Legendary darts referee Russ Bray has revealed the moment he "lost his head" while at the oche. Bray was a regular face in some of the biggest matches in the sport, with his iconic voice having soundtracked some of dart's most memorable moments.

His ability to remain calm under pressure was always one of Bray's most commendable traits, but the darts official has recalled a moment when that wasn't exactly the case. While it might surprise some newer fans, the incident actually occurred when Bray was a player himself, many moons ago.

In an interview with talkSPORT, Bray explained: "The only time I had a problem was years ago with Mick Manning. We played a dreadful match - best of five, went to 2-2, both stuck on double one. We both had about 30,000 darts at it. I finally hit it, shook his hand, and he slapped me out and called me something. I lost my head, grabbed hold of him, and we got separated. No punches or anything like that, though. That's about it."

While Bray still referees on the World Series and at other exhibition events, his final World Championship with the microphone came in 2024 when Luke Humphries defeated the then 16-year-old Luke Littler. Reflecting on his farewell, Bray added: "What a final to go out on.

"Luke Humphries and Luke Littler were unbelievable. I knew I had a new role coming, and I closed that chapter. It wasn't relief - it was excitement about what was next."

In a separate feature for talkSPORT, Bray lifted the lid on how he went from player to caller, saying: "I played darts - county darts - for Hertfordshire. One day the county caller didn't turn up for a match. The setup was exactly the same as on stage: two markers and a referee. I said I'd help out before I played and call a couple of games just to keep things running. I went on, called a couple of games, and someone said, 'Mate, that sounded all right.' I really enjoyed it - it was so different from playing."

Before adding: "That was around 1992. Then the darts split happened with the PDC and BDO in 1994. About 18 months into the PDC, I was asked if I'd be interested in being a reserve referee. At the time, Brendan had two established referees - Freddie Williams and Bruce Finlay. I said yes, but the problem was I was banned from everything because I'd gone with the WDC, as it was then. I couldn't even play in my local league."