Key Milestones

The Group’s rich history

100 Years of Sports Innovation, Technical Excellence and Darting Passion

The British history of dartboard manufacturing is a fascinating story that started in earnest in the early part of the Twentieth Century.

This timeline shows how our three companies, with a collective and jaw dropping total of 225 years at the forefront of the darts industry, have all made a massive and hugely positive contribution, to the sport we love.

1919
Nodor
Founded

Ted Leggett invents Nodor modelling clay, so called because it had "No Odour".

1923
Nodor
Dartboard

Nodor Plasticine Dartboard first marketed.

1927
Nodor
New Location

Nodor moves to a larger manufacturing premises in East London and adds darts to product range.

1932
Nodor
Patent

FT Dabbs, a Kent Publican, makes a dartboard from rope ends. Leggatt refines the idea and files for Patent with Dabbs.

1935
Nodor
Original Bristle

The Nodor Original Bristle dartboard is first marketed. Ted Leggatt founds the National Darts Association.

1936
Nodor
Dartboard Standardised

Present day "Clock" pattern is adopted as the standard board Worldwide.

1938
Nodor
Staff

Nodor Company workforce reaches 100 staff.

1941
Nodor
The War

Due to the war, Nodor moves out of London to Devon. Raw materials are scarce, but production still continues.

1945
Winmau
Elm Boards

Harry Kicks Snr, invests his demob money to start making Elm dartboards, like Nodor, in London's East End.

1945
Nodor
Developing Markets

During the war, US Servicemen learn to play and enjoy the game of darts, and export market starts to develop.

1946
Winmau
Kicks Factory

With scarce resourses, Kicks factory utilised paraffin lamps for light, a coal fire for heating, and delivered his boards to Watneys Brewery via the London Underground.

1946
Nodor
Move To London

Nodor moves back to London and the original patent is extended for an additional 6 years. Production and sales soon surpass pre war levels.

1951
Nodor
New Player

World famous dart player, Johnny Ross, joins Nodor as Works Manager.

1952
Winmau
Kicks

Kicks adds hand made dartboard cabinets to his range.

1953
Nodor
Dunlop

Dunlop Sports negotiates contract with Nodor to market all bristle dartboard production.

1966
Nodor
Nodor Takeover

The Grisley Family buys the Nodor Company.

1969
Winmau
H.A.Kicks Relocate

H.A.Kicks and Sons relocate to Haverhill, Suffolk, as part of London's regeneration program.

1970
Winmau
Kicks's Quality

Business prospers as Kicks establishes reputation for quality.

1970
Nodor
Nodor Company To Wales

The Nodor Company moves out of London for the last time and relocates to purpose built factory in Cardiff, South Wales, due to the compulsory purchase of the London premises.

1972
Winmau
Winmau Name

Harry Kicks renames the company Winmau (pronounced Win-More) after the first letters of his wife's names, Winifred Maud.

1973
Nodor
John Bluck

Ford Motor Company Engineer, John Bluck, founds Brackla Engineering.

1974
Winmau
Winmau World Masters

Winmau achieves a major breakthrough deal with Olly Croft of the British Darts Organisation, a relationship that would last for nearly 50 years.

1976
Nodor
Brackla Engineering - Red Dragon Darts

Brackla Engineering launches the Red Dragon brand as the first "Direct to Consumer" brand, with tungsten darts priced to suit the pocket of the working man.

1978
Winmau
Leighton Rees

Leighton Rees of Wales, wins the inaugural World Professional Darts Championships, played on a Winmau Bristle Dartboard.

1980
Winmau
Winmau & Argos

Winmau supplies Argos for the first time, a relationship that would continue every year to the present day, and see Argos become one of the world's biggest retailers for darts equipment.

1982
Winmau
TV Deal

Winmau supplies equipment to TV Show "Bullseye" which was to become a British institution for 15 years, attracting audiences of 20 million viewers at its peak.

1983
Nodor
The Bluck Family

The Nodor Company changes hands to the Bluck family and is merged with Red Dragon, by now, the leading manufacturer of tungsten darts.

1984
Nodor
Supabull

World Renouned and patented "Supabull" is invented and takes the market by storm.

1986
Nodor
Nodor Patents

Other patents granted to Nodor, greatly enhancing board features.

1987
Nodor
Nodor Relocation

Nodor acquire and relocate to a prime manufacturing facility of 122,000 square feet from Hawker Siddely Group PLC, to facilitate long term growth.

1993
Winmau
US Distributor

Accudart, Winmau's US distributor becomes a majority shareholder in the Winmau Company.

1994
Nodor
Nodor Supawire

Nodor supplies its premium Supawire boards to the inaugural PDC World Championships.

1995
Winmau
Winmau Dartboard

Winmau commence development on the most technically advanced dartboard in the world.

1995
Nodor
John Lowe Record

World 10 hour Bullseye record is broken by John Lowe, scoring 1320 Bulls, using Nodor Supabull 2 Bristle Dartboard.

1997
Winmau
Winmau Dartboard - Ultimate No Bounce

After two years of development, Winmau launch the Blade "Ultimate No Bounce" dartboard, incorporating sophisticated staple free technology.

1997
Nodor
Largest Promotional Order

Nodor secures the world's largest promotional order in darts and manufactures nearly 600,000 bristle dartboards for the US market.

1999
Nodor
Production Relocated

Nodor relocates dartboard production from Wales to Kenya, East Africa, home of the finest quality sisal and the key ingredient for bristle dartboards.

2002
Nodor
Nodor Aquisition of Winmau

Nodor acquire Winmau and integrate production at it's state of the art production facility in the prime, sisal growing heartlands of East Africa.

2002
Winmau
Blade 2 Launch

With Nodor's engineering backing, Winmau launch Blade 2, providing enhanced benefits for serious dartplayers.

2004
Winmau
Crowd Favorite

Crowd favorite and Winmau legend, Andy "The Viking" Fordham becomes BDO World Champion.

2005
Winmau
Blade 3 Launch

Blade 3 launches to the worldwide market.

2006
Winmau
Michael Van Gerwen Wins

Michael Van Gerwen wins Winmau World Masters at the age of 17, starting a career that would see him become one of the finest players of all time.

2010
Red Dragon
Peter Wright

Red Dragon signs Peter "Snakebite" Wright.

2010
Winmau
Winmau Blade 4

Winmau Blade 4 showcases at Lakeside World Championships for the first time.

2013
Winmau
Dual Core Technology

Groundbreaking launch of patented Dual Core technology which optomises dartboard compression for durability and dart retention.

2015
Red Dragon
New Signing

Red Dragon signs Gerwyn "The Iceman" Price.

2018
Winmau
Blade 5 Technology

Enhanced wiring technology and new Rotalock stabilising system feature in Blade 5 and Blade 5 Dual Core.

2019
Nodor
Nodor 100 Years

Nodor celebrates its Centenary of 100 Years in Darts.

2020
Winmau
Michael Van Gerwen

Winmau sign 3 time World Champion, Michael van Gerwen.

2020
Red Dragon
Peter Wright World Championship

Red Dragon's Peter Wright wins 1st World Championships as the Group sees exponential growth in the Covid years as darts booms in Lockdown.

2021
Winmau
Blade 6

Blade 6 Series, including Blade 6, Dual Core, and Blade 6 Triple Core Carbon are launched.

2021
Red Dragon
Gerwyn Price World Championship

Red Dragon's Gerwyn Price wins 1st World Championships.

2022
Winmau
PDC & Winmau

Winmau signs an exclusive deal with Professional Darts Corporation, who select the Blade 6 Triple Core Carbon as their Official board for tournaments Worldwide.

2022
Red Dragon
Peter Wright's 2nd World Championship

Peter Wright wins 2nd World Championships and 3rd consecutive World Title win for Red Dragon.

2023
Winmau
MvG Wins New York

MvG wins New York Darts Masters at Madison Square Garden, New York, on a Blade 6 Triple Core dartboard.

2023
Nodor
Nodor International Inc

Nodor International Inc. is formed and opens offices and warehouse in Dallas Texas, to service the growing US market.

2024
Red Dragon Darts
Luke Humphries 2024 PDC World Champion

After a plethora of Major Titles throughout 2023, “Cool Hand” Luke Humphries wins his first World Championship title and immediately becomes PDC World Number 1.

Luke’s name joins that of Peter Wright and Gerwyn Price on the famous “Sid Waddell” Trophy making this a phenomenal fourth win in five years for Red Dragon…

May 2024
Nodor
KING’S AWARD FOR ENTERPRISE 2024

Nodor International is awarded with the King’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade in 2024.

 

With thanks to Patrick Chaplin

Worlds leading darts historian.

Nodor Group