The Professional Darts Corporation sends its condolences to the family & friends of former player Nigel Birch, who has passed away.
Birch competed on the PDC circuit for a decade from 2007-2017, initially making his PDC debut at the UK Open as a Punch Taverns amateur qualifier.
He defeated Mark Wilson, Stuart Holden and Steve Brown in Bolton before being defeated in the last 64 to Kevin Painter.
Birch then began competing on the full PDC circuit in 2008, and on his second UK Open appearance overcame Paul Knighton, Dale Pinch, Shane Cox and Dennis Priestley before losing to Jelle Klaasen in the last 32.
The Stoke thrower continued to play on the circuit until the end of 2017, which was his fourth year playing on the Challenge Tour.
Former World Championship finalist Andy Hamilton paid tribute to "one of Stoke's finest", describing Birch as "a great dart player, a fierce opponent, a brilliant captain but most importantly an even better man".
Wayne Mardle described Birch - nicknamed "Nutty Nigel" as "always such fun to be around".
Birch's son Chris is now part of the PDC's marking scheme at non-televised events in the UK, retaining the family's links to the sport.