Wayne Mardle is one of the most colourful characters in world darts. With his trademark Hawaiian theme engrossing the crowd with its loud extravagant shirts and walk on music of smash hit American police show Hawaii Five-0.

Nevertheless, when the referee shouts game-on, Mardle is 100% focused on the job in hand and the showman side of the Romford thrower goes out the window and the professional Mardle steps up to the oche.

Hawaii 501, as Mardle is known in the darting fraternity, has always been the consummate professional since he first picked up his first bit of tungsten. Mardle said: “My Dad used to play and I used to go and watch. I was 11 years old and I fell in love with the sport.”

He added: “I started to play with the players in my Dad’s team and realised I was better than most of those that had been playing for 20 years.”

With a game that requires a surgical precision and a huge amount of bottle it wasn’t just the innateness of Mardle’s ability that has seen him make it to the top. “I do have a lot of natural talent but I have practiced nearly every day for the past 23 years. “As a teenager I would play about 5 hours a day,” said Mardle.

In 1986 at the tender age of 13 Mardle won his first competition in a darts pub called the
‘Double Top’ and received £30 for beating Tommy Wilson in the final.

Mardle gradually progressed through the ranks and represented Essex at county level but the eccentric southerner believes that he had the perfect development in the course of his career.

He said: “I have played at every level in darts. I think that helps. Small amounts of progression year on year is in my mind the best way to do things.”

Mardle, who still lives in Essex with his wife Donna, has had many fond memories of his 23 year affiliation with the sport but he looks on his call-up to the national team as his biggest achievement. “I have won over 20 ranked events worldwide but I still look on playing for England as one of my best moments in darts,” explained the 30 year-old.

Although those 20 ranking event victories have shown that he has the ability to defeat the elite of world darts there is one title that has eluded him. Mardle, currently the PDC world number 10, had his best chance of winning the world championship in January after beating 13-times world champion Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor in the quarter final. However, Mardle was unable to replicate his form he showed against Taylor and lost to 22 year-old qualifier Kirk Shepherd in the semi-final and it was another chance gone begging for Mardle.

It was a hurdle that Mardle has fallen at numerous times and he is desperate to go one further and battle it out in the final of the world championship.

He said: “The one thing I want to achieve in darts is to be world champion. 5 times semi-finalists is not good enough.”

His dedication for a sport he adores has not abated throughout his career and Mardle, who currently is playing in the Premier League of Darts, still practices daily. He explained: “A general days practice would consist of me doing doubles around the board 5 times then scoring for 30 minutes and I will repeat that 2 to 3 times.”

So, with his devotion for the game still palpably evident it is for the enigmatic entertainer to present a winning performance on the board as well as off it.

Article written by Steve Chambers April 2008