 Prior to the formation of the British Darts Organisation, the major organisation for county darts had been the National Darts Association of Great Britain (the NDAGB, commonly referred to as NDA) which had been formed in London on 25 September 1954.Croft began playing darts himself in 1961 for the Harringay Arms in Crouch Hill and was soon playing seven nights per week.Croft was born on 17 November 1929 to the North London tiler Oliver Croft and his wife May Gladys (née Robinson), who later died while giving birth to his younger brother.