Showing their appreciation for the contribution he made to the sport of darts both here and abroad, the Caribbean Darts Organisation (CDO) are planning to hold this year's championships in honour of the late John Holder.

Local officials were informed of the proposal recently when executives of the CDO called Bermuda Darts Association to express their condolences after Holder passed away at the age of 62 following a short illness.

Holder made his presence felt not just as a player but as a devoted administrator within the BDA and CDO, both of which he headed as president during his long involvement with the sport dating back to the early 1960s.

He was instrumental in getting the Caribbean Championships played in Bermuda at the former Bermudiana Hotel in the early 1980s. It has not been held on the Island since.

Steve Croucher, a former BDA executive, felt it was fitting for the CDO to acknowledge Holder in this way. "From what I gather Trevor Lloyd who is the president of the Caribbean Darts Organisation is coming here soon and has asked for a photograph of John which will be placed on the scorekeeper's table on the stage during the Caribbean Championships in Cayman in July," said Croucher.

"He attended every tournament except for one, and of course he was familiar with the current executives after having played against them.

"I don't think anybody cansay enough what that man has done. I had so much respect for him, he taught me so much about the ins and out of the association here and in the Caribbean."

Holder's wife Ruth was overjoyed that her late husband would be honoured, saying the news came as a wonderful surprise.

"I am very happy to hear that, it's a nice surprise," she said. "John has been president of the CDO and gone to all but one of their championships since 1979 and he got along so well with everybody down there, including president Trevor Lloyd and Malcolm Spicer who is their general secretary. It's nice of them to come up with this idea."