian heritage meant Patel was able to go for qualifying to represent India at the tournament.

But in October 2023 he was beaten at the final hurdle by Prakash Jiwa, and with that Patel’s darts dream was put on hold.

The dreams were only on hold for a matter of weeks as Jiwa was suspended in November 2023 pending an investigation into suspicious betting patterns.

And just two days before the draw for the final tournament, Patel received the email saying he would replace Jiwa in the main draw.

“Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be on this stage,” a spellbound Patel said as he took in the empty stage on matchday at Ally Pally.

Awaiting Patel in the first round was the experienced Willie O’Connor, who at the time was competing in his seventh worlds.

Patel had support in tow in wife Caz and young son Kian, while friends at the Swanley Darts Club came down to cheer him on.

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He began confidently with a solid 100, and internally thought, ‘this might go alright’ from his opening three darts.

Ultimately, that was where the fairy tale ended for Patel as he was swept aside 3-0 by his Irish opponent, having failed to win a leg.

Nevertheless, Patel looks back very fondly on his fleeting appearance at the World Championship.

Patel’s Alexandra Palace fairy tale memories

“It was a bit surreal. I found out two days before the draw was announced that I was playing so it was a whirlwind month,” Patel later told Sky.

“It’s taken a long time to fully appreciate what I accomplished. In terms of a specific memory though, it was being announced on stage by John McDonald. I’ve grown up watching PDC darts and heard John announce great player after great player, and never in my wildest dreams did I ever think it would happen to me.

“In the Players’ Lounge, there’s a board that lists every single person that’s ever played at a PDC World Championship and to know that my name is going to be on that, and no one can ever take that away from me, is amazing.”

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Patel also admitted that competing on the stage so many darts legends have played on before him also gave him a new-found respect for the big hitters of the game.

“In the documentary, Michael Van Gerwen mentions missing kid’s birthdays and family events to be the best – what sacrifices have you had to make to get where you are?” Patel added.

“What people don’t see is the huge amount of practice that goes on in working men’s clubs and pubs two or three nights a week and almost every weekend.

“I get home from work around 6:30pm, I have maybe half an hour with my wife and baby before I have to be out the door. You could be playing all over the country, which means getting back home stupidly late at night too. So, you do miss a lot of family time – especially if you aren’t at the top and have to juggle a job and the game.

“It’s difficult, and to be honest, if you want to play darts successfully you won’t have a work-life balance, you have to put everything into it. It’s all or nothing.”

Patel didn’t compete at last year’s tournament and it’s unlikely we’ll see him at the upcoming finals with Nitin Kumar India’s representative this time around.

What happened to Jiwa

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We certainly won’t be seeing Jiwa at Ally Pally with the 55-year-old currently serving an eight-year ban from the game.

Jiwa was handed the mammoth ban in February having been found guilty of fixing four matches and betting on darts.

He’s not allowed to play until November 6, 2031 and was also forced to pay fees of £17,741.46 in full to cover his offences.

No other player was guilty of the same offences in the matches that were subject to enquiry.

John Pierce, Commission Director of Enforcement, said: “All betting customers in Britain should have confidence that bets placed with licensed gambling businesses are on markets that are fair and free from betting-related corruption.

“Our Sports Betting Intelligence Unit works closely with partners such as the Darts Regulation Authority to support sporting integrity investigations and combat match-fixing.

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“This decision sends a clear message that betting-related corruption in sport will not be tolerated.”

Jiwa is not the first player to have received a ban in recent times.

Former BDO youth champion Leighton Bennett was found guilty of ten breaches of match fixing across four matches.

The 19-year-old was subsequently handed an eight-year ban by the DRA and also forced to pay out a fine of £8,100.

Meanwhile, Billy Warriner was also found guilty of providing information on the same matches, as well as two counts of acting as an unregistered betting agent.

He also was charged in an unrelated spat with an official whom he threatened and abused as determined by an investigation.

Warriner was handed a huge ten-year ban from DRA events and his own fine of £8.1k.