.
Whenever there were three successive Treble 20s, his signature growl – the result of chain-smoking since the age of 10 – would immediately fill the room and get sozzled fancy-dress punters on their feet.
Refereeing in darts is one of the most complex jobs in sport because officials are “literally adding, subtracting and multiplying” all in a split second and accompanied by a wall of noise.
But as the sport outgrew smoke-filled halls and pubs and audiences started to pack out Ally Pally and football stadiums, Bray became as famous as some of the players on stage.
The role has seen him call 180s on oches as far flung as Australia, Japan, Dubai, Bahrain, Las Vegas and even Mongolia.
Semi-retirement began in January when the microphone was hung up – his last game was the epic Luke Humphries v Luke Littler World final, which was watched by 4.8million people on Sky Sports.
In his excellent autobiography ‘All About Darts’ – which is out on Thursday – the “pretty ordinary bloke” from Essex reveals his plans to take tungsten throwing around the globe in his new capacity as a PDC ambassador.
Bray said: “I’ve been a lucky sod with the best seat in the house to watch darts grow from those humble beginnings to the global phenomenon it is now.
“And let me tell you, it’s been a wild journey. Where next for darts? I honestly think there are no limits.
“What about Africa? The PDC has had two or three tournaments in South Africa, which worked well and pulled great crowds. But Africa is a huge continent.
“I’m chatting to guys in Chile about trying to set up a tournament there. Argentina, Brazil. It’d be sensational to get things moving in South America.
“And, as far as I’m concerned, it’s a matter of not if, but when.
“Darts will reach all four corners of the world, eventually. And if I can help it along the way, so much the better!”
Bray, who grew up …
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