Darts

Darts in a dartboard
Highest governing body	WDF
Nickname(s)	throwers
First played	approx 1870s[1]
Registered players	655 WDF ranked players 679 PDPA ranked players
Characteristics
Contact	No
Team members	Team events exist, see World Cup
Mixed gender	Separate men's & women's championship although no restrictions on women competing against men.
Categorization	Target sports, Individual sport
Equipment	Set of 3 darts, dartboard
Olympic	Not ever recognised as an Olympic sport

Darts is a form of throwing game in which darts are thrown at a circular target (dartboard) fixed to a wall.^[2] Though various boards and rules have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules. As well as being a professional competitive sport, darts is a traditional pub game, commonly played in the United Kingdom, across the Commonwealth, the Netherlands, Belgium, Republic of Ireland, the Scandinavian countries, the United States, Canada and elsewhere.

Equipment[link]

Dartboard[link]

Before the First World War, pubs in the United Kingdom had dartboards made from solid blocks of wood, usually elm. They had to be soaked overnight to heal the holes made by the darts, and it was a messy business for the publican, although darts was a popular game. This changed when a company called Nodor, whose primary business was making modelling clay (which has no odour, hence the name Nodor), made a dartboard. Their model of dartboard was not a great success until someone came up with the idea of using the century plant to make a dartboard. Small bundles of sisal fibres of the same length were bundled together. The bundles were then compressed into a disk and bound with a metal ring. It was an instant success, as the darts did little or no damage to the board—they just parted the fibres when they entered the board; this type of board was more durable and required little maintenance.

Quality dartboards are made of sisal fibres; cheap boards are sometimes made of cork or coiled paper. However, several types of sisal fibre are used in dartboards today, originating from East Africa, Brazil or China. The widespread belief that some dartboards are constructed using pig bristles, camel hair, or horse hair, is incorrect. Apparently no such boards have ever been produced commercially.^{[citation needed]}

A regulation board is 17 ³⁄₄ inches (451 mm)^[3] in diameter and is divided into 20 radial sections. Each section is separated with metal wire or a thin band of sheet metal. The best dartboards have the thinnest wire, so that the darts have less chance of hitting a wire and bouncing out. The numbers indicating the various scoring sections of the board are also normally made of wire, especially on tournament-quality boards. The wire ring on which the numbers are welded can be turned to facilitate even wear of the board. Boards of lesser quality often have the numbers printed directly on the board.

Recently, some companies have produced electronic dartboards. These dartboards have electronic scoring computers that are preprogrammed with a wide variety of game types. The board is made of plastic facings with small holes. The holes slant out, allowing the plastic-tipped darts to stick inside. When a dart strikes the board, the section makes contact with a metal plate, telling the computer where the player has thrown.

History[link]

"Hope and Anchor dart club", 20 Waterloo Street (now Macbeth Street), Hammersmith, London, UK. ca 1925. NB publican Charles Fletcher (seated front row center) with elm board

Playing darts

The dartboard may have its origins in the cross-section of a tree. An old name for a dartboard is "butt"; the word comes from the French word but, meaning "target".^[4] In particular, the Yorkshire and Manchester Log End boards differ from the standard board in that they have no treble only double and bullseye, the Manchester board being of a smaller diameter, with a playing area of only 25 cm across with double and bull areas measuring just 4mm. The London Fives board is another variation. This has only 12 equal segments numbered 20, 5, 15, 10, 20, 5, 15, 10, 20, 5, 15, 10 with the doubles and triples being a quarter of an inch wide.

There is a speculation that the game originated among soldiers throwing short arrows at the bottom of the cask or at the bottom of trunks of trees. As the wood dried, cracks would develop, creating "sections". Soon, regional standards emerged and many woodworkers supplemented bar tabs by fabricating dart boards for the local pubs.

The standard numbering plan with a 20 on top was created in 1896 by Lancashire carpenter Brian Gamlin.^[5] However, a great many other configurations have been used throughout the years and in different geographical locations. Gamlin's layout was devised to penalise inaccuracy. Although this applies to most of the board, the left-hand side (near the 14 section) is preferred by beginners, for its concentration of larger numbers. Mathematically, removing the rotational symmetry by placing the "20" at the top, there are 19!, or 121,645,100,408,832,000 possible dartboards. Many different layouts would penalise a player more than the current setup; however, the current setup actually does the job rather efficiently. There have been several mathematical papers published that consider the "optimal" dartboard.^[6]

Height and distance[link]

In the standard game, the dartboard is hung so that the bullseye is 5 feet 8 inches (172.72 cm) from the floor—eye-level for a 6-foot (180 cm) person. The oche ( /ˈɒki/)—the line behind which the throwing player must stand—is generally 7 feet 9+¹⁄₄ inches (236.86 cm) from the face of the dartboard measured horizontally. Another recognised way of dartboard / oche dimensions is as thus... set up the dartboard on a solid wall so that the distance from the floor to the centre of the bullseye (in the centre of the dartboard) is 68 inches (172.72 cm), then measuring again from the centre of the bullseye in a diagonal manner, measure 115.41 inches (293.14 cm) from the bullseye to the rear of the oche and this will ensure true and accurate allround dimensions, provided the floor is horizontal and the walls are plumb. An alternate means of measuring the distance from the bullseye to the far side of the oche or throwing line. It is 93.249 inches (236.85 cm) from the rear of the oche to a plumb line hanging (right angle) from the bulls eye. This figure is calculated using Pythagorean theorem, a² + b² = c². This is the recognized world standard as set by the World Darts Federation and is used in most areas. The London 5 board or narrow 5s board set up is slightly different from the standard board. The height is set at 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m) to the centre of the bull and the oche is at 9 feet (2.74 m) from the face of the board.^[7]

Darts[link]

Initially the missiles were simply cut down arrows or crossbow bolts.^[8] The first purpose made darts were manufactured in one piece from wood; wrapped with a strip of lead for weight and fitted with flights made from split turkey feathers. These darts were mainly imported from France and became known as French darts.^[9] Metal barrels were patented in 1906 but wood continued to be used into the 1950s.^[8][10] The first metal barrels were made from brass which was relatively cheap and easy to work.^[9] The wooden shafts, which were now threaded to fit the tapped barrel, were either fletched as before or designed to take a paper flight. This type of dart continued to be used into the 1970s.^[9] When the advantages of using plastic were realised, the shaft and flight became separate entities, although one piece moulded plastic shaft and flights were also available.^[11]

Modern darts have four parts: The points, the barrels, the shafts and the fletching^[12] The steel points come in 2 common lengths, 32mm and 41mm and are sometimes knurled or coated to improve grip. Others are designed to retract slightly on impact to lessen the chance of bouncing out.^[13]

The barrels come in a variety of weights and are usually constructed from brass, silver- nickel or a tungsten alloy.^[14] Brass is cheap but light and therefore brass barrels tend to be very bulky. Tungsten on the other hand, is twice as dense as brass thus a barrel of an equivalent weight could be half the diameter.^[15] Tungsten is very brittle however and so an alloy of between 80 and 95 per cent tungsten is used. The remainder is usually nickel, iron or copper.^[15] Silver-nickel darts offer a compromise between density and cost.

Barrels come in 3 basic shapes: Cylindrical, torpedo or ton.^[16] Cylindrical barrels are the same diameter along their entire length and so tend to be long and thin. Their slenderness makes them better for grouping but because they are long, the centre of gravity is further back. Ton shaped barrels are thin at either end but bulge in the middle. This makes them fatter than a cylindrical barrel of equivalent weight but the centre of gravity is further forward and so theoretically easier to throw. Torpedo shaped barrels are widest at the point end and taper towards the rear. This keeps the weight as far forward as possible but like the ton, gives it a larger diameter than the cylinder.

The shafts are manufactured in various lengths and some are designed to be cut to length. Shafts are generally made from plastics, nylon polymers or metals such as aluminium and titanium; and can be rigid or flexible.^[17] Longer shafts provide greater stability and allow a reduction in flight size which in turn can lead to closer grouping; but they also shift the weight towards the rear causing the dart to tilt backwards during flight,requiring a harder,faster throw. A longer shaft will however make the dart less responsive and increase the chance of "wobbling".

The primary purpose of the flight is to produce drag and thus prevent the rear of the dart overtaking the point.^[12] It also has an effect on stability by reducing wobble. Modern flights are generally made from plastic, nylon or foil and are available in a range of shapes and sizes. The three most common shapes in order of size are the standard, the kite and the smaller pear shape. The less surface area, the less stability but larger flights hamper close grouping. Some manufactures have sought to solve this by making a flight long and thin but this in turn creates other problems such as changing the dart's centre of gravity. Generally speaking a heavier dart will require a larger flight.^[12]

The choice of barrel, shaft and flight will depend a great deal on the individual player’s throwing style. For competitive purposes a dart cannot weigh more than 50g including the shaft and flight and cannot exceed a total length of 300mm.^[8]

Scoring[link]

The standard dartboard is divided into 20 numbered sections, scoring from 1 to 20 points, by wires running from the small central circle to the outer circular wire. Circular wires within the outer wire subdivide each section into single, double and triple areas. The dartboard featured on the "Indoor League" television show of the 1970s did not feature a triple section, and according to host Fred Trueman during the first episode, this is the traditional Yorkshire board.

Various games can be played (and still are played informally) using the standard dartboard. However, in the official game, any dart landing inside the outer wire scores as follows:

• Hitting one of the large portions of each of the numbered sections, traditionally alternately coloured black and white, scores the points value of that section.
• Hitting the thin inner portions of these sections, roughly halfway between the outer wire and the central circle coloured red and green, scores triple the points value of that section.
• Hitting the thin outer portions of these sections, again coloured red or green, scores double the points value of that section. The double-20 is often referred to as double-top, reflecting the 20's position on the dartboard.
• The central circle is divided into a green outer ring worth 25 points (known as "outer", "outer bull", or "iris") and a red inner circle (usually known as "bull", "inner bull" or "double bull"), worth 50 points. The term "bullseye" can mean either the whole central part of the board or just the inner red section. The term "bull's ring" usually means just the green outer ring. The inner bull counts as a double when doubling in or out.
• Hitting outside the outer wire scores nothing.
• Any dart that does not remain in the board until it is collected by the player (for example, a dart that hits a wire and bounces out of the board or drops out with the impact of a later throw) also scores nothing; exception should be noted if play is on any electronic board: darts falling out are counted.
• A dart only scores if its point is embedded in or is touching the playing surface. A dart that hits the board side on or at an angle but does not fall off because it is held in place by two other darts, for example, will score either equal to where its point touches or not at all.

The highest score possible with three darts is 180, commonly known as a "ton 80" (100 points is called a ton), obtained when all three darts land in the triple 20. In the televised game, the referee frequently announces a score of 180 in exuberant style. A "quad" ring appeared briefly in the 1990s, leading to a potential 240 maximum (three quad-20s), a 210 maximum checkout (Q20-Q20-Bull) and seven dart finishes from a 501 start (five quad-20s, triple-17, bullseye), but was swiftly dropped from professional tournament play.

Skill level and aiming[link]

Assuming standard scoring, the optimal area to aim for on the dart board in order to maximize the player's score varies significantly based on the players skill. The skilled player should aim for the centre of the T20 and as the player's skill reduces their aim moves slightly up and to the left of the T20. At σ = 16.4 the best place to aim jumps to the T19. As the player's skill decreases further, the best place to aim curls into the centre of the board, stopping a bit lower than and to the left of the bullseye at σ = 100.^[18]

Playing darts[link]

There are many games that can be played on a dartboard, but darts generally refers to a game whereby the player throws three darts per visit to the board with the goal of reducing a fixed score, commonly 501 or 301, to zero ("checking out"), with the final dart landing in either the bullseye or a double segment. A game of darts is generally contested between two players, who take turns. Each turn consists of throwing three darts. When two teams play, the starting score is increased to '701'; the rules remain the same.

A throw that reduces a player's score below zero, to exactly one, or to zero but not ending with a double is known as "going bust", with the player's score being reset to the value prior to starting the turn, and the remainder of the turn being forfeited. A darts match is played over a fixed number of games, known as legs. A match may be divided into sets, with each set being contested as over a fixed number of legs.

Although playing straight down from 501 is standard in darts, sometimes a double must be hit to begin scoring, known as "doubling in", with all darts thrown before hitting a double not being counted. The PDC's World Grand Prix uses this format.

The minimum number of thrown darts required to complete a leg of 501 is nine. The most common nine dart finish consists of two 180 maximums followed by a 141 checkout (T20-T19-D12), but there are many other possible ways of achieving the feat. Three 167s (T20-T19-Bull) is considered a pure or perfect nine dart finish by some players, most notably the flamboyant Bobby George.

Other darts games and variants[link]

There are a number of regional variations on the standard rules and scoring systems. "Round the Clock" is a variation that involves hitting the numbers in sequence, known as "around the world" in New Zealand.^[19] "Jumpers" is a somewhat swifter and more exciting variation of Round the Clock believed to have originated amongst the British ex-pat community in Asia.^[20]

American darts[link]

American Darts is a regional USA variant of the game (most U.S. dart players play the traditional games described above). This style of dart board is most often found in eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and parts of New York state.

Archery darts[link]

This is played in the exact same way as a regular game of darts, but using recurve or compound bows to shoot full length arrows from a distance to hit a 60 cm or 90 cm paper target face that looks like a dartboard. These are commercially produced, but usually only in black & white.

Audio darts[link]

A variant of traditional darts played using a blindfold. Often played by people with visual disabilities and their friends. Typically a talking electronic dartboard is used to speak the numbers hit, keep score and announce who is throwing next.

Darts cricket[link]

Dartball[link]

Dartball is a darts game based on the sport of baseball. It is played on a diamond shaped board and has similar scoring to baseball.

Dart Golf[link]

Dart golf is a darts game based on the sport of golf and is regulated by the World Dolf Federation (WDFF).^[21] It is played on both special golf dartboards and traditional dartboards. Scoring is similar to golf.

Fives[link]

An 'East-End' or 'Fives' dartboard

This is a regional variant still played in some parts of the East End of London. The board has fewer, larger segments, all numbered either 5, 10, 15 or 20. Players play down from 505 rather than 501, and stand the farthest (9 ft, 2.7 m) away from the board of any mainstream variation.^[22]

Halve it[link]

Halve it is a darts game popular in the United Kingdom and parts of North America where competitors try to hit previously agreed targets on a standard dart board.^[23] Failure to do so within a single throw (3 darts) results in the player losing half their accumulated score. Any number of players can take part and the game can vary in length depending on the number of targets selected.^[24] The game can be tailored to the skill level of the players by selecting easy or difficult targets.

Killer[link]

Killer is a 'knock-out' game for two or more players (at its best at 4-6 players). Initially each player throws a dart at the board with their non-dominant hand to obtain their 'number'. No two players can have the same number. Once everyone has a number, each player takes it in turn to get their number five times with their three darts (doubles count twice, and triples three times). Once a person has reached 5, they become a 'killer'. This means they can aim for other peoples numbers, taking a point off for each time they hit (doubles x2, triples x3). If a person gets to zero they are out. A killer can aim for anyone's numbers, even another killer's. You cannot get more than 5 points. The winner is 'the last man standing'.^[25]

Lawn Darts[link]

Lawn darts (also called Jarts or yard darts) is a lawn game based on darts. The game play and objective are similar to both horseshoes and darts. The darts are similar to the ancient Roman plumbata.

Shanghai[link]

Shanghai is a darts game of accuracy.^[26] Hitting doubles and triples is paramount to victory. This game is played with at least two players. The standard version is played in 7 rounds.^[26] In round one players throw their darts aiming for the 1 section, round 2, the 2 section and so on until round 7. Standard scoring is used, and doubles and triples are counted. Only hits on the wedge for that round are counted. The winner is the person who has the most points at the end of seven rounds (1-7); or you can score a Shanghai and win instantly. To score a Shanghai you have to hit a triple, a double and single (in any order) of the number that is in play.^[26]

Shanghai can also be played for 20 rounds to use all numbers.

A Fairer Start for Shanghai: To prevent players from becoming too practised at shooting for the 1, the number sequence can begin at the number of the dart that lost the throw for the bullseye to determine the starting thrower. For example; Thrower A shoots for the bullseye and hits the 17. Thrower B shoots for the bullseye and hits it. Thrower B then begins the game, starting on the number 17, then 18, 19, 20, 1, 2, 3, etc. through 16 (if no player hits Shanghai).

Darts organizations[link]

Amateur League Organizations[link]

The American Darts Organization promulgates rules and standards for amateur league darts and sanctions tournaments in the United States. The American Darts Organization began operation January 1, 1976 with 30 charter member clubs and a membership of 7,500 players. Today, the ADO has a membership that averages 250 clubs on a yearly basis representing roughly 50,000 members.^[27]

Professional organizations[link]

Of the two professional organisations, the British Darts Organisation (BDO), founded 1973, is the older. Its tournaments are often shown on the BBC in the UK and on SBS6 in the Netherlands. The BDO is a member of the World Darts Federation (WDF) (founded 1976), along with organizations in some 60 other countries worldwide. The BDO originally organised a number of the more prestigious British tournaments with a few notable exceptions such as the News of the World Championship and the national events run under the auspices of the National Darts Association of Great Britain. However, many sponsors were lost and British TV coverage became much reduced by the early nineties.

In 1992 a breakaway organisation was formed, initially known as the World Darts Council (WDC) but shortly after known as the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). The PDC tournaments have a considerable following, although the PDC World Championship attracts lower TV viewing figures than that of the BDO.

The PDC tournaments often have higher prize money and feature the leading player in the history of the game, 15-time World Champion Phil Taylor. The highly successful BDO player Raymond van Barneveld switched to the PDC and won the PDC World Championship at his first attempt in 2007.

Professional darts[link]

The BDO and PDC both organise a World Professional Championship. They are held annually over the Christmas/New Year period, with the PDC championship finishing slightly earlier than the BDO tournament. The BDO World Championship has been running since 1978; the PDC World Championship started in 1994.

Both organisations hold other professional tournaments. The BDO organise the World Masters and many Open tournaments. They also organise county darts for their 66 county members in the UK including individual and team events.

The PDC's major tournaments are the World Championship, Premier League, UK Open, Las Vegas Desert Classic, World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix. All of these are broadcast live on Sky Sports television in the UK. They also hold PDC Pro Tour events and smaller category events around the UK. As of 2007 the PDC have introduced two new televised major tournaments—the US Open (to be broadcast on Challenge TV) and the Grand Slam of Darts (to be screened on ITV).

Two Dutch independently organised major tournaments, the International Darts League and the World Darts Trophy introduced a mix of BDO and PDC players in 2006 and 2007. Both organisations allocated rankings to the tournaments, but these two events are now discontinued.

The WDF World Cup for national teams and a singles tournament has been played biennially since 1977. The WDF also organise the Europe Cup.The PDC has their own world cup the PDC World Cup

Professional darts players[link]

World champions[link]

Year	Winner WPD (BDO)	Winner BDO	Winner PDC
1978	Leighton Rees (1)
1979	John Lowe (1)
1980	Eric Bristow (1)
1981	Eric Bristow (2)
1982	Jocky Wilson (1)
1983	Keith Deller (1)
1984	Eric Bristow (3)
1985	Eric Bristow (4)
1986	Eric Bristow (5)
1987	John Lowe (2)
1988	Bob Anderson (1)
1989	Jocky Wilson (2)
1990	Phil Taylor (1)
1991	Dennis Priestley (1)
1992	Phil Taylor (2)
1993	John Lowe (3)
1994		John Part (1)	Dennis Priestley (2)
1995		Richie Burnett (1)	Phil Taylor (3)
1996		Steve Beaton (1)	Phil Taylor (4)
1997		Les Wallace (1)	Phil Taylor (5)
1998		Raymond van Barneveld (1)	Phil Taylor (6)
1999		Raymond van Barneveld (2)	Phil Taylor (7)
2000		Ted Hankey (1)	Phil Taylor (8)
2001		John Walton (1)	Phil Taylor (9)
2002		Tony David (1)	Phil Taylor (10)
2003		Raymond van Barneveld (3)	John Part (2)
2004		Andy Fordham (1)	Phil Taylor (11)
2005		Raymond van Barneveld (4)	Phil Taylor (12)
2006		Jelle Klaasen (1)	Phil Taylor (13)
2007		Martin Adams (1)	Raymond van Barneveld (5)
2008		Mark Webster (1)	John Part (3)
2009		Ted Hankey (2)	Phil Taylor (14)
2010		Martin Adams (2)	Phil Taylor (15)
2011		Martin Adams (3)	Adrian Lewis (1)
2012		Christian Kist (1)	Adrian Lewis (2)

2010 World Champions

BDO: Martin Adams Wolfie

PDC: Phil Taylor The Power

Women's BDO: Trina Gulliver The Golden Girl

Women's PDC: Stacy Bromberg

Multiple World Champions

15 Phil Taylor The Power (13 PDC, 2 BDO)

8 Trina Gulliver The Golden Girl

5 Eric Bristow Crafty Cockney

5 Raymond van Barneveld Barney / The Man (4 BDO, 1 PDC)

3 John Part Darth Maple (1 BDO, 2 PDC)

3 John Lowe Old Stoneface

3 Martin Adams Wolfie

2 Adrian Lewis Jackpot

2 Ted Hankey The Count

2 Jocky Wilson

2 Dennis Priestley The Menace (1 BDO, 1 PDC)

Former one-time BDO World Champions

Bob Anderson The Limestone Cowboy

Steve Beaton Magnum-PI/ The Bronze Adonis

Richie Burnett The Prince of Wales

Tony David The Deadly Boomerang

Keith Deller The Fella / The Milky Bar Kid

Andy Fordham The Viking

Jelle Klaasen The Matador

Leighton Rees

Les Wallace McDanger

John Walton John Boy

Mark Webster Webby

World rankings[link]

Both the WDF, BDO and PDC each maintain their own rankings lists. These lists are commonly used to determine seedings for various tournaments. The WDF rankings are based on the preceding 12 months performances, the BDO resets all ranking points to zero after the seedings for their world championship have been determined, and the PDC Order of Merit is based on prize money earned over a two year period.

Televised darts[link]

Darts first appeared on British television in 1962 when Westward Television broadcast the Westward TV Invitational to the south-west of England. In 1970, ITV broadcast the News of the World Championship and from 1972 the Indoor League, which featured a darts tournament.

Over the next decade darts coverage expanded with many major tournaments appearing on both ITV and BBC through the 1970s and early 1980s, but the cancellation of ITV's World of Sport show in 1985 meant they had to cut back on darts coverage but despite this they still showed the World Masters until 1988. The BBC also cut back on their coverage to the extent that one major event was still broadcast on either channel by 1988—the World Championship.

With the creation of the WDC/PDC in 1992/93, darts gradually returned to television with Sky Television covering the new organization's World Championship and World Matchplay events from 1994. Sky's coverage continued to increase throughout the 1990s, with more new events added. The PDC's World Championship, Premier League, UK Open, Grand Slam of Darts, World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix are all televised live on Sky.

The BBC finally began to expand their darts coverage in 2001 when they added the World Masters to their portfolio. However, it wasn't until 2005 that viewers were able to see every dart thrown live at the World Championship. This was the year that BBC introduced interactive coverage on its BBCi service.

Darts has continued to grow again on television and there now several major tournaments broadcast in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world. Dutch station, Sport One, DSF in Germany and several other TV stations across the globe also broadcast the PDC events.

In Europe, Eurosport broadcast the Lakeside World Championships, having signed a three-year contract in 2006, and that year also broadcast the Finland Open, the BDO British Internationals, the BDO England Open and the BDO British Open. There has been no Eurosport coverage of Open events since 2007.

In the Netherlands, SBS6 has broadcast the Lakeside (since 1998) and the Dutch Open. They also shown the International Darts League and World Darts Trophy, however they are now defunct. RTL 5 broadcast the Dutch Grand Masters in 2005. Some of these tournaments can also be watched on the internet for free using a live stream, depending on contractual restrictions (external links: SBS Streams^{[28][29][30][31][32]} and Watchdarts.com stream^[33])

The PDC has also tried to break into the television market in the United States by introducing the World Series of Darts in 2006. It had a $1 million prize to showcase professional darts in the United States. Unfortunately the programme was not a ratings success and was taken from its peak time broadcast slot on ESPN after just a few weeks. The tournament was replaced with a US Open event in 2007 which was screened in the UK on digital television channel Challenge TV, with Nuts TV showing the 2008 tournament.

ITV returned to darts coverage in November 2007, showing the inaugural Grand Slam of Darts — its first major darts tournament coverage in almost twenty years. Sentanta Sports also televised some BDO events.

In 2012, the BBC shared coverage of the BDO World Championships with pay-TV sports channel ESPN. Sky Sports continue to screen major PDC events, including the World Championships, Premier League Darts and Grand Slam of Darts. ITV4 broadcast two PDC events, the Players Championship Finals and European Championships.

Betting[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

In places where alcohol is consumed, English law has long permitted betting only on games of skill, as opposed to games of chance, and then only for small stakes. An apocryphal tale relates that in 1908, Jim Garside, the landlord of the Adelphi Inn, Leeds, England was called before the local magistrates to answer the charge that he had allowed betting on a game of chance, darts, on his premises. Garside asked for the assistance of local champion William Bigfoot Anakin who attended as a witness and demonstrated that he could hit any number on the board nominated by the court. Garside was discharged as the magistrates found darts, indeed, to be a game of skill. More recently, in keeping with darts' strong association with pubs and drinking, matches between friends or pub teams are often played for pints.

In the professional game, betting is prominent with many of the big bookmaking companies sponsoring events (particularly within the PDC). Sky Bet (Premier League), Bodog (World Grand Prix), Stan James (World Matchplay), Blue Square (UK Open) and Ladbrokes (World Championship) are all title sponsors of major PDC events.

On Fox Sports broadcasts in the United States, the logos for Ladbrokes are pixelated out and digitally obscured, along with any audible references to Ladbrokes, because of American laws and policies against online gambling.

See also[link]

• Darts world rankings—current ranking lists for BDO and PDC
• Darts tournaments—previous winners, history and information
• Darts players profiles
• Nine dart finish—the "perfect" game in darts
• Glossary of darts
• Pub games
• Bullseye—a British game show based on darts

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Chaplin, Patrick (2010), Darts in England, 1900-39: A Social History, Manchester: Manchester University Press, distributed by Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN 978-0-7190-7803-3 . Scholarly history showing how darts figured in publicans' efforts to improve their establishments, and how the sport moved from a working-class pursuit to gain middle- and upper-class players.

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Darts

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Darts

• American Darts Organization
• British Darts Organisation
• Professional Darts Corporation
• World Darts Federation
• Catalan Darts Federation

Martin Adams (born 4 June 1956) is an English international darts player.^[1] Nicknamed Wolfie he is a three-time BDO World Champion and three-time World Masters champion. He represents Cambridgeshire at county darts level and has been captain of England since 1993/94 - the longest any individual player has held that role.

Darts career[link]

Adams was born in Sutton, London and started his darts career in pubs. He still plays pub darts, currently playing for Rigby's in Market Deeping, Lincolnshire.^[2] He turned professional in 1982.

Following the formation of the World Darts Council in 1993, all the players that left the British Darts Organisation were banned from playing county darts, leaving England searching for a new team and a new captain. Adams took over the role in 1993 and has remained captain since, becoming the longest reigning England captain ever.

Adams has won many BDO Open events and twice won the WDF World Cup singles, but often missed-out on winning the biggest tournaments. He was sometimes the victim of great comebacks and also great collapses himself when he found himself in winning positions. In particular, his 5–4 defeat to Chris Mason in the 1999 World Championship quarter-finals, having led 4–1 and seen nine match-darts pass him by in the match, is always mentioned among the greatest matches in the history of the event.

In the Grand Slam BDO events, other than the World Championship, Adams was runner-up on three occasions. He was beaten 6-4 in the 2004 Bavaria World Darts Trophy final by Raymond van Barneveld and lost the 2006 Bavaria World Darts Trophy final to Phil Taylor 7-2. He also lost to 17-year-old Dutch youngster Michael van Gerwen 7–5 in the 2006 Winmau World Masters final, having led 5-2 and despite averaging 107 for the first nine darts of each leg.

Having made his Lakeside debut in 1994 at the age of 37, Adams failed to progress beyond the semi finals of the World Championship until 2005 when he reached the final at the 12th attempt. He beat Davy Richardson 3-2, John Henderson 3-2, Ted Hankey 5-3 and Simon Whitlock 5-0 before losing 6-2 against van Barneveld in the final.

Adams reached his second world final in 2007. He was number one seed for the second time in his career and put out Tony O'Shea, Co Stompé, Ted Hankey and Mervyn King in his run to the final where he faced qualifier Phill Nixon. The two oldest players in the tournament (they were both 50 years old) reached the final. Adams stormed into a 6-0 lead, before Nixon produced an incredible comeback to level the match. Just when it looked like Adams was heading for another dramatic defeat, he went off the stage to compose himself. When he did that he finally justified why he'd started as strong favourite when he won all three legs in the final set to win through 7–6 and finally claim the world title that he said he had been chasing for 14 years.

In the draw for the 2008 BDO World Championships, Adams was again paired with Nixon in the first round. In the match, Adams beat Nixon 3–0. After the game, Adams was clearly emotional in an interview following his victory, citing the memories of the 2007 final as the reason (the first time he had won comfortably).^[3] In the second round he came up against Martin Phillips. It was easy pickings for Adams, who cruised to a 4–0 victory with Phillips paying the price for many missed doubles. In the quarter-finals he played a fiercely fought match against Masters champion Robert Thornton, whom he led at one time 4–2. Thornton fought back to make it 4-4 but Adams eventually took control of his visible nerves to win 5–4. Adams went on to lose in the semi-finals to number-one seed Mark Webster, who eventually won the tournament.

Adams defeated Scott Waites in the World Masters final of 2008 to record his first Masters victory and his second major (after the 2007 Worlds), in another epic 7–6 encounter. A month later, at the 2009 World Championship, he reached the semifinal for the fifth successive year, where he was narrowly defeated by eventual champion Ted Hankey. Later that year, he won his second successive Masters title, once again by a 7-6 scoreline in the final, over Robbie Green after Green led by 6–3 and had a dart for the title. This win made Adams the first man to retain the Masters title since Bob Anderson in 1988. Adams joined Eric Bristow, Richie Burnett, Bob Anderson and John Walton as the fifth player to win them in the same season.^[4]

In the 2010 World Championship he beat a visibly nervous Anthony Fleet in the first round without losing a leg, followed by further comfortable victories over Daryl Gurney and Garry Thompson. In the semi-final he let a 5-1 lead slip over Welshman Martin Phillips before finally winning 6-4. He then defeated unseeded Dave Chisnall 7–5 in the final to win a second World Championship in a rematch of their first round match a year earlier.

In February 2010 he won the Dutch Open title for the first time in his long career. The England captain triumphed 3–1 over international team-mate Scott Waites in the men's singles final in Veldhoven.^[5]

Adams won his third successive World Masters title in 2010 by defeating Stuart Kellett 7-3 in the final, becoming only the second player in history to win three consecutive World Masters titles (the other being Bob Anderson). However although it matched Bob Anderson's record, it was not in the same vain, as Bob Anderson won the masters with a unified field.

Adams reached his fourth World Championship final in the 2011 tournament, defeating Tony West, John Walton, Ross Smith and Martin Phillips to get there. The match against Walton was especially memorable as it went to a sudden death leg, which Adams won despite Walton having the advantage of throw. Adams played Dean Winstanley in the final, the #3 seed - marking the only time Adams played a seed in either the 2010 or 2011 World Championship - and won 7-5 to become the first player since Raymond van Barneveld to successfully defend the BDO World Championship.

Later in January, Adams successfully defended his Dutch Open crown, once again defeating Winstanley in a close final (3-2 in sets). Adams then reached the singles final at the WDF World Cup where he was defeated by Scott Waites, and also won the doubles event with Waites. At the 2011 World Masters, the three-time defending champion was beaten by eventual champion Waites 5-3 in the semi-finals.

Adams was the top seed at the 2012 BDO World Championship. He beat Scott Mitchell and Gary Stone without dropping a set, but was defeated 5-2 in the quarter-final by former runner-up Tony O'Shea, who went on to reach the final.

Stance on the PDC[link]

Adams also played in the 2001 World Grand Prix Darts, as well as winning a non-televised Players Championship tournament where he beat Phil Taylor in the final. However, when eligibility rules changed Adams was unable to compete as a BDO player. It would be another five years before he faced Taylor again, at the 2006 World Darts Trophy (a BDO major) when he lost 2-7 in the final of the Dutch competition which invited PDC players.^[6][7]

When the Grand Slam of Darts began in 2007, Adams turned down the invitation to compete in the PDC event and continued to decline the offer to compete in subsequent years, with some^[who?] believing the PDC removing his earlier eligibility for events as a reason for him refusing to play. The PDC's Board of Directors ruled that Adams will no longer be eligible for invitations into the tournament in future.^[8] Adams brushed off their decision, saying that it would simply save him the time in having to refuse them.^[9] Commentators at the 2009 Grand Slam confirmed that they had once again unsuccessfully invited him to that year's event.

Rumours of a possible appearance at the 2011 Grand Slam began following an interview with BBC commentator David Croft just before the 2011 BDO World Championship. Adams said that "he had held discussions with the BDO and certain political issues had been sorted regarding the other side of the game" when asked by Croft about whether in theory a match could take place with the winner of the respective PDC World Championship.^[10] Despite the rumour, Adams never competed at the 2011 Grand Slam.

Outside darts[link]

Adams lives in Deeping St James, near Market Deeping, Lincolnshire with his wife Sharon who is a swimming instructor.^[11] They met at her 18th birthday party when Martin was helping his brother, John Adams MBE, who was the disc jockey and got married the following year in 1979.^[12] They have two sons – Warren, (born 1982) and Darren (born 1984), as well as a granddaughter Lauren (born 2011).^[13]

Adams is currently one of five members on the BDO board of directors, after long-time leader Olly Croft lost a vote of confidence and was forced to resign.

Professional record[link]

BDO World Championship record[link]

BDO Majors (6)[link]

World Championship[link]

Winner (3)[link]

Year	Championship	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
2007	BDO World Darts Championship	Phill Nixon	7-6
2010	BDO World Darts Championship	Dave Chisnall	7-5
2011	BDO World Darts Championship	Dean Winstanley	7-5

World Masters[link]

Winner (3)[link]

Year	Championship	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
2008	Winmau World Masters	Scott Waites	7-6
2009	Winmau World Masters	Robbie Green	7-6
2010	Winmau World Masters	Stuart Kellett	7-3

References[link]

External links[link]

• Wolfie Darts Official Web Site
• Profile on Darts Database

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. It relies largely or entirely upon a single source. Tagged since January 2010. It may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Tagged since January 2010.

Anthony "Tony" Fleet (born 6 September 1965) is an Australian darts player who competes in the BDO/WDF system.

Darts career[link]

Fleet qualified for the 2007 PDC World Darts Championship, but was defeated 3-0 by Adrian Lewis in the first round.

In 2009, Fleet won the Pacific Masters, and the WDF World Cup pairs with Geoff Kime.

2010 World Championship[link]

Fleet qualified to play in the 2010 BDO World Championships at the Lakeside Country Club where he was drawn against the reigning World Champion Martin Adams. In the first leg of the match, Fleet appeared to be very nervous - dropping his darts twice, struggling to maintain grip and also losing his balance a few times. In 27 darts, Fleet scored 26, 41, 60, 60, 5, 41 (with his first dart hitting double 1), 22, 80 and 11, and it is largely considered to be "the worst leg in darts history". Adams also struggled to get going in the leg, missing 4 darts at a double before finally finishing on double 3. It has also been suggested that Fleet was drunk, having spent much time in the bar prior to the match, possibly trying to settle his pre-match nerves. Fleet achieved a 3-dart average of 65.34 (one of the lowest recorded averages in the history of a major competition), and lost 3-0 in sets without winning a leg. Adams later spoke of his sympathy for Fleet and recalled his nerves the first time he played at the Lakeside saying that "no one knows what its like up there until you get up there."^[1] Following the game, Fleet said "I have waited 20 years to get here and I have embarrassed myself." He apologised to Adams for not being able to play to his best and give him a better game.

External links[link]

• Profile and stats on Darts Database

References[link]

This Australian biographical article relating to sport is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

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This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2011)

James Wade
Personal information
Full name	James Martin Wade
Nickname	The Machine
Born	(1983-04-06) 6 April 1983 (age 29) Aldershot, England
Home town	Aldershot England
Darts information
Playing darts since	2001
Darts	20g Unicorn James Wade
Laterality	Left-handed
Walk-on music	Bonkers by Dizzee Rascal ft. Armand van Helden
Organisation (see split in darts)
BDO	2001–2004
PDC	2004 – present
Current world ranking	3
BDO majors - best performances
World Ch'ship	Round 2 2004
World Masters	Last 64 2002, 2003
World Darts Trophy	Round 2 2003
Int. Darts League	Quarter Finalist 2004, 2007
PDC premier events - best performances
World Ch'ship	Semi Finalist 2009, 2012
World Matchplay	Winner 2007
World Grand Prix	Winner 2007, 2010
Grand Slam	Runner Up 2010
Premier League	Winner 2009
Ch'ship League	Winner 2010
Desert Classic	Runner Up 2008
European Ch'ship	Semi Finalist 2009
UK Open	Winner 2008, 2011
Players Ch'ship Finals	Semi Finalist 2009
Other tournament wins
Tournament	Years
Bournemouth Mens Singles Bournemouth Open Championship of Darts Cosham Xmas Open Irish Masters Jocky Wilson Cup Pro Celebrity Challenge Swiss Open Vauxhall Autumn Open William Cross Pro Am Players Championships Players C'ship (EMI) Players C'ship (GER) Players C'ship (GIB) Players C'ship (HOL) Players C'ship (NUL) Players C'ship (SCO) Players C'ship (SPA) UK Open Regionals Regional (NWE) Regional (SCO) Regional (WAL) UK Open Qualifier	2010 2010 2010 2003 2005 2009 2008 2002 2006 2007, 2008 2009 2011 2008 2008, 2010 2009 2008 2011 2007, 2009 2007 2007 2010
Other achievements
2006 PDC Young Player of the Year 2006 Three Nine dart finishes during a calendar year (a record) 2007 PDC Player of the Year

James Martin Wade (born 6 April 1983 in Aldershot, Hampshire) is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). He became the youngest player ever to win a major PDC title at the World Matchplay in July 2007. He has since won the 2007 World Grand Prix, the 2008 and 2011 UK Opens, the 2009 Premier League, the 2010 World Grand Prix and 2010 Championship League Darts, and has been at a career-high ranking of second in the PDC Order of Merit. James Wade is officially the second most successful player in PDC history, after Phil Taylor.

Early career[link]

Wade reached the final of the British Classic in 2001 at the age of just 18, losing to John Walton but the following year he won the Swiss Open and then made his television debut at the 2003 Lakeside World Championship, but lost 2–3 in the first round to Dennis Harbour having missed eight darts to win the match in the fourth set. In other BDO Open events during 2003, he reached the Norway Open final, Belgian Open semi-finals and Dutch Open quarter finals.

At the 2004 Lakeside World Championship, he beat Shaun Greatbatch 3–0 in the first round, before losing to Darryl Fitton in the second round. Later in 2004, he reached a series of quarter-finals including the German Open, the Isle of Man Open and the prestigious International Darts League in May – which was his last tournament as a BDO affiliated player.

PDC switch[link]

In May 2004, despite having qualified for the final stages of many BDO tournaments, Wade took the decision to forfeit his automatic place in the 2004 World Darts Trophy and 2005 BDO World Championship to join the Professional Darts Players Association (PDPA) and the PDC circuit.

He made his PDC World Darts Championship début in 2005, losing in the first round to Mark Holden. He bounced back from this to win the Irish Masters in February and reach the last 16 of the UK Open later that year. He also qualified for the Las Vegas Desert Classic (beating the experienced Ronnie Baxter) and the World Grand Prix during the year as well. He also qualified for the 2006 World Championship, losing again in the first round, this time 3–2 to Wayne Jones, who would go on to reach the semi-finals, despite having won the first six legs for a two-set lead.

Wade reached the last 16 of the 2007 PDC World Championship losing to Terry Jenkins having earlier beaten New Zealand qualifier Warren French and Dave Ladley.

Major breakthrough[link]

He made his major breakthrough on television during the 2006 World Matchplay in July. He sensationally reached the final, beating four experienced and respected darts players, in his first ever appearance at the Winter Gardens. He beat Denis Ovens in the first round 10–1, having had darts to make it a 10–0 whitewash. In the second round he beat former World Championship finalist Kevin Painter 13–9, ending one leg with two double-20s to cause a minor controversy, and beat Chris Mason 16–4 in his quarter-final. In the semi-finals he came back from 1–5 down to beat Roland Scholten 19–17 in a tiebreaker, which requires the winner to win by two clear legs. In the final he played Phil Taylor but despite being 8–5 up, he lost 18–11.

He then returned to Blackpool in 2007 to claim the title – his first major televised tournament success and became the youngest player ever to win a PDC televised event in doing so. His route to the title and £50,000 cheque saw him beat Wayne Jones, Dennis Priestley, Mervyn King, Adrian Lewis and Terry Jenkins (who beat Taylor in the semi-final) in the final.

Although Wade's victory was nothing short of emphatic over the ever-tenacious Jenkins, many believe his semi-final victory over Lewis was one of the finest performances ever seen at the Winter Gardens^{[citation needed]}. He consistently checked out ton-plus scores whilst Lewis, fresh from defeating world champion Raymond van Barneveld, having a 3-dart average of over 100, was unable to keep up with the fast-improving Wade.

Wade also won the next PDC major tournament – the 2007 World Grand Prix in Dublin in October beating van Barneveld by 5 sets to 1 in the semi-final and repeating his Blackpool success over Jenkins in the final.

Wade's aforementioned successes in 2007 were rewarded with him winning the 2007 PDC Player of the Year. Wade became the second recipient of this award, following in the footsteps of Taylor in 2006. He was presented with it at the annual PDC Awards Dinner in January 2008.

Wade reached the quarter-finals of the 2008 PDC World Championship, being defeated 5 sets to 4 in a close encounter against John Part, who went on to win the tournament.

In January 2008, Wade became the first player to defeat Taylor in the Premier League, winning the match 8 legs to 6. Taylor however exacted revenge with a 16–8 victory in the final on 26 May 2008 after Wade had defeated van Barneveld in the semi-final.

On 8 June 2008, Wade beat American Gary Mawson 11–7 in the final to win the 2008 UK Open, claiming his third major trophy within a year. The following month, he reached the finals of the Las Vegas Desert Classic, losing 13–7 to Taylor. Then in July reached his 3rd World Matchplay final in a row, losing for the 2nd time in 3 years in the final to Taylor 18–9, making this the 3rd major final loss of the year against Taylor.

In the 2009 PDC World Championship, Wade reached a stage further than the previous year, reaching the semi-finals before losing 4–6 to van Barneveld.

Wade won the 2009 Premier League Darts tournament, defeating Mervyn King 13–8 at the Wembley Arena. However, he failed to defend his UK Open title in 2009 after losing to Peter Manley 9–8 in the third round. He then failed to reach the World Matchplay final for the first time, losing in the quarter-finals to Ronnie Baxter.

Wade lost to an on-fire Simon Whitlock in the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Championship. Whitlock won 5–3 in sets.

Defending his Premier League title, Wade reached the final of the 2010 Premier League, where he played against Phil Taylor. Taylor won 10–8, hitting two nine-dart finishes during the match.

Wade won the 2010 World Grand Prix, beating Adrian Lewis 6–3 in the final. Four days later, he won his second major tournament inside a week by defeating Taylor 6–5 in the 2010 Championship League Darts final.

Wade reached another major final in 2010 at the Grand Slam, seeing both Terry Jenkins and Mervyn King squander match darts against him before Wade himself threw away an 8–0 lead against BDO player Scott Waites as Waites won 16–12.

2011 Season[link]

Despite the loss at the Grand Slam, Wade was touted by many as the favourite to win the 2011 World Championship due to his Grand Prix and Champions League Darts victories as well as Taylor's slight dip in form. However, Wade was beaten by world number 47 Mensur Suljovic 4–2 in the second round. He got of to a poor start in the Premier League of Darts losing 8–3 to an on form Mark Webster he went on to defeat World Champion Adrian Lewis 8–6 in week 2 and then lost 8–5 to Simon Whitlock, during the match he took some stick from the Belfast crowd.^[1] He regained some form in the latter weeks of the League drawing with Raymond Van Barneveld 7–7 while averaging over 100.^[2] In June he won the 2011 UK Open Darts title after an 11–8 win against Wes Newton.^[3]

2012 Season[link]

Wade dropped just one set to reach the quarter-finals of the 2012 World Championship, but was then involved in two of the best games ever witnessed at the event.^[4] He played John Part in the last 8 and raced into a 3-1 lead before the Canadian won three sets in a row. Wade took the game into a deciding set and the players broke each others throws twice to require a sudden-leg, which he managed to win by taking out 85 with Part on 40.^[5] He played defending champion Adrian Lewis in the semi-finals and looked to be heading for his first PDC World final as he led 5-1. Lewis pulled a set back, before Wade had a dart at double 18 to win the match. He missed and it proved to be a pivotal moment as Lewis took the set and reeled off 10 straight legs to complete a sensational comeback 5-6. Despite the loss, Wade moved up to third in the PDC Order of Merit overtaking Gary Anderson.^[6]

Wade once again gained automatic entry for the Premier League due to his Order of Merit ranking.^[7] He lost his first three matches, before winning the next three and went into the final game of the season knowing a win over Raymond van Barneveld would guarantee him a spot in the play-offs.^[8][9] Wade drew the match 7–7, but due to other results going his way he still qualified for the play-offs by finishing 4th in the league.^[10] He played Phil Taylor in the semi-finals, against whom he suffered heavy 2–8 and 1–8 defeats during the league campaign.^[8] The semi-final, however, was much closer as Wade led 4–2 in the opening stages, before the score became 6–6. Taylor then took out a 149 finish, with Wade on 57, to break and then closed out the match 8–6.^[11]

Nicknames[link]

Whilst it is somewhat traditional for a darts player to adopt a sobriquet, Wade has adopted several in his short career so far. His first nickname, The Gladiator was changed following his nine-dart exploits in 2006 to 009 – a take on James Bond's 007. This was used during the 2007 PDC World Darts Championship.

In November 2007, during the 2007 Grand Slam of Darts – he was introduced on television graphics as having "no nickname". In December 2007, following a competition which invited fans to provide him with a new nickname, Wade became known as Spectacular.^{[citation needed]} A play on the fact that Wade is one of the few players who wears spectacles when he plays. For his Premier League debut in January 2008 he unveiled another nickname – "The Machine" which is now regarded as his permanent nickname and used in his walk on in all tournaments.

Nine dart finishes[link]

He became the first player to hit three tournament nine-dart finishes in a calendar year during 2006. They came at the North-West UK Open Regional Final in March, the PDPA Players Championship at Hayling Island in June and he completed his hat-trick at the Vauxhall Men's Open in November. None of these achievements were in televised competitions.

Wade came within one dart of achieving the first ever nine-darter with a double start at the 2007 World Grand Prix in Dublin. In the semi-final against van Barneveld he hit double top to open the leg, then six treble 20s, treble 17 then missed a bullseye for a unique nine-darter.

On 20 November 2008, Wade completed his first live nine-darter hitting two 180s then T20, T19 and D12 against Gary Anderson in the second round of the 2008 Grand Slam of Darts which was shown on ITV4. However, Anderson went on to win the match 10–8, therefore Wade became the first man to hit a nine-dart finish in a major televised tournament in the UK and then go on to lose the match. (Michael van Gerwen had previously done so in a tournament on Dutch television.) Wade was also the first left-handed player to hit a live nine-darter.

Outside darts[link]

Wade quit his job at a garage in Aldershot twelve days before the World Matchplay 2006, to concentrate on becoming a full-time professional darts player.^[12]

Wade dated Soccer AM presenter Helen Chamberlain but the pair split after roughly a year together. The pair had reportedly "drifted apart" from each other. Wade has admitted it hit him hard, affecting his darts.^[13]

In 2012, Wade, together with the seven other players who competed in the Premier League recorded a charity single with Chas Hodges and his band called 'Got My Tickets For The Darts' which was written by Chas. It was released on 18 May, the night after the play-offs at the O2 in London, where it was premiered. Proceeds from the single will be donated to the Haven House Children's Hospice.^[14]

World Championship Performances[link]

• 2003 (BDO) – First Round lost to Dennis Harbour 2–3
• 2004 (BDO) – Second Round lost to Darryl Fitton 1–3
• 2005 (PDC) – First Round lost to Mark Holden 0–3
• 2006 (PDC) – First Round lost to Wayne Jones 2–3
• 2007 (PDC) – Third Round lost to Terry Jenkins 3–4
• 2008 (PDC) – Quarter-finalist lost to John Part 4-5
• 2009 (PDC) – Semi-finalist lost to Raymond van Barneveld 4–6
• 2010 (PDC) – Quarter-finalist lost to Simon Whitlock 3–5
• 2011 (PDC) – Second Round lost to Mensur Suljovic 2–4
• 2012 (PDC) - Semi-finalist lost to Adrian Lewis 5-6

Career finals[link]

PDC premier event finals: 14 (7 titles, 7 runner-ups)[link]

Legend World Championship (0–0) World Matchplay (1–3) Premier League (1–2) Other (5–2) Performance timeline[link] Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score1 Runner-up 1. 2006 World Matchplay Taylor, PhilPhil Taylor 11–18 (l) Winner 1. 2007 World Matchplay Jenkins, TerryTerry Jenkins 18–7 (l) Winner 2. 2007 World Grand Prix Terry Jenkins 6–3 (s) Runner-up 2. 2008 Premier League Darts Phil Taylor 8–16 (l) Winner 3. 2008 UK Open Mawson, GaryGary Mawson 11–7 (l) Runner-up 3. 2008 Las Vegas Desert Classic Phil Taylor 7–13 (l) Runner-up 4. 2008 World Matchplay Phil Taylor 9–18 (l) Winner 4. 2009 Premier League Darts King, MervynMervyn King 13–8 (l) Runner-up 5. 2010 Premier League Darts Phil Taylor 8–10 (l) Winner 5. 2010 World Grand Prix (2) Lewis, AdrianAdrian Lewis 6–3 (s) Winner 6. 2010 Championship League Darts Phil Taylor 6–5 (l) Runner-up 6. 2010 Grand Slam of Darts Waites, ScottScott Waites 12–16 (l) Winner 7. 2011 UK Open (2) Newton, WesWes Newton 11–8 (l) Runner-up 7. 2011 World Matchplay Phil Taylor 8–18 (l) Tournament 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 PDC World Championship Not PDC member 1R 1R 3R QF SF QF 2R SF World Matchplay Not PDC member DNP RU DNP RU QF SF RU World Grand Prix Not PDC member DNP 1R QF W 1R 1R W SF Las Vegas Desert Classic NH Non-PDC 1R 2R DNP 1R RU SF Not held UK Open Not held BDO 4R 6R 3R 5R W 3R QF W Premier League Darts Not held Did not play RU W RU RR Grand Slam of Darts Not held 2R 2R 2R RU 2R US Open Not held 3R DNP 3R SF NH German Darts Championship Not held 5R 3R QF Not held European Championship Not held 2R SF 1R QF Championship League Not held RR SF W RR Players Championship Finals Not held SF 1R QF BDO World Championship DNP 1R 2R Not BDO member Winmau World Masters DNP 3R 3R Not BDO Member References[link] ^ Planet Darts | Tournaments | 888.com Premier League Darts | PDC Premier League Darts | 888.com Premier League – Night Three. Pdc.tv. Retrieved on 27 August 2011. ^ Planet Darts | Latest News | Newsdesk | Newsdesk | 888.com PLD – Night 12. Pdc.tv. Retrieved on 27 August 2011. ^ "James Wade defeats Wes Newton to clinch UK Open title". BBC Sport. 7 June 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/darts/13681833.stm. Retrieved 8 June 2011.  ^ "2012 PDC World Championship Fixtures". Darts Database. http://www.dartsdatabase.co.uk/FixtureList.aspx?EventKey=3069. Retrieved 2 January 2012.  ^ "Wade comes through classic". Sky Sports. http://www1.skysports.com/darts/news/12288/7402540/. Retrieved 2 January 2012.  ^ "Lewis edges Wade epic". Sky Sports. http://www1.skysports.com/darts/news/12288/7405848/. Retrieved 2 January 2012.  ^ "Hamilton & Painter's Premier Delight". PDC. 3 January 2012. http://www.pdc.tv/page/NewsdeskDetail/0,,10180~2565358,00.html. Retrieved 16 May 2012.  ^ a b "2012 Premier League Results". Darts Database. http://www.dartsdatabase.co.uk/EventResults.aspx?EventKey=3889. Retrieved 16 May 2012.  ^ "McCoy's PLD - Night 14 Preview". PDC. http://www.pdc.tv/page/NewsdeskDetail/0,,10180~2764841,00.html. Retrieved 16 May 2012.  ^ "McCoy's PLD Night 14". PDC. 10 May 2012. http://www.pdc.tv/page/NewsdeskDetail/0,,10180~2767653,00.html. Retrieved 16 May 2012.  ^ "Taylor's McCoy's Premier League Joy". PDC. 17 May 2012. http://www.pdc.tv/page/NewsdeskDetail/0,,10180~2775584,00.html. Retrieved 18 May 2012.  ^ Wade returns to work after Matchplay win Planetdarts.tv ^ James Wade reveals personal problems The Scottish Sun ^ "Chas & Stars Record Charity Single". Planet Darts. 8 March 2012. http://www.pdc.tv/page/NewsdeskDetail/0,,10180~2641173,00.html.  5. http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/sportdarts/3600811/I-lay-in-bed-all-day-crying-I-wished-I-could-have-a-heart-attack-and-die.html External links[link] James Wade's official web site James Wade wins PDC Player Of The Year award v t e Professional Darts Corporation · Top 20 PDC players in Order of Merit at 7 May, 2012     Phil Taylor Adrian Lewis James Wade Gary Anderson Wes Newton Simon Whitlock Andy Hamilton Raymond van Barneveld Mark Webster Terry Jenkins Kevin Painter Mark Walsh Justin Pipe Vincent van der Voort Wayne Jones Paul Nicholson Colin Lloyd Mervyn King Ronnie Baxter Andy Smith Persondata Name Wade, James Alternative names Short description British darts player Date of birth 6 April 1983 Place of birth Aldershot, England Date of death Place of death