BDO counties reject takeover bid by Barry Hearn's PDC

Martin Adams (left) is the BDO world champion, Phil Taylor the PDC

The British Darts Organisation (BDO) has rejected a buy-out offer from the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).

Delegates from 65 BDO counties met on Sunday and after a majority vote instructed their governing body to rebuff the takeover bid.

PDC chief Barry Hearn offered £1m for the BDO in October.

BDO chief Olly Croft initially rejected the offer, calling it a "cheap publicity stunt", before turning the decision over to the counties.

The acrimonious split between the BDO and PDC, which have rival world championships on the BBC and Sky respectively, stretches back to 1993.

A group of 16 rebel players, including 15-time world champion Phil Taylor, broke away to create their own organisation, initially called the World Darts Council (WDC).

In his buy-out bid, Hearn had offered to honour all existing contracts with sponsors, venues and the BBC, and said he would invest a further £1m into the grass-roots of the sport.

"We [the PDC] know what we are doing and want to invest in the future of darts," said Hearn.

"The BDO made £16,000 profit last year. The PDC made £1m profit, had a turnover of £9m and has roughly £3m in the bank.

"I would suggest that if the BDO really care about the sport of darts and the millions of players, then you should accept offers and let us inject not just finance, but professional management to run darts in a modern and effective manner."