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The Lakeside Leisure Complex is a hotel, conferencing, entertainment and associated leisure complex in Frimley Green in west Surrey, England. It hosted the open/men's and women's BDO World Darts Championship every January from 1986 to 2019.

History

The complex was established in 1972, when Bob Potter bought Wharfenden House and the surrounding grounds and lake. He soon doubled the hall to 1,000 seats principally for hosting comedians and musicians, including North American and internationally acclaimed acts. Lakeside was almost completely destroyed in a fire in November 1978, but was subsequently rebuilt, reopening in October the following year.

During the 25th year of hosting the World Darts Championship, in 2010 the lake had largely iced over by 7 January. That day the body of a man, a hotel guest for the competition week, was found. Landowner-managers, Bob Potter Leisure Limited, were fined £85,000 for health and safety violations.

Bob Potter died on 14 April 2023, at the age of 94.

Events

The Lakeside became the venue of the World Darts Championship in 1986. The Club sponsored the event from 2004 to 2019. It has hosted the new WDF World Darts Championship since 2022.

The venue has hosted acts such as Tommy Cooper, Morecambe and Wise, Sammy Davis Jr, Frankie Vaughan and Bob Monkhouse.

The 'Small Business Bureau Conference', held in 1987, was claimed by the organisers to be the largest business conference in Europe.

Facilities

Grand venue

The largest venue is the Main Cabaret Suite which has a capacity of 1,170 with conference and banqueting facilities.

Others

• the Canal Suite (capacity 350)
• the State Suite (capacity 100)
• Bob's Bar
• the Sharman Suite
• the Wine Bar

It is a mixed members' club, hotel and selection of restaurants with snooker, pool, darts, ten-pin bowling, squash, bars, an events nightclub and well-equipped gym. Near the village, boats can be hired for day trips along the Basingstoke Canal. The borough and adjoining Wentworth/Sunningdale area has a number of golf courses.

Heyday as a club

Darts commentator and personality Sid Waddell looked back on the early darts era when Lakeside was "arguably the best club in Britain":

Tom Jones, Jim Davidson and other stars packed the joint, while Margaret Thatcher herself said it was one of her favourite places for Tory jollies."

Potter claimed that he and his facilities inspired Peter Kay's comedic business saga Phoenix Nights, whose character is named Brian Potter.

References

1. "Lakeside Set To Host Biggest Ever BDO World Championships". UK Darts Magazine. 23 October 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
2. "Bob Potter, king of darts who owned Lakeside, venue for decades of world championships – obituary". The Telegraph. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
3. "I'll rebuild - Lakeside boss". Farnborough News and Mail. No. 4241. 28 November 1978. p. 1.
4. "Lakeside's night of the stars". Farnborough News and Mail. No. 4331. 26 October 1979. p. 26.
5. Darts spectator found dead under ice in Surrey lake bbc.co.uk
6. Edmondson, Nick (5 July 2013). "Company admits safety breaches over frozen lake death". GetSurrey. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
7. "Obituary – Bob Potter OBE". Darts World. 14 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
8. "Darts". The Glasgow Herald. 4 July 1985. p. 23.
9. "Bristow left in the dark". The Glasgow Herald. 6 November 1985. p. 22.
10. "Darts is Coming Home! Lakeside World Championship 2022". DartsWDF. World Darts Federation. 6 June 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
11. Irwin, Justin (2008). Murder on the Darts Board. Anova. pp. 4–5. ISBN 9781906032043.
12. Rutter, Jason (September 1997). "Stand-up as interaction: Performance and Audience in Comedy Venues" (PDF). University of Saford, Institute for Social Research, Department of Sociology (PhD thesis). p. 102 (pdf p. 117).
13. "Mrs Thatcher would always ask after our town". Hull Daily Mail. 31 January 2012. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
14. Waddell, Sid (2009). Bellies and Bullseyes: The Outrageous True Story of Darts. Random House. ISBN 9781407030449.
15. Keogh, Frank (6 January 2004). "Phoenix flights". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 January 2014.

External links

• Official website

51°18′11″N 0°43′17″W / 51.3030447°N 0.7214928°W / 51.3030447; -0.7214928

v t e Borough of Surrey Heath
Towns, villages and neighbourhoods	Bagshot Bagshot Bisley Bisley Miles Green Camberley Camberley Crawley Down Deepcut Frimley Frimley Green Heatherside Old Dean Mindenhurst Mytchett Tekels Park York Town Chobham Broadford and Castle Green Chobham Burrowhill Coxhill Green or Mimbridge Penny Pot Valley End Lightwater Lightwater West End Donkey Town Lucas Green West End Windlesham Windlesham
Parks	Chobham Common Frimley Lodge Park Swinley Forest Windlesham Arboretum
Listed Churches	St Tarcisius Church, Camberley Church of St Lawrence, Chobham
Education	Collingwood College Gordon's School Kings International College Tomlinscote School
Transport	Railway stations Bagshot Camberley Frimley Roads M3 A30 A322 A331 Notable other Basingstoke canal and towpath Fairoaks Airport
Buildings and structures	BAE Systems Integrated System Technologies Bagshot Park Frimley Lodge Park Railway Frimley Park Hospital HM Prison Coldingley Lakeside Leisure Complex Pennyhill Park Hotel Princess Royal Barracks, Deepcut Updown Court
Sport	Camberley Town F.C. Chobham F.C. Frimley Green F.C.
Places listed are articles or sections notable as settlements, arranged by post town Camberley is the administrative centre and largest single settlement

v t e Hydrology of Surrey
Main rivers	River Blackwater River Colne Cranleigh Waters River Mole River Ock River Thames River Tillingbourne River Wey
Canals and navigations	Basingstoke Canal Wey and Arun Canal Wey and Godalming Navigations
Ordinary watercourses	Abbey River River Ash River Bourne, Addlestone River Bourne, Chertsey Cobblers Brook River Eden River Ember Hogsmill River Law Brook Pipp Brook The Rye The Rythe Windle Brook Wish Stream Wraysbury River
Lakes, ponds and wetlands	Busbridge Lakes Claremont Landscape Garden Enton Lakes Frensham Ponds Gatton Park Goldsworth Park Hedgecourt Henfold Lakes Kempton Park Racecourse Lakeside Leisure Complex McLaren Technology Centre Mercers Country Park Painshill Sherbourne Pond Silent Pool Papercourt Marshes Silvermere Sutton Place Thorpe Park No 1 Gravel Pit Virginia Water Lake Winkworth Arboretum
Reservoirs	Bessborough Reservoir Island Barn Reservoir Kempton Park Reservoirs King George VI Reservoir Knight Reservoir Molesey Reservoirs Queen Elizabeth II Reservoir Queen Mary Reservoir Stain Hill Reservoirs Staines Reservoirs Wraysbury Reservoir
Categories: Rivers, Canals

• Tourist attractions in Surrey
• Hotels in Surrey
• Sports venues in Surrey
• Frimley Green
• Darts venues
• Event venues established in 1972
• 1972 establishments in England
• Lakes of Surrey