This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations .(March 2013) |
Kevin Spiolek | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Personal information | |||||
Nickname | "Speedo" | ||||
Born | Cambridge, England | 5 May 1962||||
Home town | Cambridge, England | ||||
Darts information | |||||
Playing darts since | 1986 | ||||
Darts | 23 Gram | ||||
Laterality | Left-handed | ||||
Walk-on music | "Song 2" by Blur | ||||
Organisation (see split in darts) | |||||
BDO | 1987–1993 | ||||
PDC | 1993–2007 (Founding Member) | ||||
WDF major events – best performances | |||||
World Ch'ship | Quarter Final: 1993 | ||||
World Masters | Semi Final: 1987 | ||||
PDC premier events – best performances | |||||
World Ch'ship | Quarter Final: 1995 | ||||
World Matchplay | Quarter Final: 1997 | ||||
UK Open | Last 128: 2005 | ||||
Other tournament wins | |||||
| |||||
Other achievements | |||||
1993 – Last player to beat Phil Taylor at World Championship outside the final until 2008 |
Kevin Spiolek (born 5 May 1962 in Cambridge) is an English former professional darts player who played during the 1980s and 1990s. He made a brief return to form in 2006, when qualifying to play in the PDC World Darts Championship.
His best form came in the late 1980s, when he reached the semi-finals of the 1987 Winmau World Masters, losing to Bob Anderson. In 1988, Spiolek reached the final of the prestigious News of the World Darts Championship, losing to Mike Gregory.
Spiolek is one of ten players to have beaten Phil Taylor at the World Championship – having knocked him out in the second round at Lakeside in the 1993 World Championship – the last time that there was a unified World Championship. Spiolek was eliminated in the next round – to date, two quarter-finals are the best results he has achieved in World Championships.
Spiolek was one of the 16 players in 1992–1993 who created their own organisation (the World Darts Council which later became the Professional Darts Corporation). In 1994, he reached the final of the Greene King UK Masters – losing to Taylor. Spiolek played in the first seven PDC World Championships after the split in the game with his best performance being another quarter-final in 1995.
He reached the final of the North American Cup in 1996, and the quarter-finals of the World Matchplay in 1997, but then gradually faded from the scene. His performance in qualifying for the 2006 PDC World Championship (where he lost in the first round to Peter Manley) kept him in the top 100 of the PDC world rankings until January 2008.
He had continued to play in the domestic Pro Tour events on the PDC circuit during 2005 and 2006 – playing in more than 10 events on the PDC Pro Tour, but he has remained inactive on the circuit since the Players Championship in Gibraltar in January 2007.
Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
Runner-up | 1. | 1988 | News of the World Championship | Mike Gregory | 1–2 (l) |
Peter David Manley is an English former professional darts player who played in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events from July 1996 until 2017. He won one major title, the Las Vegas Desert Classic, in 2003, and twice held the number one ranking. He also reached the World Championship final in 1999, 2002 and 2006, losing to Phil Taylor on each occasion. Declining form led to him losing his place on the PDC tour in 2011.
Dennis Priestley is an English former professional darts player. He has won two world championships, and was the first player to win both the BDO and WDC world championships, in 1991 and 1994 respectively. He is nicknamed "The Menace", after the Beano character Dennis the Menace, and reflects this by wearing red and black, and using red and black flights.
Robert Charles Anderson is an English former professional darts player who won the 1988 BDO World Darts Championship. Nicknamed The Limestone Cowboy, he was the World No. 1 player for over three years in the late 1980s.
Adrian Lewis is an English professional darts player who plays in the PDC. He is a two-time PDC World Darts Champion, winning in 2011 and 2012. He is nicknamed Jackpot, as he won a jackpot gambling in Las Vegas in 2005, but he was unable to collect the money as he was 20 years old, below the US legal gambling age of 21.
Rodney Harrington is an English former professional darts player and former commentator. He used the nickname "The Prince of Style" for his matches, often wearing a suit and waistcoat for his games. Harrington enjoyed some major success during his professional career including the prestigious Winmau World Masters in 1991 and two successive World Matchplays in 1998 and 1999. At the PDC Awards Dinner held in January 2019, Harrington was inducted into the PDC Hall of Fame.
Keith Kelvin Deller is an English former professional darts player best known for winning the 1983 BDO World Darts Championship and Unipart British Professional Championship in 1987. He was the first qualifier ever to win the championship and remains one of the youngest champions in history. For his world championship win, Deller used 18-gram spring-loaded darts, later banned for tournament play but now legal again.
The 1994 Skol World Darts Championship was held following 18 months of controversy within the sport of darts. After the 1993 Embassy World Championships, several players decided it was time to part company with the British Darts Organisation and form their own organisation. The new organisation was known as the World Darts Council (WDC). The WDC would later become the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).
The 1998 Skol World Darts Championship was held between 29 December 1997 and 4 January 1998 at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet, Essex. Skol, who sponsored the inaugural event in 1994 returned as title sponsors – which they were to fulfil for the next five years.
Michael Seward "Mike" Gregory was an English professional darts player, best remembered as the runner-up to Phil Taylor in the 1992 Embassy World Darts Championship final, which went to a tiebreak final leg and is regarded as one of the greatest matches in darts history.
Jacobus Wilhelmus "Co" Stompé is a Dutch former professional darts player. He was nicknamed The Matchstick because of his almost bald head and very thin appearance, making him look like a matchstick. He was also one of very few professionals who played in longsleeved shirts.
Peter Kenneth Evison is an English former professional darts player who competed in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and British Darts Organisation (BDO) events. Nicknamed The Fen Tiger, his greatest achievements were winning the 1989 Winmau World Masters and the 1996 World Matchplay.
Shayne Burgess is an English former professional darts player who competed in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) tournaments. He is known for his unorthodox throwing action, where he draws the point of the dart up close to his eyeball before releasing.
Dennis Smith is a former English professional darts player who played in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He was a stalwart on the PDC circuit, having played there since 1994, but has yet to capture a major title to add to his collection of Open wins. Smith has a very unusual throwing action, turning the dart into a 'flight first' position before returning it to a 'point first' position, rolling his eyes and then throwing. He has a unique, measured action learning his trade under the tutelage of Bob Anderson.
Gary Mawson is a Canadian-born American professional darts player. He currently resides in Fort Myers, Florida, United States. Mawson played darts for the USA in 2004 and the years immediately following, having previously played darts for Canada up to 2001. Mawson used the nickname The Mauler for his matches.
Steve Brown is a former English-born American professional darts player who had the majority of his success during the 1990s, when he finished third at the inaugural Professional Darts Corporation's version of the World Championship in 1994 - after the majority of top players decided to separate from the British Darts Organisation.
Kirk Shepherd is an English former professional darts player who competed in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) tournaments. He is best known for finishing as runner-up in the 2008 PDC World Darts Championship after starting the tournament as a 1000/1 outsider. He remains the youngest player to reach the final of the event.
Matthew Clark is an English darts player who competes for the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and formerly played for the British Darts Organisation (BDO). He uses the nickname "Superman" for his matches.
Toon Greebe was a Dutch professional darts player who played in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and World Darts Federation (WDF) tournaments.
Graeme Stoddart is a former English–Dutch professional darts player who played in Professional Darts Corporation events. His nickname was Shark.
Sean Downs is an American former professional darts player who played in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events.