It was sad to hear the recent news that the famous professional darts scorer/announcer/Master of Ceremonies and one time QPR supporter, Martin Fitzmaurice, had passed away.
Martin was well known for that elongated announcement: “One hundred…AND EIGHTY’ which belted out at darts championship tournaments.
But he was also equally responsible for a chant when he attended games at Loftus Road during the 1950’s and early 1960’s. It went something like this:
‘Chin Chin Chin,
Oi Oi Oi,
Chin Chin Chin,
Oi Oi Oi,
Chin Oi,
Chin Oi,
Chin Chin Chin,
Oi Oi Oi,
R-A-N-G-E-R-S,
RANGERS!’
It was never heard again at an R’s fixture since at least 1963…perhaps we should revive it!!!
During the early 1960’s I do know that Martin was a prominent member of the QPR Supporters Club Committee and I was told that was where he and his wife Doreen had first met.
From the 1970’s onwards I think Martin drifted away from supporting the R’s to concentrate on his career in the pro darts world.
A few years ago I did manage to make contact via Martin’s personal website and he mentioned to me that the 1960’s were great times at QPR FC and that his favourite player was Mark Lazarus.
Bernard Lambert (Kerrins)
Bill Elkins recalls that Martin was also secretary of the Supporters Club football team for a while. They used to wear Coventry sky blue, train on the Little Scrubs and meet up periodically in a pub in the Bush.
He also told me about the legendary wrestling bouts at the back of the coach travelling to away games, involving Martin and Paul Gooch before Daphne Biggs had to intervene and bring them to order. They would call themselves by such colourful names as ‘Spartacus’ and ‘Superabus’!
Martin was evacuated in 1940 and spent most of his early childhood living in Wales. When he returned to West London he attended Clement Dane’s Grammar School.
Colin Woodley informed me that Martin and family were living at 290 Ladbroke Grove in 1947.
It is recorded that Martin worked in a solicitor’s office for a while and later he was an electrician and also a tube train driver.
Martin apparently moved to Colchester in 1975 and his career in darts commenced after he was asked to chalk a match in a local pub. He then went on to officiate exhibition matches after standing in when the regular referee was unavailable.
Later this was to lead to Martin stepping in as caller in the 1985 World Masters and the following year he was a chalker at the Embassy World Final. His catchphrase introduction at tournaments was: “Are you Ready? Ladies and Gentlemen…Let’s Play…Darts.”
He resigned from the British Darts Organisation in 2013 after nearly 30 years service.
News came through on 14th April that Martin had sadly passed away.
May he Rest in Peace.
Steve Russell
(The above pic is from the 1962/63 Club Handbook and Martin is shown in the back row, third from the left)
We have certainly had our fair share of celebrity characters supporting QPR FC over the years!
Thankyou so much for this tribute dad still had qpr in his heart always we are having flowers done in the colours because he met mum there and supported the team so much he had a short illness that took him he was a family man and a football man xx thankyou love karen fitzmaurice his eldest girl xx
Thankyou for the tribute to my dad and he was a football man who always had qpr in his heart as well as our local team and arsenal he met mum there he often told us stories about his time there come on the hoops he use to say its is in part of his euglogy next week about his football thankyou again
Karen. Thanks for your comments. Glad to know that Martin kept QPR FC in his heart right to the end.