I won the first ever PDC World Darts Championship but I was threatened with losing my house and never got my trophy back

DENNIS PRIESTLEY threw the first three darts of the inaugural PDC World Championship and won the title — but then never got his trophy back!

It is the 30th anniversary of the tournament which kicks off at Alexandra Palace on Friday.

Dennis Priestley beat Jocky Wilson in the first ever PDC World Championship match

Dennis Priestley lifts the trophy but didn’t see it again after lending it to the next winner

Priestley, now 73, beat Jocky Wilson 3-1 in the opening match on Boxing Day 1993.

It was launched after the top 16 stars left the British Darts Organisation in an acrimonious split.

The ensuing legal dispute nearly cost ‘The Menace’ his home.

He said: “It was a big step into the unknown. We were being threatened with having our houses taken off us.

“We were being sued for one thing and another.

“It took a while to get on the right path. I didn’t even get my trophy back.

“They couldn’t afford a new trophy for the 1995 champion so they asked to borrow mine.”

Priestley crushed Phil Taylor 6-1 in the first final, then called the WDC, winning £12,000.

He added: “I never expected them to get to half a million for the first prize.”