Robert Thornton (darts player)

Last updated

Robert Thornton
Robert Thornton 5-6 Kim Huybrechts - Robert Thornton - 2019249213036 2019-09-06 PDC European Darts Matchplay - 0993 - B70I6010.jpg
Thornton in 2019
Personal information
Nickname"The Thorn"
Born (1967-07-17) 17 July 1967 (age 56)
Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland [1]
Home town Stevenston, Ayrshire, Scotland
Darts information
Playing darts since1983
DartsRobert Thornton 26g Red Dragon
Laterality Right-handed
Walk-on music"I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers
Organisation (see split in darts)
BDO 2004–2008
PDC 2008–2020
WDF major events – best performances
World Ch'ship Quarter Final: 2005, 2008
World Masters Winner (1): 2007
PDC premier events – best performances
World Ch'ship Quarter Final: 2015
World Matchplay Last 16: 2016
World Grand Prix Winner (1): 2015
UK Open Winner (1): 2012
Grand Slam Runner Up: 2013
European Ch'ship Semi Final: 2008
Premier League 5th: 2013
Desert Classic Last 32: 2008
US Open/WSoD Quarter Final: 2009
PC Finals Runner Up: 2009
Masters Quarter Final: 2013, 2017
Champions League Group Stage: 2016
WSDT major events – best performances
World Ch'shipWinner (2): 2022, 2023
World MatchplayWinner (1): 2022
World MastersLast 16: 2022
ChampionsQuarter Final: 2023
Other tournament wins
Australian Open Players Championship 2008
Central Scotland Open 2007
Dutch Open 2008
Killarney Pro Tour 2013
Portland Open 2009
Revesby Workers Club Open 2010
Scottish Masters 2007
MODUS Online Darts League Phase 5 2021
British International Championships [2] 2008
World Seniors Darts Championship 2022, 2023
World Seniors Darts Matchplay 2022

European Tour Events

European Darts Open 2015

Players Championships

Players Championship (DUB) 2012
Players Championship (SCO) 2009
Players Championship (WIG) 2013, 2014 (x3)

UK Open

Regional Final (SCO) 2009
UK Open Qualifier 2013
Other achievements
2014 Third player ever to hit a double-start nine-dart finish at the World Grand Prix 2014 Together with James Wade the first players to both hit nine dart finishes in the same match

Robert Thornton (born 17 July 1967) is a Scottish professional darts player, who is a two-time World Seniors champion.

Contents

Thornton is a three-time major winner between the BDO and PDC, having won the World Masters in 2007, UK Open in 2012, and World Grand Prix in 2015. He is also a former finalist at the Players Championship Finals in 2009 and Grand Slam of Darts in 2013. In addition, Thornton has reached three World Championship quarter-finals across both organisations and was a participant in the Premier League in 2013, 2014 and 2016.

BDO career

Thornton returned to playing darts in 2002, having given up the game for two decades to raise his children. [3] He qualified for the BDO World Championship for the first time in 2005. He beat Martin Atkins and Tony West before losing to Darryl Fitton in the quarter-finals. [4] He then failed to qualify for the 2006 and 2007 events.

Thornton's first professional title came in the Central Scotland Open in April 2007, beating Mike Veitch in the final. [5] He also won the Scottish Masters by defeating Ross Montgomery. [6] He failed to make it through the qualifying event for the 2008 World Championship, but did make it to the televised stages of the 2007 Winmau World Masters in the same weekend. [7] Thornton then beat Co Stompé, BDO world champion Martin Adams, and Atkins to reach the final. [8] He managed to avenge his defeat by Fitton at the 2005 Lakeside World Championship to claim his first major title by 7 sets to 5 and win the £25,000 first prize and also a place in the 2008 World Championship. [9] [10]

His appearance at the World Championship was only his second visit to Lakeside and he matched his previous appearance by reaching the quarter-finals. Having beaten John Walton and Tony O'Shea, he lost to defending champion Adams. [11] Thornton's good form continued into 2008 when he won the Dutch Open in February and reached the last eight of the Scottish Open a week later to achieve a career high of third in the WDF world rankings and was top of the BDO rankings. [12] [13]

PDC career

Thornton qualified for the 2008 UK Open via the Pub qualifiers and then went on to switch to the PDC after withdrawing from the Scottish team for the Europe Cup, stating that his first goal was to get into the top 16 of the PDC Order of Merit which would guarantee his place in all the major tournaments. [14] At the UK Open he lost 9–6 to Alan Tabern in the last 32. [15] Thornton qualified for the Las Vegas Desert Classic losing again in the last 32 this time 6–5 against Adrian Lewis, but went one better at the World Grand Prix when he beat Peter Manley 2–1 in sets in the first round before being defeated 3–2 by Andy Hamilton in the last 16. [16] [17] His good start to his career in the PDC continued at the European Championship where he saw off John Part, Mensur Suljović and Ronnie Baxter to advance to the semi-finals for the first time and a meeting with Phil Taylor. Thornton averaged 102.12 in the match but Taylor averaged 113.33 as he won 11–7. [18] Thornton's World Masters title from last year saw him qualify for the Grand Slam of Darts and he advanced from Group E with wins over Gary Mawson and Kirk Shepherd, before being edged out 10–8 by Terry Jenkins in the last 16. [19] Away from the television cameras on the PDC Pro Tour he won the Australian Open Players Championship with a 3–1 success against Paul Nicholson. [20] He was a losing semi-finalist three times and a quarter-finalist four times in the other events to finish as the highest non-qualified player on the Pro Tour Order of Merit for the 2009 PDC World Championship. [21]

At the World Championship, he won 3–1 against Wayne Jones, but went out in the second round with a 4–3 defeat to world number eight Wayne Mardle. [22] However, this performance guaranteed Thornton a spot in the top 32 of the PDC Order of Merit – just eight months after his defection from the BDO. He reached his first PDC final at the Players Championship Finals. Seeded 14 in the tournament based on the previous year's floor events, Thornton edged Mark Dudbridge in the first round on a final-leg decider. [23] This gave him a second round tie with world number 10 and third seed Alan Tabern, in which Thornton dominated 6–2 after Tabern had missed a dart for a 3–1 lead. He then played a resurgent Dennis Priestley – who had earlier been on the brink of defeat, losing 5–0 to John Part before rattling off six consecutive legs to win the match – in the quarter-finals. Those heroics seemed to fatigue Priestley as he slumped to a 9–5 defeat to Thornton, which earned him a semi-final place against world number two James Wade. In a very tight semi-final, Thornton won four of the last five legs to earn a 13–10 victory and a spot in the final against Phil Taylor, who had only dropped eight legs in the tournament to that point. [24] With the scores level at 5–5 early on, Taylor came out on top 16–9, however Thornton earned £25,000 for making the final, propelling him up the rankings. [25] Thornton became only the third player to win both events of a PDC Pro Tour weekend in Irvine, North Ayrshire, when he beat Dennis Priestley to win both the Scottish Players Championship and the Scottish Regional qualifier for the UK Open. [5] He made his Premier League debut in Aberdeen in an exhibition match against James Wade. Thornton lost 7–2. By this time, Thornton had reached number 19 in the PDC Order of Merit. [26] He lost 9–2 to Adrian Lewis in the third round of the UK Open and 10–4 to Taylor in the first round of the World Matchplay. [27] [28] Thornton saw off Wes Newton 6–4 in the opening round of the European Championship, but lost to Taylor once more as he was whitewashed 9–0, with Thornton's average of 83.24 being almost 30 points lower than his opponents. [29] Thornton topped Group H at the Grand Slam of Darts and then edged past Darin Young in the last 16 10–9, but was knocked out 16–9 in the quarter-finals by Terry Jenkins. [30]

Thornton defeated two qualifiers in Christian Perez and Jyhan Artut at the 2010 World Championship, before Taylor was once again the victor when the two met in the last 16 this time winning by four sets to one. [31]

Thornton was a fixture in the world's top 16 but then broke his hand and later his 2011 season was curtailed significantly after being rushed to hospital complaining of chest pains, breathing problems and headaches. [32] He was diagnosed with pneumonia and did not play again until the 2012 World Championship, where he lost in the second round to Adrian Lewis. [33]

First PDC major

In June 2012, Thornton won his second major title and first in the PDC, the 2012 UK Open. He came through an extremely tough draw, which included defeats over former world champions, Mark Webster and Dennis Priestley, and world numbers 4 and 5, Gary Anderson and Wes Newton. [34] In the semi-finals he faced rising star Dave Chisnall and with the scores level at 2–2 early on, Thornton produced a devastating run and took the match 10–4 to reach his second major PDC final, where he played fifteen time world champion Phil Taylor. [35] Thornton trailed 0–2 in the final but then won nine of the next ten legs, as his opponent missed 23 darts at a double, and went on to seal an 11–5 victory with a 121 finish. [35] [36] He moved 11 places in the rankings from number 34 to 23 thanks to the win, with the £40,000 prize he won being the highest of his career. [32] In the next major event, the World Matchplay, Thornton was whitewashed 0–10 by Adrian Lewis in the first round. [37] In October, Thornton reached the final of the 13th Players Championship, but lost to Michael van Gerwen 5–6, after leading 4–1. [38] He atoned for this just one day later as he won the 14th event, defeating Gary Anderson 6–5 in an all Scottish final. [39] The next day, Thornton came from behind to beat Mark Walsh 2–1 in sets in the first round of the World Grand Prix. [40] He was then involved in one of the best games in the tournament's history as he again overcame Taylor, this time by 3 sets to 2, hitting eight maximums and taking out 101 and 104 checkouts and surviving six match darts from Taylor. [41] He played Mervyn King in the quarter-finals and lost 0–3 in 31 minutes, winning just four legs during the match. [42] He continued his good form in the Players Championships at the 15th event by reaching another final, this time losing to Peter Wright 1–6. [43] Thornton finished second in Group B of the Grand Slam of Darts to qualify for the last 16, but then lost 8–10 to former champion Scott Waites. [44] After all 33 ProTour events of 2012 had been played, Thornton finished 10th on the Order of Merit to qualify for the Players Championship Finals where compatriot Gary Anderson beat him 10–6 in the second round. [45] [46]

2013 season

At the 2013 World Championship Thornton missed four darts to win 4–2 in the second round against Paul Nicholson and another one in the deciding set. Nicholson threw for the match and left 58 after 12 darts, only for Thornton to take out 130. Thornton won the bull to throw first in the sudden-death leg and won it to set up a last 16 meeting with Phil Taylor. [47] However, Thornton could only win three legs as he bowed out of the tournament with a 4–0 defeat. [48] Thornton partnered Gary Anderson for the third time at the World Cup of Darts and they were shocked by Spain 5–4 in the last 16. [49]

Thornton qualified for the Premier League for the first time thanks to his UK Open win last year. [50] He produced some very impressive performances in the first half of the campaign such as in week four when he scored his highest ever televised average of 109.33 during a 7–2 win over Anderson. [51] He also averaged 107.65 in beating Simon Whitlock 7–1 in week eight, [52] and after the ninth week he was in the top four who would qualify for the play-offs at the end of the season. [53] Thornton suffered somewhat of a dip in form after this as he could only win two of his next five games and went into the last week needing to beat the Dutch duo of Raymond van Barneveld and Michael van Gerwen to progress to the play-offs. He lost to van Barneveld 7–4 and, after other results had gone against him, needed an unlikely 7–0 victory over van Gerwen, but instead was beaten 7–1 to end the season in fifth place. [54]

He threw a nine-dart finish in a quarter-final match at the first UK Open Qualifier of the year against Dave Chisnall, but went on to lose 6–4. [55] He won the fourth event in March by beating Jamie Caven 6–4 in the final, having ended Michael van Gerwen's 29 game unbeaten Pro Tour streak start to the year in the semi-finals. [56] Thornton reached the final of the first Players Championship by beating Dean Winstanley in the quarter-finals and Gary Anderson in the semis. He saved his best performance for the final where he beat Ronny Huybrechts 6–0 with an average of 111. [57] In the defence of his UK Open title, Thornton saw off Matthew Edgar and Kirk Shepherd to set up a last 16 meeting with Raymond van Barneveld. [58] Thornton began the match brightly to lead 4–1, but went on to lose 9–7. [59] Thornton produced his first ever victory over van Barneveld in the second round of the European Championship, beating him 10–9, but was defeated in the quarter-finals again in a last leg decider by Ronny Huybrechts. [60] He then suffered his fourth successive first round defeat at the World Matchplay as Ian White beat him 10–3 and also lost in the opening round of the World Grand Prix 2–1 in sets to Paul Nicholson. [61] [62] Thornton bounced back to claim the 11th Players Championship just over a week later with a 6–5 triumph over Jamie Caven. [63] Thornton won two of his three games at the Grand Slam of Darts to finish top of his group on leg difference. [64] He edged past Mervyn King 10–8 in the next round with a 161 checkout in the final leg and then punished 31 missed darts at doubles from Tony O'Shea in a 16–6 win to reach the semi-finals of the event for the first time where he met reigning BDO world champion Scott Waites. [65] [66] Thornton took an early command of the match with a 5–1 lead and withstood a fightback from Waites, who closed the gap to 8–7, to win 16–9. [67] He could never recover from a poor start in the final as he lost each of the first five legs against Phil Taylor and went on to lose 16–6. [68] His form continued into the next week as he reached the final of the 15th Players Championship, losing 6–3 to Dave Chisnall. [69]

2014 season

Thornton advanced to the third round of the 2014 World Championship with comfortable victories over Max Hopp and Beau Anderson, but didn't produce his best darts against Wes Newton as he was beaten 4–1. [70] His first final of the year came in February at the fifth UK Open Qualifier where he was defeated 6–2 by Gary Anderson. [71] Thornton was a surprise 9–7 loser to Mensur Suljović in the UK Open fourth round. [72] Thornton beat Phil Taylor 6–4 to play Ian White in the final of the sixth Players Championship. He fell 4–2 and 5–4 down and survived six match darts from White in the next leg to win his eighth PDC title 6–5. [73] He won the next event too by defeating emerging player Keegan Brown 6–5, with his opponent this time missing four match darts. [74] 24 hours later Thornton claimed the eighth event by averaging 106.56 in defeating Terry Jenkins 6–4. [75] He only won two of his 16 Premier League matches to finish eighth in the table. [76] Thornton played in his third World Cup of Darts this year and first with Peter Wright and they progressed to the quarter-finals where they played Northern Ireland's Brendan Dolan and Michael Mansell. Wright lost his singles match to Dolan, but Thornton saw off Mansell 4–3 to send the tie into a deciding doubles game which Scotland lost 4–1. [77] He reached the final of the 11th Players Championship but lost 6–2 to Anderson. [78]

Thornton attended the funeral of his mother in October and on the same day flew to Dublin to compete in the second round of the World Grand Prix against James Wade. The match is considered the best in the tournament's history. At 1–0 ahead in sets, Wade opened the next with the second ever double-start nine-dart finish and threw a 156 finish in the leg after. However, Thornton fought back to win the set and the following one, before incredibly throwing the game's second nine-darter to become the first players to have thrown a perfect leg in the same match in darts history. Thornton would miss four darts to win 3–1, with the tie instead going into a deciding set which Wade took to eliminate Thornton. [79] [80] He was knocked out in the second round of the European Championship by Terry Jenkins and lost all three of his matches at the Grand Slam to finish bottom of his group. [81] Darren Webster missed two match darts in the first round of the Players Championship Finals to allow Thornton to triumph 6–5 and he then fought back from 9–4 down against Jamie Caven to send the game into a deciding leg in which Thornton hit a single one when requiring double top to complete a 120 finish and was beaten 10–9. [82]

2015 season

Thornton was the only player to reach the quarter-finals of the 2015 World Championship without dropping a set. In his first appearance in the last eight of the event trailed Michael van Gerwen 3–0 in sets, before winning two unanswered sets. Thornton missed one dart to level the game at 3–3 and was ultimately defeated 5–3. [83] His average of 101.49 was the first time he has been over the 100 mark in a World Championship match. [84] At the second Players Championship, Thorton wired double twelve for a nine darter in a quarter-final defeat to compatriot Peter Wright. [85] He reached the final of the third event, but lost 6–3 to Adrian Lewis. [86] At the European Darts Open, Thornton averaged 111.77 whilst beating James Wade 6–1 in the semi-finals and claimed the first European Tour title of his career by seeing off Kim Huybrechts 6–2 with an average of 106.18 in the final. [87]

At the World Grand Prix, Thornton did not drop a set in the first two rounds in wins over Daryl Gurney and Justin Pipe. [88] Thornton then beat Ian White and Mensur Suljović en route to the final. [89] [90] He faced Michael van Gerwen, who hit eighteen 180's, but Thornton beat him 5–4 in sets to win his second PDC major title and third overall. Thornton also rose to number five in the PDC Order of Merit and secured his entry into the Grand Slam of Darts, where he lost 16–7 in the quarter-finals to Phil Taylor. [91] [92] [93]

2016 season

Thornton was eliminated at the first round stage of a World Championship for the first time in his career in 2016, when he could only take three legs off Alan Norris in a 3–0 defeat. [94] He relinquished an 8–0 lead in the first round of the Masters to lose 10–9 against Dave Chisnall. [95] On the opening night of the Premier League, Thornton averaged just 75.68 as Chisnall whitewashed him 7–0. [96] He only won two matches out of 16 games to finish eighth in the table. [97] Thornton was knocked out in the second round of the UK Open 6–4 by Arron Monk. [98] Thornton suffered another heavy loss to Chisnall, this time 11–2 in the second round of the World Matchplay and he was beaten 2–1 in sets by Stephen Bunting in the opening round of the World Grand Prix. [99] [100] He lost in the first round of the European Championship 6–4 to Cristo Reyes and was involved in a nine dart shoot-out at the Grand Slam after Thornton and Dimitri Van den Bergh had both won two of their three games and were locked with a plus one leg difference. Thornton won by 345 points to 340 and then was defeated 10–5 by Michael van Gerwen in the second round. [101] After losing 6–3 to Adrian Lewis in the first round of the Players Championship Finals, it meant Thornton had not progressed past the second round of any major event in 2016. [102]

2017 season

In the second round of the 2017 World Championship, Thornton lost the first six legs against Daryl Gurney but recovered to move 3–2 up. He then lost six of the final seven legs to be edged out 4–3. [103] He played in his first final since the 2015 World Grand Prix at the ninth Players Championship and was defeated 6–2 by Michael van Gerwen. [104]

World Championship results

Thornton during the 2019 European Darts Matchplay Robert Thornton 5-6 Kim Huybrechts - Robert Thornton - 2019249212902 2019-09-06 PDC European Darts Matchplay - 0944 - B70I5961.jpg
Thornton during the 2019 European Darts Matchplay

BDO

PDC

Career finals

BDO major finals: 1 (1 title)

OutcomeNo.YearChampionshipOpponent in the finalScore [N 1] Ref.
Winner1. 2007 World Masters Flag of England.svg Darryl Fitton 7–5 (s) [105]

PDC major finals: 4 (2 titles, 2 runners-up)

Legend
Grand Slam (0–1)
UK Open (1–0)
World Grand Prix (1–0)
Players Championship Finals (0–1)
OutcomeNo.YearChampionshipOpponent in the finalScore [N 1] Ref.
Runner-up1. 2009 Players Championship Finals Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 9–16 (l) [106]
Winner1. 2012 UK Open Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 11–5 (l) [35]
Runner-up2. 2013 Grand Slam of Darts Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 6–16 (l) [107]
Winner2. 2015 World Grand Prix Flag of the Netherlands.svg Michael van Gerwen 5–4 (s) [91]
  1. 1 2 (l) = score in legs, (s) = score in sets.

Seniors major finals: 3 (3 titles)

OutcomeNo.YearChampionshipOpponentScore
Winner1. 2022 World Seniors Darts Championship Flag of England.svg Martin Adams 5–1 (s)
Winner2. 2022 World Seniors Darts Matchplay Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 12–10 (l)
Winner3. 2023 World Seniors Darts Championship Flag of England.svg Richie Howson 5–2 (s)

Career statistics

Performance Table Legend
WWon the tournamentFFinalistSFSemifinalistQFQuarterfinalist#R
RR
Prel.
Lost in # round
Round-robin
Preliminary round
DQDisqualified
DNQDid not qualifyDNPDid not participateWDWithdrewNHTournament not heldNYFNot yet founded

Performance timeline

Tournament200520062007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 202120222023
PDC Ranked televised events
PDC World Championship Non-PDC 2R 3R 3R 2R 3R 3R QF 1R 2R 2R 1R DNQDNP
UK Open DNP 4R 3R 4R QF W 5R 4R 4R 2R 3R 3R 3R 3R DNP
World Matchplay Non-PDCDNQ 1R 1R DNQ 1R 1R 1R 1R 2R 1R DNQDNP
World Grand Prix Non-PDC 2R 1R DNQ QF 1R 2R W 1R QF DNQDNP
European Championship Not held SF 2R 2R DNQ QF 2R 1R 1R DNQDNP
Grand Slam of Darts Not heldDNQ 2R QF 2R DNQ 2R F RR QF 2R DNQ 2R DNQDNP
Players Championship Finals Not held F 1R DNQ 2R 2R 2R 1R 1R 2R 1R DNQDNP
PDC Non-ranked televised events
Premier League Darts DNP 5th 8th DNP 8th DNP
The Masters Not held QF 1R 1R 1R QF DNQDNP
Champions League of Darts Not held RR DNQNH
World Cup of Darts Not held QF NHDNQ 2R QF DNQ QF DNQ 2R DNP
World Series of Darts Finals Not held 2R 1R DNQDNP
PDC Past major events
Las Vegas Desert Classic Non-PDC 1R DNQNot held
BDO Ranked televised events
BDO World Championship QF DNQ QF No longer a BDO player
World Masters 3R DNP W No longer a BDO player
WSDT Televised events
World Seniors Darts Championship Not held W W
World Seniors Champion of Champions Not held QF
World Seniors Darts Masters Not held 1R SF
World Seniors Darts Matchplay Not held W 1R
Career statistics
Year-end rankingNon-PDC-16213117996928335573118-

Nine-dart finishes

Robert Thornton televised nine-dart finishes
DateOpponentTournamentMethodPrize
8 October 2014 Flag of England.svg James Wade World Grand Prix D20, 2 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T17, bullseye£2,500

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Taylor (darts player)</span> English darts player (born 1960)

Philip Douglas Taylor is an English former professional darts player. Nicknamed "The Power", he dominated darts for over three decades and won 214 professional tournaments, including a record 85 major titles and a record 16 World Championships. In 2015, the BBC rated Taylor among the ten greatest British sportsmen of the last 35 years.

Edward Hankey is an English former professional darts player. Nicknamed "The Count", he won the BDO World Darts Championship in 2000, was runner-up in 2001, and won the title for a second time in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raymond van Barneveld</span> Dutch darts player

Raymond van Barneveld is a Dutch professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. Nicknamed "Barney", although originally known as "The Man", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest darts players of all time. Van Barneveld is a five-time World Darts Champion, a two-time UK Open Champion and a former winner of the Las Vegas Desert Classic, the Grand Slam of Darts and the Premier League. He is also a twice-winner of the World Masters and the World Darts Trophy, and a three-time winner of the International Darts League, the Dutch Open and the WDF World Cup Singles event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Beaton</span> English darts player

Steve Beaton is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won the BDO World Darts Championship in 1996 and is a former World No. 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mervyn King (darts player)</span> English professional darts player

Mervyn King is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) tournaments. Nicknamed The King, he has reached seven PDC major finals and reached a peak of No. 4 in the PDC Order of Merit. He is also the 2004 World Master.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrian Lewis</span> English darts player

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, also winning the 2013 European Championship and the 2014 UK Open.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Wade</span> English darts player

James Martin Wade is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). He became the youngest player to win a major PDC title, when he won the 2007 World Matchplay at the age of 24. This record has since been broken by Michael van Gerwen. Wade has won eleven PDC majors, third in the all-time list behind Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Hamilton (darts player)</span> English darts player

Andrew Hamilton, nicknamed The Hammer, is an English professional darts player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Jenkins</span> English darts player

Terry Jenkins is an English former professional darts player who was nicknamed The Bull, having previously used the name "Tucker" for his matches. He reached number three in the world rankings and was a runner-up in nine major PDC televised finals, those being the 2006 and 2007 World Grand Prix, 2007 Premier League, 2007 Las Vegas Desert Classic, 2007 and 2009 World Matchplay, 2008 Grand Slam of Darts, 2014 UK Open and 2014 European Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Anderson (darts player)</span> Scottish darts player

Gary James Grant Anderson is a Scottish professional darts player playing in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Nicknamed "The Flying Scotsman", after the famous steam train, he is a former BDO and WDF world number one, and a two-time PDC World Champion, having won the title in 2015 and 2016. He is regarded as one of the best darts players of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Webster (darts player)</span> Welsh darts player

Mark Webster is a Welsh former professional darts player. Nicknamed Webby and The Spider, he played in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. Webster began his career on the British Darts Organisation (BDO) circuit, winning the BDO World Championship in 2008. He became a full-time professional in 2009, having previously been a fully qualified registered plumber. He now works as an analyst and commentator on Sky Sports and ITV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Whitlock</span> Australian darts player

Simon Whitlock is an Australian professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) tournaments, having also played in the British Darts Organisation (BDO) between 2004 and 2009. He uses the nickname The Wizard for his matches. His walk-on music is "Down Under" by Men at Work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mensur Suljović</span> Serbian darts player

Mensur Suljović is a Serbian-Austrian professional darts player. He plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, having previously played in the British Darts Organisation (BDO).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Bunting</span> English darts player

Stephen Bunting is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation events. Nicknamed The Bullet, Bunting is the reigning Masters champion. He also won the 2014 BDO World Darts Championship and is a twice former BDO World Masters champion.

Robbie Green is a former English professional darts player. His nickname was Kong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Nicholson (darts player)</span> English darts player

Paul Michael Nicholson is an English former professional darts player who played in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). He won a major event, the 2010 Players Championship Finals, where he defeated Mervyn King in the final. He was also the runner-up to Phil Taylor in the 2011 Championship League Darts, and part of the Australia team which lost a sudden death shoot-out to England in the 2012 PDC World Cup of Darts final.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Chisnall</span> English darts player

Dave Chisnall is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked No. 7 in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Wright (darts player)</span> Scottish darts player

Peter Stuart Wright is a Scottish professional darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), where he is currently ranked No. 8 in the world. Nicknamed "Snakebite", he is a two-time world champion, having won the PDC World Darts Championship in 2020 and 2022. He is also a World Matchplay champion and has been ranked as the World No. 1 in the PDC twice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian White (darts player)</span> English darts player

Ian White, nicknamed Diamond, is an English professional darts player currently playing in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. White is the winner of 13 PDC ranking events, and has reached many quarter-finals in majors. In 2019, he reached his first major semi final.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Huybrechts</span> Belgian darts player

Kim Huybrechts is a Belgian professional darts player currently playing in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He made the final of a major TV event, the 2012 Players Championship Finals, losing to Phil Taylor 13-6, as well as making the final of the 2013 PDC World Cup of Darts with his brother Ronny. He has also achieved the perfect nine-dart finish on TV, doing so in the 2014 Grand Slam of Darts against Michael van Gerwen in the quarter-finals, and has appeared in the Premier League on two occasions.

References

  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 26 March 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. BDO Darts Archives – April 2008 BDO Darts. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  3. "Return to work finally pays off for Robert Thornton in Masters victory". The Times . Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  4. "2005 BDO World Championship Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  5. 1 2 "Robert Thornton". Modus Darts. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  6. "2007 Scottish Masters Player Prize Money". Darts Database. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  7. "2008 BDO World Championship Qualifiers Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  8. "2007 World Masters Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  9. "Another Wonderful Winmau World Masters in Bridlington". British Darts Organisation. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  10. "Thornton captures Masters title". BBC Sport . Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  11. "2008 BDO World Championship Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  12. "2008 Dutch Open Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  13. "Thornton makes PDC move". Sky Sports . Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  14. "2008 PDC UK Open Pub Qualifiers Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  15. "2008 UK Open Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  16. "2008 Las Vegas Desert Classic Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  17. "2008 World Grand Prix Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  18. "2008 European Championship Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  19. "2008 Grand Slam Of Darts Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  20. "2008 Australian Open Players Championship Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  21. "2009 PDC World Championship Qualifiers". Darts Database. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  22. "2009 PDC World Championship Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
  23. "2009 Players Championship Finals Seeds". Darts Database. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
  24. "2009 Players Championship Finals Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
  25. "Darts: Taylor makes winning return to Circus Tavern". This is Staffordshire. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
  26. "Thornton's Premier League Aim". PDC. 27 April 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  27. "2009 UK Open Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  28. "2009 World Matchplay Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  29. "2009 European Championship Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  30. "2009 Grand Slam of Darts Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  31. "2010 PDC World Championship Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  32. 1 2 "Thornton's World Matchplay Aim". PDC . Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  33. "World Championship – Night Eight". PDC. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  34. "2012 UK Open Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  35. 1 2 3 "Thornton Stuns Taylor For Title". PDC. Archived from the original on 13 June 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  36. "Thornton Stuns Taylor in UK Open". Sporting Life. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  37. "Lewis whitewashes Thornton". Sky Sports . Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  38. "Van Gerwen Glory in Dublin". PDC. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  39. "Thornton Edges All-Scottish Final". PDC. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
  40. "PartyPoker.com WGP – Monday". PDC. 8 October 2012. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
  41. "PartyPoker.com WGP – Wednesday". PDC. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
  42. "PartyPoker.com WGP Quarter-Finals". PDC. 12 October 2012. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  43. "Wright Secures Maiden Victory". PDC . Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  44. "William Hill Grand Slam – Thursday". PDC. Archived from the original on 17 November 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  45. "Minehead Qualifiers Confirmed". PDC . Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  46. "Cash Converters PCF Day Two". PDC. Archived from the original on 4 December 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  47. "Ladbrokes WDC Day Eight". PDC. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  48. "Ladbrokes WDC Day Ten". PDC. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  49. "Betfair World Cup of Darts – Last 16". PDC . Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  50. "McCoy's Premier League Expanded". PDC . Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  51. "McCoy's Premier League Darts Night Four". PDC. 28 February 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  52. "McCoy's Premier League Darts Night Eight". PDC. 28 March 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  53. "McCoy's Premier League Darts Night Nine". PDC. 17 May 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  54. "McCoy's Premier League Darts Night Fourteen". PDC. 9 May 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  55. "Van Gerwen Races To UK Open Qualifier Win". PDC. Archived from the original on 25 February 2013. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  56. "Thorn Strikes For Qualifier Four Win". PDC. Archived from the original on 20 March 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  57. "Six Of The Best For Thornton!". PDC . Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  58. "2013 UK Open Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  59. "Speedy Services UK Open – Fifth Round". PDC. Archived from the original on 10 June 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  60. "partypoker.net Euro Champs QFs". PDC . Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  61. "BetVictor World Matchplay Night Three". PDC. 19 October 2013. Archived from the original on 25 July 2013.
  62. "partypoker.com World Grand Prix Day One". PDC. Archived from the original on 9 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  63. "Thornton Triumphs In Killarney". PDC. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  64. "2013 Grand Slam Of Darts Fixtures". Darts Database. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  65. "William Hill Grand Slam Day Five". PDC. Archived from the original on 14 November 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  66. "William Hill Grand Slam Day Seven". PDC. Archived from the original on 18 November 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  67. "William Hill Grand Slam Semi-Finals". PDC. Archived from the original on 20 November 2013. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  68. "Taylor's Five Alive In Grand Slam!". PDC. Archived from the original on 20 November 2013. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  69. "Chisnall On Top In Barnsley". PDC. Archived from the original on 24 November 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  70. "Ladbrokes World Championship Day 12". PDC. 27 December 2013. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013.
  71. "Anderson Storms To Qualifier Five Win". PDC . Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  72. "Coral UK Open – Saturday Afternoon". PDC . Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  73. "Thornton Triumphs In Wigan". PDC. Archived from the original on 3 December 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  74. "Thornton Denies Brown In Wigan". PDC . Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  75. "Thornton Claims Fantastic Wigan Double". PDC. Archived from the original on 7 May 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  76. "2014 Premier League Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  77. "bwin World Cup of Darts Quarter-Finals". PDC . Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  78. "Brilliant Anderson Storms To Victory In Coventry". PDC. Archived from the original on 17 June 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  79. "partypoker.com WGP Day Three". PDC . Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  80. "World Grand Prix darts: James Wade and Robert Thornton both hit nine-darters". Sky Sports . Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  81. "Robert Thornton 2014". Darts Database. Archived from the original on 9 December 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  82. "Cash Converters PCF Day Two". PDC. Archived from the original on 3 December 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  83. "William Hill World Championship Day 11". PDC. Archived from the original on 2 January 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  84. "Robert Thornton World Championship Averages" . Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  85. Tenacious James Wade takes Players Championship triumph in Barnsley Darts TV. 15 March 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  86. "Lewis Claims Barnsley ProTour Success". PDC . Retrieved 10 April 2015.
  87. "Super Thornton Takes First Euro Crown". PDC. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  88. "World Grand Prix – Wednesday". PDC. 7 October 2015. Archived from the original on 10 October 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  89. "World Grand Prix QF". PDC. 8 October 2012. Archived from the original on 10 October 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  90. "World Grand Prix SF". PDC. 9 October 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  91. 1 2 "Thrilling Thornton's Dublin Delight". PDC. 10 October 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  92. "Robert Thornton defeated Michael van Gerwen in the World Grand Prix final". Sky Sports . Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  93. "2015 Grand Slam Of Darts Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  94. "William Hill World Championship Day Five". PDC. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  95. "Dave Chisnall comes back from 8–0 down to reach Masters quarter finals". St Helens Star . Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  96. "Betway Premier League Week One". PDC . Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  97. "2016 Premier League Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  98. "2016 Coral UK Open Day One". PDC . Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  99. "2016 World Matchplay Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  100. "Unibet World Grand Prix Day One". PDC. Archived from the original on 28 October 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  101. "SINGHA Beer Grand Slam Day Four". PDC. Archived from the original on 25 November 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  102. "Robert Thornton 2016 Results". Darts Database. Archived from the original on 19 December 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  103. "William Hill World Championship Day Ten". PDC. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  104. "Nine-Dart Van Gerwen Claims Victory". PDC. Archived from the original on 4 May 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  105. "2007 World Masters Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  106. "2009 Players Championship Finals Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  107. "2013 Grand Slam Of Darts Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 18 November 2013.