GERMAN DARTS MAGAZINES AND…

GERMAN DARTS MAGAZINES – DARTS ECHO AND…

….BOB ANDERSON, JOHN LOWE, AND HEIKE ERNST

Whilst working through a large file of darts photos back in 2021, I came across one (see below) with Bob Anderson and John Lowe enjoying a drink and sharing a copy of the German darts magazine Dart Echo. (Image © Darts World/PC Archive)

I am not sure that either players speak or read German or whether this was a promotional opportunity for the magazine with two world champions.

On the front cover of that issue of Dart Echo was a photograph shown of a lady German darts champion who I did not immediately recognise from that photo. However, I soon discovered that the player was Heike Ernst (now Heike Jenkins) one of the greatest German lady darters of all time.

My dear friend Charis Mutschler was very helpful and quickly provided me with some information. Charis wrote:

‘Hi Patrick. I’ve never heard about a magazine Dart Echo but perhaps Jürgen Schmitz could help you with this. As far as I can remember he always was hunting for old German darts magazines.

But at least I can tell you a little bit about Heike Ernst who is now Heike Jenkins. I know she started to play darts around 1983 and soon joined the 1. DSC Bochum where her first husband Dietmar Ernst and her brothers already played.

In 1986 she took part for the first time in a DDV ranking event. She ended as runner-up. Only a few months later, in January 1987, she won her first ranking event and from that time dominated the women’s sport of darts in Germany. Until 2006 she took part in every ranking event. Since then, Heike has only played for fun and no longer in the national team. In 2013 she appears the last time as runner-up in a ranking event in Nürnberg – I couldn’t find a later mention of her name in the winners lists.

Heike was 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2005 German Champion, 11 times she won the Dortmund Open. From 1988 – 1997 she was the number 1 woman in Germany, in the ‘90s she was for a few years the number 2 of the WDF. She played for many years with the men in the “Bundesliga” and took part probably 18 times in the Winmau World Masters. 1992 she won the WDF Europe Cup singles, 1996 she was runner-up in the World Masters.’

My records show that Heike’s best WINMAU performance in 1996 included her beating England’s Trina Gulliver 3-1 in the semi-final. Sharon Douglas of Scotland (Fife) overcame England’s Sharon Colclough 3-2 in the second semi-final and then went on beat Heike 3-1 in the final. Sharon Douglas became the first Scotland lady to win the prestigious WINMAU Masters title. Charis tells me that, today, Heike is ‘the chairwoman of the 1. DSC Bochum and one-time women’s coach of the German National Team. Our German national coach…) is by the way Roland Scholten.’

As regards the German darts magazine DART ECHO, I would like to know when it was published. In my archive I have only three issues 1991/1992. If you have any information, please contact me via my Contact Page.

It never ceases to amaze me the number of darts magazines there have been published over the years. Just looking through my collection, and just through those that have appeared in Germany, I have found, in addition to Dart Echo, also Dart-Time (1986), Game Shot (1987), NDV Dart in Niedersachsen (1987), bdv News (1988), Hamburger Darts nachrichten (1988), Dart Report (1988-90) Liga info (1989), Dart Magazin (1990), Dartline (1990-91), NDV Info (1991) and ddz deutsche dartsport Zeitung (circa early 1997 – June 2009).

Twelve magazines from Germany; but these are only those I have copies of in my archive. There must have been more. The dates shown in brackets above are those of issues in my collection. I do not know when any of them were first appeared or when they ceased publication. I would be happy to receive any information about these magazines or others that may have been published in Germany.

NOTE: Please note that I do not speak the German language but do enjoy looking at the photos!

© 2021 Patrick Chaplin. Text updated © 2025.

[The original of this article was first published in Dr. Darts’ Newsletter, #133, April 2021.]