A FORMER Darlington darts champion who won titles all over the region has died, aged 77.

Tommy Welsh was a popular and well known figure on the local darts scene for a number of years.

He lived in Coronation Street, Darlington, from the age of two until his death from liver cancer at the end of last month.

It was in the family home where he first learned how to play his favourite sport.

His widow, Norma, 59, said: "In the early days there used to be a dart board in the house on the back door. It started off there and he played a lot of darts from 18 years old onwards."

Mr Welsh was an all-round sportsman. He played rugby for the Royal Artillery in Palestine, where he was stationed as a gun fitter just after the Second World War.

He played cricket for Bank Top Engineers, football for Darlington ATC, St Augustine's and Darlington Celtics, and golf for Darlington Golf Club.

But darts was his real love. He was CIU club champion and pairs champion, Durham county champion, Friends of the Hospital champion and Darlington pairs champion.

He also ran the News of the World darts competition in the region for 36 years and travelled to London for the finals every year.

In later years, he became a fives and threes champion, but Mrs Welsh said: "Everyone knew him for his darts and every time we went into a pub someone always used to talk to him about it."