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In this series, we regularly take a trip back in the day with a particular darts player. Today, we turn our attention to Rod Harrington. The Englishman was one of the most recognisable players from the early years of modern professional darts.
He combined class on stage with a distinctive appearance and became a player who enjoyed considerable success in both the BDO and, later, the PDC. Known by his nickname, ‘The Prince of Style’, Harrington would typically arrive at the oche smartly dressed, often wearing a suit and waistcoat, while also holding his own against the biggest names of his generation.
Rod Harrington was born in Boreham on 30 December 1957 and began his career at a time when professional darts was still entirely dominated by the BDO. The major split between the BDO and the organisation that would later become the PDC had yet to take place, meaning Harrington achieved his first successes within the BDO structure.
In the early 1990s, the Englishman emerged as one of the leading players on the international circuit. He collected several Open titles, demonstrating that he was among the very best not only on the biggest stages but also at regular tournaments.
Rod Harrington on stage.
Harrington won the Belgian Open in 1991 and 1992 and also claimed the Denmark Open title twice. In addition, he won the French Open in 1991 and 1993 and the Swedish Open in 1991. That year, in particular, established his reputation as a player to be reckoned with.
The absolute highlight came at the 1991 Winmau World Masters. Harrington faced Phil Taylor in the final. The young Taylor already had a world title to his name, but he was still a long way from becoming the untouchable champion he would later prove to be. Harrington managed to defeat Taylor and claim one of the most prestigious titles on the BDO circuit.
The victory was particularly significant because Taylor would go on to lose very few major finals throughout his subsequent career. Harrington therefore beat him at a time when ‘The Power’ was already among the world's elite, but was still at the beginning of his historic journey.
A year later, Harrington made his debut at the BDO World Championship. He did not have to wait long to produce an impressive performance, reaching the quarter-finals before eventually being eliminated by Mike Gregory.
Gregory would later reach the World Championship final, meaning Harrington lost in 1992 to a player who would ultimately come within one step of winning the world title.
Expectations were even higher for Harrington a year later. He was the fourth seed at the 1993 BDO World Championship and was considered one of the leading contenders. However, the tournament ended in disappointment as he lost 3–2 to Wayne Weening in the first round.
It would prove to be one of his final appearances at a BDO World Championship. Before long, the world of darts would undergo a dramatic transformation.
In the early 1990s, a power struggle within the world of darts continued to intensify. A large number of leading players broke away from the BDO and joined the World Darts Council, the organisation that would later become known as the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Harrington made the switch as well.
The split triggered years of conflict within the sport and changed darts forever. From 1994 onwards, the new organisation staged its own World Championship, and Harrington competed in each of its first ten editions.
He made an immediate impression at the inaugural PDC World Championship, reaching the quarter-finals. However, his real breakthrough came a year later.
At the 1995 PDC World Championship, Harrington emerged as one of the tournament's leading figures. The Englishman reached the final, where he once again came up against his old rival Phil Taylor.
The match represented more than just a battle for the world title. A few years earlier, Harrington had beaten Taylor in the World Masters final. Now, however, Taylor was on the verge of a period in which he would dominate the world of darts for years to come. Harrington could not match him in the final, with Taylor winning 6–2 to claim his third world title.
Despite the defeat, reaching the final was a major confirmation of Harrington's standing in the sport. He had adapted quickly to the new PDC environment and was among the first generation of players to make a successful transition to the new organisation.
His World Championship performances remained impressive in the years that followed. Harrington reached the quarter-finals again in 1997, before making the semi-finals for the second time a year later, where he once more faced Taylor. Taylor would go on to win that championship as well.
In 2001, Harrington reached the last four of the World Championship for the third time in his career. On this occasion, his opponent was John Part. Harrington lost to the Canadian, who would subsequently reach the final. Remarkably, the World Championship was never the tournament in which Harrington celebrated his greatest PDC triumphs. That distinction belonged to the World Matchplay.
In 1998, Harrington enjoyed one of the finest years of his career. At the World Matchplay in Blackpool, he became the player who managed to break Phil Taylor's dominance at the prestigious tournament.
He faced Ronnie Baxter in the final. Harrington came out on top and was crowned champion. The final is particularly remembered for a spectacular 125 checkout from Harrington, which he completed via treble 15, double 20 and double 20. It was a finish that perfectly reflected the Englishman's character: stylish, daring and technically accomplished.
The victory earned him his first World Matchplay title, but Harrington was not finished. A year later, he returned to Blackpool to defend his crown. This time, he faced Peter Manley in the final. While many players struggle to win a major tournament for a second consecutive year, Harrington managed to maintain his level and defeated Manley to become World Matchplay champion for the second year running.
In doing so, Harrington made history. For a long time, he and Phil Taylor were the only players to successfully defend a PDC major title. Raymond van Barneveld finally ended that run in 2007 by winning the UK Open for a second consecutive time.
The two Matchplay titles represented the sporting pinnacle of Harrington's PDC career. They also firmly cemented his reputation as one of the finest players of his generation.
Harrington demonstrated during the same period that he belonged among the elite on other major stages, too. At the inaugural World Grand Prix in 1998, he reached the final.
Waiting for him once again was Phil Taylor. Just as in the 1995 World Championship final, Taylor came out on top. Harrington had to settle for the runner-up position, but reaching the final of the first-ever World Grand Prix once again underlined how important he was to the PDC during that era.
Harrington also made his mark at the World Pairs Championship. Partnering Richie Burnett, he reached the final in 1997. There, they were beaten by the Dutch pairing of Raymond van Barneveld and Roland Scholten.
Harrington was therefore among the players who helped shape a period in which the international darts scene increasingly developed into the sport we recognise today.
However, Harrington's career also had a difficult side. During the first half of 2001, he underwent no fewer than three knee operations. These physical problems had a significant impact on his performances. After spending years among the world's elite, his level began to decline following the surgeries.
His problems came at an unfortunate time. Harrington had still managed to reach the World Championship semi-finals in 2001, but a clear downturn followed. He started the 2002 World Championship as the third seed, yet by the following year he had fallen outside the world's top 16.
His decline had begun. At the 2003 World Championship, Harrington lost to Alan Warriner-Little in the first round. It would ultimately prove to be his final appearance at the tournament.
Nevertheless, Harrington did not immediately bring the curtain down on his career. He continued trying to qualify for major British tournaments for several more years. His final attempt to reach the World Championship came ahead of the 2007 event, when he lost in the first qualifying round. He subsequently decided to bring his professional playing career to a definitive end.
| Year | Organisation | Result | Opponent | Score |
| 1992 | BDO | Quarter-final | Mike Gregory | 3–4 |
| 1993 | BDO | First round | Wayne Weening | 2–3 |
| 1994 | PDC | Quarter-final | Peter Evison | 1–4 |
| 1995 | PDC | Final | Phil Taylor | 2–6 |
| 1996 | PDC | Group stage | Nigel Justice / Larry Butler | 3–0 / 2–3 |
| 1997 | PDC | Quarter-final | Dennis Priestley | 2–5 |
| 1998 | PDC | Semi-final | Phil Taylor | 2–5 |
| 1999 | PDC | Second round | Shayne Burgess | 1–3 |
| 2000 | PDC | First round | John Lowe | 2–3 |
| 2001 | PDC | Semi-final | John Part | 5–6 |
| 2002 | PDC | Second round | Dennis Priestley | 3–6 |
| 2003 | PDC | Second round | Alan Warriner-Little | 2–4 |
The end of his playing career did not mean the end of Harrington's involvement in darts. He became a director within the PDC, remaining closely connected to the organisation he had helped build during his playing days. He also became a well-known analyst and commentator for Sky Sports.
His experience as a player from the first generation of the PDC made him particularly well suited to the role. Harrington had experienced first-hand how professional darts evolved from a sport dominated by the BDO into a global professional game with the PDC as its leading organisation.
His distinctive style remained evident in his commentary work, too. The man who had been known as ‘The Prince of Style’ as a player had taken on a new role, sharing his knowledge and experience with a new generation of darts players.
At one stage, Harrington also managed Colin Lloyd, who went on to become world number one. This allowed him to remain involved in the development of elite players behind the scenes.
In 2022, his time with Sky Sports and the PDC eventually came to an end. It marked the closing of a chapter that had begun more than three decades earlier.
In 2015, the Harrington name reappeared in professional darts. This time, it was not father Rod picking up the darts, but his son Ryan. The younger Harrington made an immediate impression at the UK Open, reaching the last 64 in both 2015 and 2016.
His development received a significant boost in early 2018. In January of that year, Ryan Harrington secured a PDC Tour Card at Q-School, earning himself a place on the PDC Pro Tour for the following two seasons.
Ryan Harrington in action.
A few months later, he returned to the UK Open for his third appearance at the tournament. As with his two previous outings, Harrington's run ended in the last 64.
However, his time on the PDC Pro Tour proved relatively short-lived. At the end of 2019, Ryan Harrington lost his Tour Card, bringing his spell as a PDC professional to an end, at least for the time being. His career ultimately remained in the shadow of his father's achievements.
Rod Harrington might not be the first name mentioned when discussing the greatest players of all time. Nevertheless, his influence on professional darts should not be underestimated.
He belonged to the generation that made the transition from the BDO to the new PDC and subsequently managed to establish himself among the very best in the new environment. His victory over Phil Taylor in the 1991 World Masters final remains one of the most memorable chapters of his career.
His two consecutive World Matchplay titles, however, arguably represent his greatest legacy as a player. Harrington won the prestigious tournament in 1998 and 1999 and remained, for many years, the only player alongside Taylor to successfully defend a PDC major title.
His three World Championship semi-final appearances and one final also demonstrate just how consistently he performed during his best years. Ultimately, the one achievement missing from his trophy cabinet was a world title.
His career also illustrates just how unforgiving professional darts can be. After years at the top, serious knee problems set him back, and his ranking and performances quickly deteriorated. Nevertheless, he continued trying to qualify for the biggest tournaments until 2007.
That determination was consistent with the image Harrington projected throughout his career. He was a player with style, but also one who competed at the highest level for many years.
His nickname, ‘The Prince of Style’, was therefore about more than his distinctive clothing. Harrington had a personality and presence of his own and was one of the players who helped shape the professional image of the PDC during the 1990s.
His induction into the PDC Hall of Fame in 2019 ultimately provided official recognition of his importance to the sport. Harrington was among the players who experienced the transition from traditional darts to the modern professional era first-hand and played a significant role in that transformation.
From his BDO tournament victories in Belgium, Denmark, France and Sweden to the World Masters, from the 1995 World Championship final to his two World Matchplay titles, Rod Harrington built a career that may not always receive the same attention as those of Phil Taylor, Raymond van Barneveld and other icons, but which undoubtedly occupies an important place in darts history.
Perhaps that is the best way to look back on the career of ‘The Prince of Style’: as a player who stood at the top of the sport in two different eras, defeated great champions, competed in major finals and ultimately left his mark on professional darts away from the oche as well.
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