Russ Bray: Darts referee on his career, NZ Darts Masters, Luke Littler

The New Zealand Darts Masters is underway, defending champion Luke Humphries beginning his title defence.  

One of darts’ icons, Russ Bray is on our shores for the competition.  

He joined Piney to discuss his legendary career as a darts referee and the rise of Luke Littler through the ranks. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from News Talks ed b.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Kiwis meantime on night one at the New Zealand Darts Masters,
all of them exiting in the opening round at Spark Arena.
The heavyweights are all through, Luke Littler, Gerwin Price, Stephen
Bunting and Luke Humphreys all through to the quarterfinals. The
voice of darts and one of the most recognizable figures
in the sport is leading referee Russ Bray, and Russ

(00:40):
Bray is here in New Zealand for the New Zealand
Darts Masters and joins us on Weekend Sport. Russ, I
remember we spoke at the back end of twenty twenty
three and at that time you were leaning towards retirement.
Did you sort of lean away from that after we spoke.

Speaker 3 (00:57):
No, I've actually done not with tirement. I'll just sort
of stepped down from all the majors, So don't do
the Worlds or the gone Police Green Slams, Premier leagues more.
But I still do some of the World Series and
I still do the Asian Tour. But fortunately for me,
the World Series includes bar Rain in New York, Australia

(01:17):
and obviously how for you guys here in New Zealand.
So I've not actually been tired, but just step down
from all the major stuff but still get the chance
to come out and see you guys and girls out here.

Speaker 2 (01:27):
Well, we're delighted to have you here, Rusty, do you
feel like you've struck a good balance there that you
know you're not doing as much but you're still keeping
your hand in and enjoying the stuff that you are doing.

Speaker 3 (01:39):
In all honesty, nineteen was my busiest year. I was
home indoors in the UK for sixty one days, actually
in my house. This year this year, though I've stepped down,
I'll be home indoors eighty two So I'm still really
really busy and I love every minute of it.

Speaker 4 (01:58):
Well, that is great to have you here.

Speaker 2 (01:59):
Can we talk about last night our key we boy,
Marke Cleaver up against Luke Littler. He gave him a
decent run for his money, didn't he before Littler events?
He won six four?

Speaker 3 (02:08):
He did, He did give him a good run for
his money. It was good to see as well. And
I've known Mark for a long long time since I've
been coming out here, and yeah, he put up a
really really good show, good entertainment show for the crowd
as well. And you know, any games go close like that,
especially against the world champion, you know, it makes it
that much more exciting. And he cooked himself very very

(02:30):
well better than I expected. If I'm going to be
honest with I know.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
This is a question you probably get asked a law
but Luke Ltler's arrival on the dart scene, how much
has it elevated the sport?

Speaker 3 (02:41):
What the sport was? The sport was wild in the
cross of a way, massively anyway. But then when you
get the injection of the of the sunamy, so to speak,
you know that he's just he's just made it massive message,
certainly for the youngsters in the sport. Now all the youngsters.
There a lot of academies turning up all over the world,

(03:02):
not just in the UK and Europe, all over the world.
And you've got the witness me from four years onwards
going to these academies on the back of Luke Littler.
You know, I want to play darts, I want to
do darts. I want to do this, I know for
a fact. With my company Unicorn the sales have gone massive,
the same with all the other guys. You know, So

(03:23):
at the end of the day, the the you know,
the way Luke Littler has bought things forward, it's where
it's undescribable, if I'm being honest. This just took it
to major, major levels. And he has as well, you know,
with the way he's playing and his whole persona. I
think it's it's just amazing.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
How do you evaluate the way that he's dealt with
it all because he's still a very young man, isn't
he in the highest glear of the spotlight? How do
you evaluo ad how he's dealt with it.

Speaker 3 (03:52):
I think he's dealt with the absolute well superbctly, you know,
say the kids eighteen I called his final winning was
sixteen a couple of years ago against low Comfores. And
you know, he's his way above his years in his well,
the whole look at the Leder and know, I mean
they had a bed at seventeen, so you know, he's

(04:14):
very very mature lad. And he's learned how to cope
with media, cope with the crowd, and cope with the
pressure in the game itself, you know, And I just
say he's very, very advanced as he is, and he
is genuinely a lovely kid. And I'll try and tell
some people sometimes please remember he's still a kid. He's

(04:34):
a kid, and he hasn't they even started to scratching
service of living life at the moment, and you know,
it's good to see. It's good. I like the.

Speaker 2 (04:43):
Exuberance of the lad Indeed, we had Stephen Bunting on
the show last week. What have you seen from him
in the last couple of years that has elevated his
game and his profile?

Speaker 3 (04:53):
Do you know what if it's something with all the guys,
but certainly with Stephen, it's just believe. I mean, Stephen's
got the talent, he's got the ability, and he's proved
at a million and one times. But it's just having
the belief that you can get up there. And I
mean even the the BDO World Title, World Championships, the
Lakeside and don't mean feet in itself. And then when

(05:17):
he came over to the p DC, you know, the
talent was a lot better in strength there in debt
and he's just in finding his feet now. Now Stephen
believes he can win. He believes he can win. And
that's the big, big difference, and you see it in
his game and you see again you see how he

(05:39):
you know, holds himself on the stage. There's he's a
good kid, good character and a really really good gold player.
Now you know he's he's way way up there and
it's good to see. And this is what this is
what has happened within the PDC. This has happened with
the letter effect, which is mentioned that you have to
be better, you have to be more consistent to compete,

(06:01):
and that's exactly what Stephen does now. And he believes
that and that's that's the biggest thing.

Speaker 2 (06:05):
And look, Humphrey's world number one still of course it
met he's a bit out of sorts at the moment.
He won through i K last night six three over
Hope by Paul ha What is the best thing rush
for a player to do when when they're not playing
as well as they'd like to.

Speaker 3 (06:22):
Again, it comes down that the biggest muscle lot is
a bit between your ears. I've always said that, you know,
everyone go up there and the arms and eighties, everyone
can go up there at double sixteen because they do.
But he's doing it on a on a regular basis
doing it consistently. Last week I know for a fact,
Look wasn't very well. He didn't travel very well into

(06:44):
it and he was pretty sick. He was feeling good
a lot better this week, which he showed. But with
respected that it's if you're you've got to play for
it all sport. That what sport. It is his peaks
and troughs. When you're peaking fantastic. When you're in a trough,
it's half fire. You trough gown Phil Taylor. If I

(07:08):
can go to him. When Phil Taylor was peaking, nobody
touched him. When he was not on his game. His
level of game was still most people's a game. So
there's a big difference. And this is what you need
to find or what the guys need to find. And
they're not finely well. I haven't practice as hard as they.

(07:29):
Maybe I sort of. I don't know what a feeling
a bit under the weather is. You've got a battle
for it again, it comes down to the bit between
years believes you're going to do it, and that's that's
the psychology of the game, and that's something I think
it's quite important.

Speaker 2 (07:42):
Us The players even surprise you with the white they
attack a chick out.

Speaker 3 (07:48):
Someone. I mean, I'm going to get on my old school.
I'll go back to the goodness may, I'll go back
to the seventies and eighties where it was really basic shots out,
you know. But these guys now, I mean, goodness me,
they're going for double doubles and all this sort of thing,
which is never unheard of when I was and I
was in the early doors, you know. So yeah, it's

(08:09):
now from my perspective, it's a matter of getting used
to the guys hitting double double shots out, you know,
one hundred and one hundred and twelve and things like that,
where they're sort of going just really really crazy way,
you know, double a and double A and double top
this type of thing. You know, it's mental, it is mental.

(08:31):
But yeah, it don't surprise me sometimes because you're wondering
where they're going. They've got a quick calculation as to
where you think they might be going next. So yeah,
it's good. It's good. As what I was say, entertaining,
it's good funting and going there. And of course they
use the bulls eye a lot now, yeah, and they
never used two years ago. The bulls eye has a
big shot out for them and everyone loves it.

Speaker 4 (08:50):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (08:50):
Absolutely, and obviously you're still sharp airs with the with
the maths and doing the calculations in your head. Can
I give you a couple of chickouts and get you
to tell me how you think a plier or a ticket?

Speaker 3 (09:02):
Yep?

Speaker 4 (09:03):
So one hundred and thirteen.

Speaker 3 (09:07):
Trouble twenty thirteen, Double Top.

Speaker 4 (09:09):
One hundred and thirty eight.

Speaker 3 (09:12):
Well, very famous, a great man mine Keith, Trouble twenty
Team double.

Speaker 4 (09:17):
Twelve love it and one o one.

Speaker 3 (09:22):
There's obviously there's a billion in one ways on it.
There's Trouble seven eight balls.

Speaker 4 (09:28):
Russ.

Speaker 2 (09:29):
It's just a delight to have you in New Zealand,
a delight to have you on the radio again. May
there be many more conversations between us. Enjoy tonight at
the second night of the New Zealand Darts Masters.

Speaker 3 (09:40):
It's lovely to be over. Thanks ever so much, mate,
and hopefully catch up and have a chat.

Speaker 2 (09:45):
So yeah, look forward to that, Russ. Thanks indeed, Russ
Brady immistakable voice, the voice of darts. He's here for
the New Zealand Darts Masters at night two from seven
o'clock quarterfinals. Stephen Bunt and christ Toby, Luke Humphreys, Damon
hetter gowin Price against Josh Rock, Luke Littler against Mike Dedecca.
Those best of eleven legs then into the semis, best

(10:07):
of thirteen and the final the best of fifteen legs
at Spark Arena for the New Zealand Darts Masters.

Speaker 4 (10:13):
Terrific stuff.

Speaker 1 (10:14):
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