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Paul Lim
Paul Lim's a remarkable story. A former Military Policeman,
quality chef and professional darts player, he is the only
man to have represented three countries on the oche. He is
also only one of three men (all Unicorn players) to have achieved
the magical nine-dart finish on UK Television and only one
of four in the world.
Paul was born in Singapore in 1954. Throughout his early
life, at school and in the army, darts would have been the
last thing on his mind. It was only when he came to Britain
to continue his pursuit of full qualification as a chef that
he was introduced to the game that he has given much to and
which, he admits, has given him a life that he, as a youngster,
could only have dreamed of.
He served his National Service in the Singapore army between
the ages of 18 to 21, a period of his life he looks back on
very fondly.
"Being in the Military Police gave me added confidence.
I was a very different person at the end of my three years
in the army.
"Yes, being in the army, for me, was fun!" Paul
admits.
Following the completion of his national duty, he came to
Britain to pursue a demanding City and Guilds qualification
course in cookery, studying at Battersea and Westminster Colleges
in London and undertaking his first role as a chef at the
Chelsea Hotel in Knightsbridge.
Based at the time in west London, his local pub, the Robin
Hood near Gunnersbury Station, rather appropriately became
the place where he discovered the game of darts.
Nothing too serious at first, he joined in the nightly challenges
on the oche and even won the odd knockout the pub would run.
There was really nothing at this stage to suggest that the
game would take Paul around the world many times.
He worked in a number of places around Britain, notably in
Cardiff, and discovered that he was rather good at the game.
On his return to Singapore, he entered competitions with no
mean amount of success.
Indeed, he won the Singapore Open, followed it up with success
in the prestigious Malaysian Open and, having settled after
a while in Papua New Guinea as head chef of the Travel Lodge
in Port Moresby, he became a Papuan international darts player.
"Singapore was not affiliated at that time to the World
Darts Federation, so it was no problem for me to play for
my newly adopted home."
Perhaps the tournament win which most changed Paul's life
was that at Newcastle, New South Wales, when he won the Pacific
Masters. There he met his good friend Jerry Umberger, who
suggested that Paul might like to try playing the American
circuit.
"I did and I eventually moved out to the USA. It was
in 1986 that I finally settled in California after taking
the decision to become a full-time professional darts player."
He had returned prior to that to Singapore where he ran a
darts pub and played for the country of his birth, by now
a fully affiliated nation.
He made regular trips to Europe, especially to the UK, to
play tournament darts. It was on one of them, to Torremolinos
for the Mediterranean Open, that he met his wife, Janet. They
are happily married in San Bernardino, California, with two
sons, Christopher and Michael.
His move to the United States precipitated his selection
to a third international side, the USA, and he is particularly
proud of his World Cup Singles Bronze medal.
Undoubtedly, though, the highlight of his glittering career
came in January 1990 when, playing Irishman Jack McKenna in
the second round of the Embassy World Championships in Frimley
Green, Paul struck consecutive 180s, followed by treble 20,
treble 19 and double 12 for the magical nine dart perfect
game. It was only the second time it had been seen on television
and it earned Paul a cool £52,000.
"It was also a great way to repay my sponsors, Unicorn
Darts, who have always shown great faith in me."
If Paul's biggest decision was to give up his life as a chef
and take up darts as a full-time occupation, it certainly
paid off on that memorable night!
His other major decision was to go with the PDC and its pursuit
of more opportunities for professional darts players following
the acrimonious split from the British Darts Organisation
and, accordingly, the WDF.
"I have no regrets about that or anything else. I am
seen by some as a traitor or turncoat but, really, it isn't
like that. There are times when you have to make a decision
for yourself and I did."
Although Paul has set himself up in business again, making
use of that which he saved from his earnings and winnings
as a full-time professional, he still intends to carry on
playing darts. He is in the vending machine industry, supplying
machines such as electronic darts, so the time he can dedicate
to practice and long-distance travel is limited.
He takes heart from the example of fellow Unicorn star John
Lowe, who Paul reckons is playing as well as ever.
"He has proved that good quality darts is not just the
preserve of the young and, even though I am now 48, I think
I can still produce performances to match those of my own
younger days!"
Read Paul's Lifelines
and Achievements Here
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