World Darts Championship: Meet the Sussex jeweller who designed the Sid Waddell Trophy

Mike Shorer, 64, designed the Sid Waddell Trophy for the PDC World Darts Championship back in 2012. Last night (January 3), more than 1.5 million people saw the newly crowned champion Michael Smith lift the prestigious prize at the Alexandra Palace, after he defeated Michael van Gerwen 7-4 in the final.

Mike said: “It’s such a buzz, upwards of 20 million people might have seen that trophy since I made it, it's quite a thing. It’s become the brand image of the entire event. Darts fans around the world know this trophy above all the others.”

Mike is a seventh-generation goldsmith, having graduated from the Sir John Cass School of Art with a diploma and going on to be the studio manager of a famous London Society jeweller. Whilst working in the capital, he made pieces for the Royal Family, as well as musicians, athletes and film stars.

Mike said: “My father used to be the senior conservation officer at the British Museum. He was an archaeologist but did various research into metal working techniques through history and was also a trained diamond mounter.

"He had a studio at home, so when I was young there were a lot of hammers and files knocking around. It was inevitable that me being a boy, I would start bashing the hell out of things.”

In 1990, ‘fed-up’ of sitting on trains commuting to London from Essex, Mike set up his own business and eventually moved to Seaford in 1995, before finally setting up shop in Denton, Newhaven, in 2007.

Mike said: “When I decided to go it alone - I renovated an old stable block by us in Essex. I spent the next week-and-a-half writing letters to what I hoped would be potential clients.

“Out of 430 letters I wrote, I only got two replies. Luckily, one of them was Barry Hearn, as he needed a couple of trophies for his Snooker tournaments.”

Since then, Mike has gone on to design trophies for a number Hearn’s sports – including snooker, fishing, horse racing and BMX racing.

He has also continued to make commissioned work for the Royal Family, 10 Downing Street, films, TV, corporate and private clients.

However, Mike’s most popular work lies in Darts. Alongside the World Championship trophy, the Newhaven resident has also designed the Premier League and World Grand Prix of Darts prizes.

Speaking about the trophy-making process, Mike said: “Sometimes they have an idea of what they need, but it depends what sport it is.

“I never make a standard cup with two handles, it's always obviously something to do with that sport. I can advise them what will look good on camera and also what will do the sponsors some good and get people talking about it.

“I take it from there, I make sketches and work to their budgets, it's remarkable what you can come up with.

“They do take a long time, it’s like building an Aston Martin. Every trophy is different because that is the point.”

Mike designed the Sid Waddell Trophy in 2012, after the PDC decided to dedicate the trophy's name to the legendary commentator who passed away in August of that year.

The 28-inch structure has a base which contains the same Eritrean marble used by Michael Angelo in the Sistine Chapel and features a plaque bearing Waddell’s signature.

The trophy also showcases six silver rods rising from the base, reaching up to an engraved silver globe and a garnet to symbolise the bullseye on a dartboard.

Mike said: “The PDC (Professional Darts Corporation), part of Barry Hearn’s Matchroom Sport company, commissioned me to design a new trophy as a Memorial award to remember the commentator, Sid Waddell.

"The World Championship trophy is the largest I have ever made and has become the brand image of one of the most popular tournaments in the world, viewed by millions every year.

"Barry wanted some colours in it to do with darts, specifically some red and black like on the board. For the base, I got some of the same marble that Michael Angelo used on the Sistine Chapel.

"However, the marble was so heavy it weighed 23 kilos, meaning no one could lift it. So, I re-made the base in bronze and silver, making it easier for the players to lift.”

The first Sid Waddell Trophy was presented to Phil Taylor in 2013 and each year the world champion is given a half-sized replica of the championship, while the original model is put back into storage following the trophy presentation.

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Asked what makes the perfect trophy, Mike said: “I think the design of it has to be linked to that particular sport. It’s got to be beautifully made and unusual, because you hope it will be associated with this sport forever.”

The Newhaven jeweller is keen to design more trophies in the future, venturing into new sports such as Yachting, Powerboats and Moto GP.

He said: “The sports I would really love to do yachting, because some of the trophies I could make for that with some of the sails would be amazing.

"I would love to do some of the Moto GP ones, as I’m a massive fan of motorsports, but I would also quite like to do some construction awards to make trophies that look like parts of buildings. Some really off-the-wall kind of stuff.”

Mike also continues to run his late father’s business, Historic Jewellery Reproduction, making exact replicas of famous historic items that sell around the world and to film companies.

The 64-year-old is currently president of the Newhaven Chamber of Commerce, an active business networking group which aims to help local people in business grow, learn and network.

To find out more about the Newhaven Chamber of Commerce click here