He was one of the Welsh players who showed promise during the 1970s by winning the 1973 CIU (Club and Institute Union) Individual and the 1977 Warwickshire Open.
However, as darts began to become more popular during the 1980s, Ridler faded from the scene and wasn't able to make an impact on the game.
He only made one appearance at the World Championship in the 1983 event and won his first round match against the Dane, Finn Jensen but was defeated in the second round by Dave Whitcombe.
Ridler's first comeback in 1997 saw him reaching the last 32 of the revived News of the World Darts Championship and also reaching the last 16 of the World Matchplay Last 40 to Gerome Vardaro 1-6 wins to Last 32 to Gerald Verrier 5-8 and lost to Last 16 Peter Evison by 5-8.
Ridler's son, Tony had a darts career from 2004 to 2006, which saw him winning the category 1 WDF-run Welsh Open.