I saw dark side of policing before becoming legendary darts referee – some of the things I saw will stay with me forever

FOR 28 YEARS, Russ Bray was known as ‘The Voice’ of darts, the man with the husky-throated ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY calls.

Whenever there were three successive Treble 20s, his signature growl – the result of chain-smoking since the age of 10 – would immediately fill the room and get sozzled fancy-dress punters on their feet.

Refereeing in darts is one of the most complex jobs in sport because officials are “literally adding, subtracting and multiplying” all in a split second and accompanied by a wall of noise.

But as the sport outgrew smoke-filled halls and pubs and audiences started to pack out Ally Pally and football stadiums, Bray became as famous as some of the players on stage.

The role has seen him call 180s on oches as far flung as Australia, Japan, Dubai, Bahrain, Las Vegas and even Mongolia.

Semi-retirement began in January when the microphone was hung up – his last game was the epic Luke Humphries v Luke Littler World final, which was watched by 4.8million people on Sky Sports.

In his excellent autobiography ‘All About Darts’ – which is out on Thursday – the “pretty ordinary bloke” from Essex reveals his plans to take tungsten throwing around the globe in his new capacity as a PDC ambassador.

Bray said: “I’ve been a lucky sod with the best seat in the house to watch darts grow from those humble beginnings to the global phenomenon it is now.

“And let me tell you, it’s been a wild journey. Where next for darts? I honestly think there are no limits.

“What about Africa? The PDC has had two or three tournaments in South Africa, which worked well and pulled great crowds. But Africa is a huge continent.

“I’m chatting to guys in Chile about trying to set up a tournament there. Argentina, Brazil. It’d be sensational to get things moving in South America.

“And, as far as I’m concerned, it’s a matter of not if, but when.

“Darts will reach all four corners of the world, eventually. And if I can help it along the way, so much the better!”

Bray, who grew up in South Ockendon, was an international high jumper until he snapped his coccyx while pole vaulting at Crystal Palace and was helped to hospital by Steve Ovett.

He first threw darts in 1975 and played to a decent standard, competing against “larger-than-life first generation of legends”.

These included drinking pal Eric Bristow (“a Jekyll and Hyde character”), John Lowe, Cliff Lazarenko and Jocky Wilson – the irate Scotsman was “seriously p***ed off” when he lost their first encounter.

Bray joined the Metropolitan Police after leaving school and as a traffic cop he worked during the Trooping the Colour at Horse Guards Parade, Miss World contests and was an outrider for the first London Marathon in 1981.

The other side of that job, however, left deep mental scars, seeing “awful stuff” like “mangled bodies and decapitated heads”.

He recalled: “When you’ve had to try mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on a kid who is already dead and is lying in the road as her mum screams and holds her hand, it stays with you.”

After leaving the force in 1989, Bray did security work, delivered parcels and was a driving instructor for BSM, though sitting alongside slow drivers “did my head in”.

At the weekends, he often “drove blushing brides to the church on time” and notable nuptials involved the likes of Kim Wilde, Alan Sugar’s daughter and some Premier League footballers.

Yet it was when he made the permanent move to the World Darts Council (WDC) – the body that became the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) – that his calling in life flourished in the summer of 1996.

This followed a bitter split from the British Darts Organisation (BDO) three years earlier when supremo Olly Croft famously told the high-profile deserters: “I don’t owe darts players a living. I don’t owe them a kidney stone!’

As Phil Taylor dominated the landscape – The Power “did for darts what Tiger Woods did for golf, invented new standards of untouchable brilliance” – Bray was often by his side calling out the winning checkouts.

Next month he will not be reffing at the Paddy Power World Darts Championship.

Instead, he can watch the sport on the TV and marvel at 17-year-old sensation Littler, who “people in remote Guatemalan villages have heard of”.

Bray said: “Luke has the attributes to become like Phil Taylor and dominate darts for the next 20 years.

“Will he want to? Only he can answer that. But even in the first few months of his career, the effect he’s had on the sport is unbelievable.

“In fact, here’s a thought. In the not-too-distant future, I can easily imagine a World Championship final between Luke Littler and Beau Greaves.

“And how good would that be? I might even come out of retirement to call that one…”

All About Darts: The Ultimate Guide to the World’s Greatest Sport by Russ Bray (£16.99) is out now