From our great friend Mr Greg Champion comes a song about the Championship match that has gone down in Australian darting history, and the player that prevented the fairytale downunder story from completing its path. (n.b, copyright Greg Champion)

  PDC World Championship Players from Australia and New Zealand:

New Zealand

Alan Bolton 07/08 1 app

Ben Robb 19/20 5 apps

Bernie Smith 17/18 1 app

Cody Harris 17/18 2 apps

Craig Ross 18/19 1 app

Dave Harrington 12/13 1 app

Haupai Puha 20/21 2 apps

Koha Kokiri 15/16 1 app

Mark McGrath 14/15 1 app

Phillip Hazel 09/10 1 app

Preston Ridd 10/11 1 app

Rob Szabo 13/14 2 apps

Warren French 06/07 3 apps

Warren Parry 05/06 4 apps
 
Australia

Anthony Fleet 06/07 1 app

Barry Jouannet Jnr 03/04 2 apps

Beau Anderson 13/14 1 app

Brian Roach 05/06 1 app

Corey Cadby 16/17 1 app

Damon Heta 19/20 6 apps

Darren Penhall 23/24 1 app

David Platt 02/03 3 apps

Geoff Kime 11/12 1 app

Gordon Mathers 17/18 4 apps

James Bailey 18/19 2 apps

Joe Comito 24/25 1 app

John Weber 14/15 1 app

Ky Smith 21/22 1 app

Kyle Anderson 12/13 7 apps

Laurence Ryder 14/15 2 apps

Lavinia Hogg 10 1 app

Mal Cuming 22/23 1 app

Mitchell Clegg 06/07 1 app

Paul Nicholson 08/09 8 apps

Raymond Smith 18/19 3 apps

Robbie King 19/20 1 app

Russell Stewart 08/09 1 app

Sean Read 11/12 1 app

Shane Tichowitsch 10/11 2 apps

Simon Whitlock 02/03 16 apps

Steve MacArthur 07/08 1 app

 Representation by Year

02/03 Simon Whitlock (David Platt as a UK resident)                                                                                     2 Aus
03/04 Barry Jouanett Jnr                                                                                                                                      1 Aus
04/05 Barry Jouanett Jnr                                                                                                                                      1 Aus
05/06 Brian Roach (David Platt as a UK resident) Warren Parry                                                                   2 Aus 1 NZ
06/07 Mitchell Clegg Anthony Fleet Warren French                                                                                      2 Aus 1 NZ
07/08 Steve MacArthur Alan Bolton Warren Parry                                                                                          1 Aus 2 NZ
08/09 Paul Nicholson Russell Stewart Warren French                                                                                  2 Aus 1 NZ
09/10 Simon Whitlock (finalist) Paul Nicholson Phillip Hazel Warren Parry                                               2 Aus 2 NZ
10 Lavinia Hogg                                                                                                                                                     1 Aus          
10/11 Shane Tichowitsch Simon Whitlock Paul Nicholson Preston Ridd                                                   3 Aus 1 NZ
11/12 Sean Read Geoff Kime Simon Whitlock Paul Nicholson Warren French                                         4 Aus 1 NZ
12/13 Shane Tichowitsch Kyle Anderson Simon Whitlock Paul Nicholson Dave Harrington                 4 Aus 1 NZ
13/14 Beau Anderson Simon Whitlock Paul Nicholson Kyle Anderson Rob Szabo                                 4 Aus 1 NZ
14/15 Laurence Ryder John Weber Simon Whitlock Paul Nicholson Kyle Anderson Mark McGrath   5 Aus 1 NZ
15/16 Laurence Ryder Koha Kokiri Simon Whitlock Kyle Anderson Rob Szabo                                      3 Aus 2 NZ
16/17 Corey Cadby Simon Whitlock Warren Parry David Platt                                                                   3 Aus 1 NZ
17/18 GG Mathers Simon Whitlock Kyle Anderson Bernie Smith Cody Harris                                         3 Aus 2 NZ
                     18/19 James Bailey Craig Ross Cody Harris Simon Whitlock Kyle Anderson Raymond Smith Paul Nicholson                                                                                                                                                                                                           5 Aus 2 NZ
19/20 Simon Whitlock Kyle Anderson Ben Robb Robbie King Damon Heta                                           4 Aus 1 NZ
20/21 Damon Heta GG Mathers James Bailey Haupai Puha Simon Whitlock                                         4 Aus 1 NZ
21/22 Simon Whitlock Damon Heta Raymond Smith Ben Robb Ky Smith Gordon Mathers                5 Aus 1 NZ
22/23 Ben Robb Raymond Smith Damon Heta Simon Whitlock Mal Cuming                                        4 Aus 1 NZ
     23/24 Ben Robb, Damon Heta, Darren Penhall, Haupai Puha, Simon Whitlock                                     3 Aus 2 NZ      
24/25 Ben Robb, Damon Heta, GG Mathers, Joe Comito                                                                           3 Aus 1 NZ

​The PDC Darts World Championships
Introduction
After the split from the BDO, the WDC declared their own World Championship for darts. On Boxing Day 1993, the first WDC (to be renamed the PDC a few years later after a court settlement) World Darts Championship began at the Circus Tavern in London. From day one, it was covered by Sky Sports, and has been throughout its entire history.


1993/1994
The WDC held its first championship final in early 1994. The event began in late 1993 and finished just after New Year, thus crowning the first world champion of each calendar year. For the first few editions, 24 players were placed in 8 groups, with group winners progressing to the knockout phase.
The 16 original defectors would have all played, but Mike Gregory and Chris Johns had returned to the BDO fold. Their places were taken by Kevin Burrows and Graeme Stoddart. Despite being born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Stoddart had represented the Netherlands in 1984 (shades of Paul Nicholson) and was invited to join the WDC for this tournament. Burrows had been in the BDO since 1989, but this would be his one and only World Championship appearance. Seven Americans and Irishman Tom Kirby joined the field.
The group stage saw three matches played in each group, with only the group winners progressing to the quarter-finals. Only two seeded players missed out on the knockouts: Kirby eliminated John Lowe, while American Steve Brown won through at the expense of Kevin Spiolek. Rod Harrington, seeded above Eric Bristow, topped his group by defeating the Crafty Cockney and American Sean Downs.
The quarter-final results were as follows:

• Dennis Priestley def. Tom Kirby 4-2
• Peter Evison def. Rod Harrington 5-1
• Phil Taylor def. Bob Anderson 4-2
• Steve Brown def. Alan Warriner 4-2

In the semi-finals, Priestley beat Evison 5-3 and Taylor whitewashed Brown 5-0 to set up the inaugural WDC final.
Dennis Priestley became the first WDC/PDC World Champion with a 6-1 sets win over Taylor. In the deciding leg of the seventh set, Priestley hit a 137 to leave 126. With Taylor well behind, Dennis threw treble 20 and bull but missed double 8 with his final dart. On his next visit, he missed again before landing double 8 to claim the first-ever WDC World Championship.
The tournament was held at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet, Essex, where it would remain until 2007.


1994/1995
Taylor would go on to roll through eight WDC/PDC World Championships without a loss. In 1995, he defeated Rod Harrington in the Final, 6-2. Earlier in the tournament, reigning champion Dennis Priestley had dropped out in the group stage, with John Lowe topping their group. The third man in that group was Jocky Wilson, who did not gain a point and never won a match in the WDC/PDC World Championships. At the end of 1995, he stopped playing altogether.
Priestley was one of two seeded players eliminated at the group stage, with Dennis Smith finishing ahead of Alan Warriner in another group. Jamie Harvey had replaced John Lowe as a seeded player and thus made it through to the quarter-finals. Six Americans featured once again, as did Irishman Tom Kirby. While Graeme Stoddart played again, Kevin Burrows was replaced by Shayne Burgess.
Four Englishmen would make the semi-finals after Jamie Harvey lost 4-2 to Rod Harrington. In the other quarter-finals, Peter Evison won 4-1 over Kevin Spiolek, Phil Taylor defeated Bob Anderson 4-1, and John Lowe whitewashed Dennis Smith 4-0.
The semi-finals saw Harrington defeat Evison 5-1, while Taylor edged Lowe in a much tighter contest, 5-4. Taylor hit ten 180s in that match, the first time in the short history of the tournament that a player had recorded double figures in 180s in a single match. He still needed an extra leg in the deciding set and a 107 checkout to get past Lowe.
The Final itself did not reach those same heights, as Taylor began his long run of dominance as WDC/PDC World Champion.


1995/1996
In the 1996 final, Taylor avenged his loss two years earlier by defeating Dennis Priestley 6-4. For Priestley, it marked the beginning of a frustrating run—he would lose three straight finals, with a 6-3 defeat to Taylor in 1997 and then a 6-0 whitewash in the 1998 final, now under the PDC name.
In the 1996 tournament, the American contingent had dropped to three players, although Canadian Gary Mawson filled one of the remaining international spots. Steve Raw and Nigel Justice made their debuts, while Kirby and the remaining BDO rebels kept their places.
Five of the eight seeds made the quarter-finals, but Kevin Spiolek finished last in his group, and Bob Anderson failed to reach the knockout stage for the first time. Larry Butler and Rod Harrington played a final group match to determine top spot, and in a dramatic deciding leg, both players missed darts to win before Butler held his nerve to claim a 3-2 victory. (Both of his group matches finished 3-2 in his favour.)
Taylor defeated Keith Deller 4–0, then dispatched John Lowe 5–1. Lowe had earlier beaten Peter Evison 4–2 in the previous round. Priestley progressed past Alan Warriner 4-1 before defeating Jamie Harvey 5-1 in the Scotsman’s only quarter-final appearance. (Harvey had earlier defeated Butler 4-0.)
Thus, a classic final rivalry was renewed. With Taylor leading 5 sets to 4 and 2-0 in legs, Priestley hit seven perfect darts before Taylor miscalculated and left 30. Priestley missed two darts at the leg on his next visit, and Taylor, requiring the very unusual double 15, nailed it to win the match 6-4 and retain his World Champion title.


1996/1997
The format remained the same during this period, but in the 1997 World Championship, three preliminary qualifiers were staged. Ritchie Gardner, Paul Lim, and Chris Mason all advanced—Mason beating a name that would soon become prominent in darts over the next five years: Peter Manley. Lim, meanwhile, eliminated the previously ever-present Irishman, Tom Kirby.
As a result, the main draw featured four Americans (with Lim still considered one at the time), one Scotsman, and the rest English players. Of the seeded players, seven qualified top of their groups, with only Bob Anderson missing out, ousted by Eric Bristow. Anderson, Bristow, and American Gary Mawson had each won one match 3-1, but Bristow advanced thanks to a superior tournament average.
In the quarter-finals, Bristow defeated Alan Warriner 5-3, while Taylor was more clinical, dismissing Keith Deller 5-1. Peter Evison moved past the previous year’s semi-finalist Jamie Harvey 5-3, and Dennis Priestley saw off Rod Harrington 5-2.
The semi-finals delivered a classic. Priestley was taken to a deciding set before eventually overcoming Evison 5-4, while in a Hall of Fame clash, Eric Bristow fell 5-3 to Taylor.
The Final proved less dramatic than their previous meeting. Taylor defeated Priestley 6-3. A 180 at 5-3, 2-1 up saw Taylor leave 81. On his next visit, he opened with a 19, but an inaccurate second dart, aimed at treble 12, landed in treble 9, leaving him needing 35. He cleaned up with his last dart to leave double 16.
Priestley had a chance to stay in the match with a 122 finish but missed the bull for the leg. Taylor then stepped up and hit double 16 with his first dart to seal the win and another world title.


1997/1998
The year 1998 marked the debut of the newly named Professional Darts Corporation hosting the newly renamed PDC World Championship. As in 1996 and 1995, all eight seeds were Englishmen, and as in all the previous events, not all the seeds progressed to the knockout stage.
Another Canadian, John Part, joined the party alongside compatriot Gary Mawson. Three Americans remained, as did Scotsman Jamie Harvey. Englishmen Mick Manning and John Ferrell also made their PDC World Championship debuts. Harry Robinson, from Alston in Eden, Cumbria, also debuted and had the most success—qualifying for the knockouts on set difference after a 3-0 win over Alan Warriner.
Bob Anderson was the other seed to miss out, after Shayne Burgess won both his matches by 3 sets to 0. Peter Manley also made the quarter-finals, although his heroics were not yet noticed by many as his star was still rising. Burgess lost 4-0 to Phil Taylor in the quarter-finals, while Rod Harrington won by the same scoreline over Peter Evison. Keith Deller defeated Robinson 4-1, and Dennis Priestley squeezed past Manley 4-3.
In the semi-finals, Phil Taylor made quick work of Harrington with a 5-1 win, while Priestley did the same to Keith Deller. The Final was one-way traffic. Taylor, averaging 103.99—after recording 101.85 in his quarter-final and 103.08 in his semi—won in straight sets over Priestley, 6-0. He finished with a 104 checkout: treble 20, 12, and double 16, the same combination that had handed him his first title defence as well.
With six world championships to his name, Taylor had overtaken his great mate Eric Bristow for the most wins in the tournament's history.
Third-Place Playoffs (1994–1998)
Throughout these opening five championships a third-place playoff was usually held:

• 1994 – Steve Brown 5, Peter Evison 1
• 1995 – John Lowe 4, Peter Evison 2
• 1996 – John Lowe and Jamie Harvey did not play off (who would blame them)
• 1997 – Peter Evison 4, Eric Bristow 2 (Evison surely pleased to avenge two losses but probably upset he was continually in these matches)
• 1998 – Rod Harrington 4, Keith Deller 1

1998/1999
The 1999 competition saw some big names make the quarter-finals, including Taylor, Cliff Lazarenko, Alan Warriner, Bob Anderson, and Carlisle’s own Peter Manley (although he was actually born in London, he called Carlisle home). The event no longer had group stages, with 32 players now involved in a straight knockout format. The third-place match was also abandoned, with Rod Harrington having beaten Keith Deller in the last of them in 1998.
Harrington came into the tournament as world number one but fell 3-1 to Shayne Burgess in the second round. Dennis Priestley didn’t even make it that far, losing 3-0 to John Ferrell in the opening round. Four Americans took part in the finals—regulars Steve Brown, Gerald Verrier, and Sean Downs were joined by Dan Lauby. Paul Lim returned to the field, this time representing Singapore rather than the United States. Three Canadians also competed, with Scott Cummings joining Gary Mawson and John Part.
The rest of the entrants were English, apart from Scotsman Jamie Harvey. Two English debutants, Alex Roy and Dean Allsop, also joined the fray. The round of 16 saw Harry Robinson fall to Alan Warriner. It would be the last time the man from the Eden Valley stepped behind a world championship oche.
The quarter-finals were an all-English affair:

• Shayne Burgess defeated Cliff Lazarenko 4-1
• Peter Manley beat Dennis Smith 4-0
• Alan Warriner saw off John Ferrell 4-1
• Phil Taylor demolished Bob Anderson 4-0

In the semi-finals, Taylor eliminated Warriner 5-3, while Manley defeated Burgess 5-4. The final leg count in that one was 21-18, showing just how tight the contest was.
In the Final, Peter Manley couldn’t go the distance. He lost 6-2 to Taylor, and The Power’s winning streak continued. His world championship title tally was now up to seven.


1999/2000
In 2000, Dennis Priestley made his fourth final in five years, only to lose to Taylor 7-3. It was his fourth loss to Taylor in the Final during that run. As in the previous year, Taylor was not the top seed—this time, it was Peter Manley.
The tournament remained a 32-player knockout, with many familiar faces returning. Among the debutants were Englishmen Colin Lloyd and Reg Harding. Also joining the field was a Dutchman, although he was Spanish-born: Braulio Roncero. He played just one match at a world championship, losing a deciding set 3-2 to Priestley. The Dutch would later become much more prominent in the tournament.
Priestley progressed to the quarter-finals, as did fellow Englishmen Peter Evison, Peter Manley, Shayne Burgess, Phil Taylor, John Lowe, Alan Warriner, and Dennis Smith. The quarter-final results were as follows:

• Manley defeated Evison 5-1
• Taylor whitewashed Warriner 5-0
• Priestley survived yet another decider, overcoming Burgess 5-4
• Dennis Smith beat John Lowe 5-0—Lowe making his 23rd consecutive appearance in a BDO or PDC world championship

Eric Bristow, another stalwart of the game, also held that 23-year record, but his first-round loss to American Steve Brown would be his last match in a world championship.
In the semi-finals, the two men who had previously lost PDC finals to Taylor faced off. It was Priestley who earned another shot at redemption, defeating Manley 5-3. Taylor, meanwhile, made light work of Smith, winning 5-0.
The Final had been extended to a best-of-13 format—first to seven sets. Priestley at least avoided the whitewash of two years earlier but couldn’t stop Taylor. Although Taylor’s average dipped slightly to 94 after surpassing 103 in every prior match, his finishing was clinical. He put away Priestley 7-3 and raised the world championship trophy for the eighth time.


2000/2001
Just as in the previous year, the 2001 World Championship saw Peter Manley seeded number one for the event. It meant that Taylor, in the eight-tournament history of the PDC, had only been ranked first twice — in 1996 and 1998 — despite winning seven of the eight titles to that point. Manley, however, failed to get past the first round, losing 3-2 to Jamie Harvey. Harvey went on to make the quarter-finals, where he lost 4-0 to Dave Askew.
In another section of the draw, Canadian John Part, who had seen off Alan Warriner 4-1 in the quarter-finals, survived a tight semi-final to defeat Rod Harrington in a deciding leg, winning 6-5. Harrington had defeated Roland Scholten, the second Dutchman to play in the PDC World Championship and the first from his country to win a match in the competition. Scholten had notched up two 3-0 victories over big-name players Shayne Burgess and Cliff Lazarenko.
Scholten was not the only debutant. In a tournament that included one Canadian, John Part’s countrywoman Gayl King made her debut. She lost 3-1 to Graeme Stoddart but, in doing so, became the first woman to play in the tournament — although not the last of the decade. Gary Spedding and Denis Ovens were also debutants who lost in the first round. Spedding would appear in only one BDO event and one PDC World Championship. For Ovens, it marked the beginning of a 13-year run at this tournament. He lost 3-1 to fellow English debutant Les Fitton, who was then beaten by Taylor by the same score in the next round.
Another debutant was Richie Burnett. Unlike his BDO World Championship debut in 1995, when he was crowned world champion, he did not go as far this time. Burnett won his first match 3-0 against Steve Brown but fell to Keith Deller in the next round, losing the decider 3-2. Deller was then swept aside 4-0 by Taylor in their quarter-final clash, and Taylor repeated that scoreline against Askew in the semi-final.
The Final was all Taylor. He won 7-0, dropping only three legs to "Death Maple" John Part along the way. He also redressed the average situation from the previous year by posting a 107.46 — his best of the tournament. In fact, Taylor would go two full years without losing a single set in a World Championship final. His only dropped set in the 2001 campaign had come against the debutant Fitton in Round Two.


2001/2002
Part and Taylor would meet again the following year, this time in the quarter-finals. The outcome was the same, though — a whitewash win for Taylor, this time by six sets to nil instead of seven.
Other quarter-final matches saw 2000 debutant Colin Lloyd take on 2001 debutant Richie Burnett, with Lloyd winning a tight contest 6-4. Dave Askew defeated Dennis Priestley 6-2, and Ronnie Baxter, on debut, made it to the quarter-finals at the first attempt before losing 6-2 to Manley. Baxter had previously beaten another debutant in this tournament — future finalist Kevin Painter — 4-2.
After years of strong representation, the American contingent was down to just one — Steve Brown — and Canada had only John Part. Paul Lim continued to represent Singapore, Jamie Harvey was there for Scotland, and Scholten returned after his success the year before. Chris Mason made his first World Championship appearance since 1997. Former BDO World Champion Steve Beaton had a successful debut, defeating Bob Anderson 4-3 before losing to Part 6-0 in the second round.
Other English debutants in the field included Matt Chapman, Andy Jenkins, and Paul Williams. None of them won a match, and for Chapman, it would be his only World Championship appearance.
In the semi-finals, Taylor swept past Askew 6-0. Manley had a tougher task, but came through with a 6-4 win over Colin Lloyd. For the second straight year, Taylor had not lost a leg in either the quarter or semi-final stages. The question was whether he could keep the streak alive in the Final.
He could — and he did. Taylor defeated Manley 7-0 in the Final. Manley managed to win five legs but never once finished with a three-figure checkout. The match stirred up controversy at the end, with commentators claiming Manley appeared to snub Taylor’s handshake. Manley later returned to the stage and shook Taylor’s hand, but the damage was done. A reputation was born, and for years to come, Manley would be booed by the crowd. While the boos eventually turned more playful, the hostility was genuine for some time.
This was also a landmark edition of the tournament. For the first time, the PDC World Championship offered more prize money than its BDO counterpart — a major step in the sport’s evolution.


2002/2003
The 2003 event came around and the field was expanded to 40 players, and finally the countries from down under would be represented, as they would be in every tournament since. Mark Holden would make his debut in the tournament after defeating Dave Smith in their qualifying match. Other qualifying wins went to previous entrants Bob Anderson, Mick Manning, Shayne Burgess, and Reg Harding. Wayne Mardle, also on debut, defeated American Reg Carver before going on and defeating Peter Evison in the first-round proper (Stuart Pyke made his commentating world championship debut in this tournament, a man Mardle would one day share the comm box with.)
Losing players in the preliminary round were debutants Arjan Moen (from The Netherlands), Lee Palfreyman, and Mark Robinson. Jamaican representative and former BDO British Open winner Al Hedman lost 4-0 to Bob Anderson in the preliminary round. Hedman only appeared in one PDC World Championship, and in 2021 his sister, Deta, equalled this record. (Deta Hedman also played in the 2010 PDC Women’s World Championship.) There were to be two names that became synonymous with Australian darts—one Australian and one not Australian yet—who also played in the preliminary round. Simon Whitlock made his world championship debut, two years before he started on his BDO World Championship heroics. David Platt, having not yet migrated to Perth, also played for a spot in the main draw, against Phil Taylor as it happened. It was not to be as Platt lost 4-2 to the man who had beaten Eric Bristow in his last world championship match, and who had been a part of every tournament to that point, US star Steve Brown.
As with his debut in the BDO some two years later, Whitlock won his opening match, defeating Englishman Paul Williams 4-2 in the first round. Whitlock would then upset the losing finalist of 2002 in Peter Manley 4-1 in the next round before falling to Welsh darting legend Richie Burnett in the round of 16. Burnett would go on to lose to Kevin Painter, before Painter lost to John Part 6-4 in their semi-final.
With Taylor having dismissed the challenge of Steve Brown 4-1 and won tighter battles against Wayne Mardle and Dennis Smith (both 5-3), he almost wiped the floor with Alan Warriner (6-1) in their semi-final. Warriner had made it to that match by defeating Dutchman Roland Scholten 5-2—the Flying Dutchman’s second quarter-final in three attempts!
If Taylor won his 45th match in a row he would be champion for nine successive years. Canadian Part led 4 sets to 1 but it was a tighter match after that (Taylor went to a 5-4 lead) before going to a final set decider after the match reached 6-6. Therefore, John Gwynne and Sid Waddell called the final legs with Russ Bray the referee.
In the first leg Taylor missed tops, and John Part hit 20, then 20, then double 16 to check out 72 for the break. He then threw for the second leg of the set. Taylor missed the double 16 to check out 105 in the next leg with Part requiring 15. Part hit seven and double four to move to within a leg of the upset. Taylor then held throw to put the pressure on the Part throw (Taylor checked out with double 12 to get 98 and leave Part on 82.) Part opened with an 85 as Taylor responded with 140. Taylor had to check out 121 with Part on 77. Treble 18 with his second dart saw Taylor have a shot at the leg but he missed the bull. Part stepped up and hit 19, 18 and tops to win the Final and became a World Champion in both a BDO and PDC World Championship, as Taylor and Priestley had before him.


2003/2004
For the 2004 World Championship, things seemed to return to normal as Taylor made the Final once more. The field had expanded to 48 players, with the top 16 ranked players given a bye until the third round. Those top 16 included Taylor at 1, Canadian and reigning World Champion John Part at 2, Manley at 3, and Flying Dutchman Scholten at 4. The other 12 featured one Scotsman (Jamie Harvey), one Welshman (Richie Burnett), and ten Englishmen, all of whom had played in the tournament before. Former World Champion Dennis Priestley rounded out the seeded group.
Barry "China" Jouannet Jr. represented Australia in the event but lost 3-2 to Scotland’s Alex MacKay. A swathe of new players came into the competition, including the first Guyanan, Belgian, and Japanese representatives. At the bottom of the draw, Manley defeated Welshman Wayne Allwood 4-3, then Keith Deller 4-2, before losing 5-2 in the quarter-finals to a resurgent Bob Anderson. Anderson had already seen off Andy Jenkins 4-1 and Dennis Smith 4-3 to reach his first World Championship semi-final in 13 years. He was aiming to win his first semi-final since his title run at the 1988 BDO World Championship.
Anderson’s opponent would be Kevin Painter, who made his second semi-final in two years after defeating Mark Dudbridge 5-1. (Dudbridge’s debut was impressive but would be overshadowed by his run the following year.) Anderson’s run ended with a 6-0 defeat to Painter, but he would be back at this stage 12 months later. Mardle could not stop Taylor, who was looking to reclaim the title, and Taylor defeated him 6-2 in the other semi-final.
The Final began with a deciding leg in the first set, where Painter took it with double 16. In the second set, Taylor needed 8 in the deciding leg, but Painter hit a single 20 chasing a 100 checkout and then struck two double 20s to move two sets ahead. The third set also went to a deciding leg. Painter chased 122, hit treble 18 then single 1, and left 103. Taylor missed tops for 76, but Painter missed three at double 16. Taylor then secured the set. Painter won the next 2-1 before Taylor missed a chance to level. Painter hit 102 with double 16 to go up 4-1, a repeat of the deficit Taylor had faced the year before.
Taylor won the sixth set’s decider and brought it back to 4-2. He swept the seventh 3-0 and then won another deciding leg to tie the match at 4-4. Painter took the ninth set with a clutch double 20 to lead 5-4. Sid Waddell remarked at this point that the sheen of the cup must be visible for Painter. Taylor hit an 82 checkout to win the next set 3-1, then changed shirts and whitewashed the next set 3-0. At 5-5, the momentum had shifted. Taylor won a ten-dart deciding leg in the eleventh set and was now one leg away. A double 20 forced a final set.
Painter missed eight darts at doubles in the first leg, and Taylor punished him. Taylor then missed three darts in the next, and Painter checked out 126 on the bull to tie it at 1-1. A double 6 gave Painter a 2-1 lead, and after Taylor responded, Painter missed four darts at double 16. Taylor missed one himself, but Painter nailed double 8 to move ahead again. Taylor struck back with a two-dart 66 checkout (treble 14 and double 12), tying things at 3-3.
Painter started with 140 but failed to check out 56. Taylor failed on 161 but closed out the leg with double 5. A 147 start in the next leg helped Taylor secure 56 and take a 5-3 lead. The match went to a deciding leg. Taylor won the bull on the second attempt, then started with just 45. Painter responded with 59. A ton from Taylor and only 60 from Painter gave The Power the edge. Taylor hit 99, Painter 60 again. Taylor then struck 140 to leave 117. Painter responded with 100 to leave 222.
Taylor hit treble 20 and treble 17 but missed tops. Painter left himself needing 128. Taylor went inside double 20, then double 10, but hit double 5 for the title. A 7-6 win restored order in Taylor’s mind, although just barely. It was one of the greatest matches ever played, though curiously overlooked when 2007 came around.


2004/2005
In 2005, Mark Dudbridge, who had made the quarter-finals the previous year, became the latest in a long line to fall to Taylor in the Final. He lost 7-4, but his run made headlines in just his second year in the tournament.
Notable first-round debutants included Andy Hamilton and James Wade. Hamilton won both his opening rounds, but Wade lost at the first hurdle to Mark Holden. Wes Newton also debuted, entering in the second round but losing 4-0 to Canadian Gerry Convery.
Australia’s Barry "China" Jouannet suffered his second straight first-round defeat, losing 3-0 to Wayne Jones. Jones went on to beat Keith Deller in the second round. In the same round, John Lowe lost to Canadian John Verwey in a match that went to an 11-leg decider in the final set. Lowe’s 28-year world championship streak came to an end, having played in every edition since 1978. He failed to qualify again despite trying until 2008.
Peter Evison, who had played every PDC World Championship and every World Championship since 1988 apart from 1993, won his second-round match 3-0 against Mark Landers but lost to Andy Jenkins 4-0 in the next round. That would be his last world championship match.
Andy Hamilton’s campaign gained momentum. He beat Steve Beaton 4-2 in Round Three and Josephus Schenk of the Netherlands 4-1 in the last 16. In the quarter-final, he met Bob Anderson, who had eliminated Dennis Smith and Ronnie Baxter by the same 4-2 scoreline. The veteran proved too much, winning 5-1.
The real story of the tournament was Dudbridge. He beat two former world champions, Richie Burnett and John Part (4-3 and 4-2), then Denis Ovens 5-3 to reach the semi-finals. Wayne Mardle was carving through the top half, beating Mark Walsh 4-2, Paul Williams 4-3, and Colin Lloyd 5-4. Both Anderson and Mardle reached their second successive semi-finals, but both lost again. Anderson went down 6-2 to Taylor, while Mardle lost 6-4 to Dudbridge. Dudbridge even came close to a nine-darter, hitting seven perfect darts in the third leg of the seventh set but missing double 19.
Taylor had coasted through, beating Alex Roy and Dennis Priestley 4-0. He then faced Kevin Painter again. Painter tried several bull finishes throughout the match with limited success. When Taylor needed 50 to win, he hit the bull with his first dart, taking the leg, set, and match 5-1. Painter was furious, feeling taunted. The rivalry intensified.
In the Final, Taylor and Dudbridge clashed in a best-of-13-sets format. Taylor came from 2-1 legs down to win the first set. Dudbridge levelled the match, then went ahead 2-1 after a 161 checkout. Dudbridge missed tops to win the fourth set, and Taylor pounced to tie things up. He then won the fifth 3-0.
Dudbridge fought back in the next set but could not convert a 2-0 lead, and Taylor tied the match at 3-3. The seventh set was all Taylor, who punished missed doubles to take it 3-0. Taylor edged the next set in a deciding leg with a 128 checkout to move 5-3 ahead. Dudbridge stayed alive with a 3-1 win in the ninth, but Taylor responded in the tenth with a 104 checkout in the third leg to go within one set.
In the final set, Taylor started with 60, followed by 140 and 100. Another ton left him needing 101. He finished the match with treble 19, 12, and double 16. A 12th world title was secured for The Power.


2005/2006
The 2006 World Championship saw the field expand to 64 players and include a Kiwi entrant for the first time, as Warren Parry represented New Zealand. Brian Roach appeared for Australia for the first time at a PDC World Championship, only the third Australian to do so to that point. Parry lost to Englishman Mark Walsh 3-0 in the opening round, while Roach could only take a set off Wayne Mardle and lost 3-1.
Mardle then eliminated Eric Clarys in the second round after the Belgian had defeated the first Barbados representative at the championships, Winston Cadogan, 3-0 in their opening clash. John Part and Alan Warriner were Mardle’s next victims, including a quarter-final whitewash. David Platt, still not having emigrated, lost to Phil Taylor 3-0 in the first round.
Taylor then defeated Matt Clark 4-1 before eliminating another local from around Stoke, Andy Hamilton, 4-0. Taylor then saw off Kevin Painter, who had eliminated previous finalist Mark Dudbridge 4-1, in the quarter-finals 5-1 in a renewal of their rivalry. Taylor and Mardle played out a semi-final thriller. Mardle was confident, having won his quarter-final against Warriner 5-0, and pushed Taylor all the way, including leading the match 5 sets to 4. But the world champion won the final two sets, including the last one 3 legs to 1, and therefore the match 6-5.
The other semi-final saw the man who had eliminated Aussie Jouannet in Round One the previous year go head-to-head with Peter Manley. Wayne Jones won his quarter-final over debutant Gary Welding 5-0, while Manley defeated another debutant, Adrian Lewis, 5-3. Lewis had beaten Dave Honey in his only World Championship match 3-0, then former world champion Dennis Priestley 4-2, and Dutch veteran Roland Scholten 4-3. Many at the time would have doubted this young man would end up winning more World Championship titles than Manley, but he would do just that over the next few years.
The Manley-Jones affair was a clean sweep, as Manley won 6-0 and moved into the Final with good momentum and a lot of confidence, while Taylor had played out such an emotionally draining semi-final. The Final was a whitewash, but not a payback one on Taylor, rather a repeat on Manley. Where he had taken five legs off Taylor in 2002, he took six this time around. He could also claim Taylor to be in finer form because, while Manley’s average was about the same in both finals (around 91), Taylor increased his from 98.47 to 106.47, the second highest of any final up until that point. Taylor completed another hat trick of successive World Championship titles, the pain of losing to Part four years earlier either numbed or driving him to further success, as likely were the rivalries he had built up along the way.


2006/2007
The Circus Tavern would host the PDC World Championship for just one more year, the 2007 competition. The Order of Merit that year included only four names that were not English: Barrie Bates of Wales, 2003 World Champion John Part, and Dutchmen Roland Scholten and Raymond van Barneveld. Barneveld’s ranking was deceptive because twelve months earlier he had been playing in the Final of the BDO World Championship.
Barney defeated the youngest player ever in a PDC World Championship, Australia’s Mitchell Clegg, three sets to nil in the opening round. He then progressed past Colin Lloyd, Rico Vonck, and Alan Tabern 5-0 to make the semi-finals, where he defeated Andy Jenkins 6-0. To that point, the only three sets he had dropped were to Lloyd in the second round. Jenkins had defeated Adrian Lewis in the third round. Lewis had seen off Wayne Jones in the previous round and Australia’s other representative, Tony Fleet, 3-0 in the opening round.
In the bottom half, Kiwi Warren French lost to rising star James Wade 3-1 in his first-round clash. Wade got past debutant Dave Ladley, winning a deciding leg to take the match four sets to three. Wade then lost his third-round match in the same manner to Terry Jenkins. Jenkins, not related to Andy Jenkins, then lost to Andy Hamilton 5-4.
The Hammer and The Power were to meet once more after Hamilton had defeated Gary Welding 3-0 in Round One, then PDC World Championship finalist Mark Dudbridge 4-3 in the second, and former World Champion Dennis Priestley 4-1 in the third round. The Taylor-Hamilton semi-final produced a clear winner as Taylor defeated Hamilton 6-0 to make another final.
Hamilton threw 46 180s for the tournament, beaten only by van Barneveld’s 51, though the Dutchman played an extra match. He might have been full of confidence from that match, but Taylor would go on to lose the Final in a deciding leg to van Barneveld. Many now consider it the greatest PDC World Championship final ever. Some even claim it to be the best darts match ever.
Taylor comfortably won the first set 3-0 and, before too long, was three sets ahead. Could a repeat of 2006 be on the cards? For van Barneveld, he must have been thinking about how Jelle Klaasen had beaten him in the Final of the BDO World Championship the previous year. A 170 finish should have helped relieve the nerves as it gave him his first set, and he backed it up by winning the next one.
Taylor went 4-2 ahead before Barney moved back to within a set. At 2-2 in the next set, Barney left a 156 checkout, his third attempt in that set, but missed it and Taylor checked out 68 to move within two legs of the match at five sets to three. After the break, van Barneveld won three successive sets to lead 6-5. Taylor then went 2-1 behind in the twelfth set but won the next two legs to take the match to a deciding set.
Barney threw first in the opening leg of that set and hit 180 with his first visit. He led 1-0 and then 2-1 in legs, but Taylor came back on both occasions. Barney moved to 3-2, but PDC rules at the time required a player to win by two clear legs from 2-2 in a deciding set. Taylor held for 3-3, only for Barney to move 4-3 ahead. With Taylor standing behind him requiring double 18 for the World Championship, he hit double four to move the match to 4-4.
With both players needing 40 in the next leg, van Barneveld was first to collect it and moved 5-4 ahead. Taylor had to hold throw but chose not to try and check out with the bull while Barney required 170. Would Eric Bristow’s ill fortune fall upon Taylor? Barney had done it already once in the match and hit treble 20 with his first dart, but his second was too high. Taylor hit the required double 16 with his next dart.
In the sudden-death leg, Barney asked for Taylor’s opening dart at the bull to be left in, and the Dutchman used it to make the bull for himself. It demonstrated he was in the right head space to play the final leg, and so it proved. A ton from Barney was bettered by a maximum from Taylor. Barney then matched it with a 180 of his own to heap pressure on Taylor, who could only collect 40.
A 105 from Barney left 116 as Taylor moved to 148. A treble 20 and 16 gave Barney a fifth championship point, but he missed. Taylor left 90 and Barney stepped up to the oche and hit tops with his first dart. He matched Eric Bristow’s five World Championships with that win and, as Priestley, Taylor, and Part had before him, became both a BDO and PDC World Championship winner. It was a remarkable match to finish things off at the Circus Tavern.


2007/2008
The 2008 Championship saw the debut of the tournament at the Alexandra Palace, although darts had previously been held at the venue with the News of the World Darts Championship from 1963 to 1977. For the first time in the tournament's history, two Kiwis were part of the field: Warren Parry returned as Oceanic Masters champion and Alan Bolton joined him. Steve MacArthur was the Australian representative.
The field expanded to 68 players, including the first Indian player, Ashfaque, and thus a preliminary round was played. Alan Bolton lost to Erwin Extercatte 5 legs to 0, with Ashfaque losing by the same scoreline to Shi Yongsheng. Parry and MacArthur were both in the bottom quarter of the main draw. James Wade beat MacArthur 3-0 and Alex Roy defeated Parry 3-2 in their opening round clashes. Both Roy and Wade would become John Part victims later in the tournament.
Phil Taylor, who had already been taken to a deciding leg by young Dutch debutant Michael van Gerwen in the first round, eventually winning 3-2, lost in a quarter-final clash to an emotional Wayne Mardle, 5-4. It was the first time Taylor had missed the Final in PDC or WDC World Championship history. Mardle then went on to play qualifier Kirk Shepherd in the semi-finals. Shepherd had defeated Terry Jenkins 3-2, Mick McGowan 4-3, Barrie Bates 4-2, and Peter Manley 5-4 to get there. He upset Mardle in the semi-final 6-4, completing the match with a 72 checkout in the deciding leg of the tenth set and avoiding another decider. Reflecting on his results thus far, he probably would have been fine in a final-leg decider.
Shepherd became the youngest player to ever make the PDC World Championship final when he played it at just 21 years and 88 days old. He would meet John Part, who returned to his fourth World Championship final, remarkably at his third venue, given how few venue changes there had been. In his part of the draw, Part had seen off James Wade in the quarter-finals 5-4, checking out 113 to complete the match. In the same round, Kevin Painter won 5-2 over another young star in Adrian Lewis, who had made his second quarter-final in his first three World Championships. Part defeated Painter 6-2 in their semi-final between two former finalists, finishing the match with another triple-figure checkout, this time a 130 with treble 20, treble 20, double 5.
He made sure the Final was not a repeat of the previous close affair and defeated Shepherd 7-2 to collect his third World Championship. Part won the first set, taking the deciding leg with his opponent on 128 by cleaning up 80 in two darts. He won the next set 3-1 and then the third set even more emphatically, 3-0. He completed the next set with the same leg score, securing an 86 checkout on the bull. He was now 4-0 up, a long way back for Shepherd.
The youngster looked to revive his fortunes in the next set, and at 2-2 he lined up a shot at 32. He missed two darts at the double and watched as his third hit his previous two darts and landed on the floor. Part missed one dart at double 16, and Shepherd got his dart into the double 8 despite having blocked much of the target. 4-1 to Part.
The next set went to a deciding leg. Part missed the bull for the leg. Shepherd moved from 150 to 90, and a double 8 gave Part a 5-1 lead. The youngster fought back from 2-1 down in the next set, but in the deciding leg it looked like the Canadian had it when his first two darts reduced 106 to 32. Part went inside to leave 16, but Shepherd was still on 160. The bold youngster took on the challenge, and three darts later he was back within three sets of the two-time World Champion.
That was all the success he would have in terms of sets. Part won the next set 3-1, completing it with another 80 checkout, although this one took three darts. He then won the ninth and final set, though not without some drama. It went to a deciding leg. Part missed two match darts at tops, before Shepherd failed to take out 40 in three darts on the next visit. Part then landed a double 10 with last dart in hand to win 7-2.
Part would end his career having won his last three World Championship finals across three venues.
2008/2009
The 2009 competition saw both Part and Shepherd lose in the first round. A Hungarian debuted in the competition for the first time. Nandor Bezzeg lost his match to Vincent van der Voort 3-0 in Round One. With Kiwi Warren French having won his qualifying round match 5-3 over Japanese player Akihiro Nagakawa, three Down Under players made the main draw. Paul Nicholson and Russell Stewart had already qualified, and all three ended up in the same eighth of the draw.
Another player in the draw was Anastasia Dobromyslova, the reigning BDO women’s champion. She lost her match to Dutch player Remco van Eijden 2-0 but would return to play in the PDC Women’s World Championship the following year and again in this tournament in 2019. At the time, she was just the second ever female entrant to play in this tournament.
Adrian Lewis took care of Aussie legend Stewart 3-1 before falling 4-3 to Nicholson in the next round. It was the first time Lewis had not made the third round in his career at this tournament. Nicholson had eliminated Adrian Gray 3-0 in the first round. Former World Champion Dennis Priestley was Nicholson’s next victim 4-2, after Priestley had beaten John MaGowan 4-1 and Kiwi Warren French 3-0 in Rounds Two and One respectively. Nicholson became the first Down Under player to win a round of 16 match in the PDC World Championship. His future World Cup partner Simon Whitlock had lost at that stage in his debut year of 2003. Nicholson lost to James Wade 5-3 in the quarter-finals.
Wade was then set to take on Raymond van Barneveld in the semi-finals. Barney and Phil Taylor returned to their winning ways after their shock or early exits the previous year. Van Barneveld had beaten Mark Stephenson 3-0, Wes Newton 4-1, Ronnie Baxter 4-3, and Jelle Klaasen 5-1 in the quarter-final. Klaasen had famously defeated him in the 2006 final. That quarter-final also marked the first ever 9-darter in a PDC World Championship, hit by van Barneveld with 180, 180, 141 in the second leg of the sixth set.
Taylor had faced another Dutchman on his way to the Final, beating van Gerwen for the second year running 4-0 in Round Two, then Co Stompe 5-0 in the quarter-finals. It had been a strong tournament for the Dutch, as seven of their eight representatives won matches. The only one who missed out was Roland Scholten, who had the most experience at this tournament. Over the next few years, he would only secure one more win in this championship. In between the two Dutchmen, Taylor and Kevin Painter renewed their World Championship rivalry, with Taylor winning again 4-1.
Mervyn King was the fourth semi-finalist after beating veteran Dennis Smith 4-1 in the fourth round and stopping the run of Barrie Bates, who had seemed motivated by his previous loss to Kirk Shepherd. King ended that with a 5-2 win to set up a clash with Taylor. Taylor was dominant in a 6-2 win over King, while van Barneveld edged out Wade 6-4.
Although previews recalled the 2007 final, this match was at a different venue and had a different result. Taylor raced to a 2-0 lead but missed double 8 in the deciding leg of the third set. Van Barneveld stepped in and hit double 5 to take the set and make it 2-1. That would be his last set. Taylor used the third as fuel and won the remaining sets.
The fourth set’s decider saw Taylor miss double 8 and double 4, and Barney missed double 18 and double 9 for a 66 checkout. Taylor eventually took the leg. Many saw this as the pivotal moment. Set five also went to a decider, with Taylor closing it with an 81 finish in two darts. He led 4-1. In the sixth, another decider saw Taylor take it with double 12.
Despite the 5-1 score, the previous four sets had all gone to deciders with van Barneveld on a checkout. Taylor then won set seven 3-1 and closed out set eight in another deciding leg. With Barney needing 170, Taylor took out 81 with treble 19 and double 12 to win 7-1.
It sealed a world record average in a PDC final: 110.94. That record still stands. Taylor had averaged over 100 in every round except the first in the 2009 tournament. It was his 14th World Championship title and his first in three years, the longest gap between titles since 1995.
2009/2010
The 2010 World Championship saw both John Part and Kirk Shepherd lose in the first round. A Hungarian, Nándor Bezzeg, made his debut at the tournament, losing his match to Vincent van der Voort 3-0 in Round One.
With Kiwi Warren French having won his qualifying round match 5-3 over Japanese player Akihiro Nagakawa, three down-under players made the main draw. Paul Nicholson and Russell Stewart had already qualified, and all three ended up in the same eighth of the draw.
Another notable player in the field was Anastasia Dobromyslova, the reigning BDO Women’s World Champion at the time. She lost her match to Dutch player Remco van Eijden 2-0 but would return the following year to play in the inaugural PDC Women’s World Championship and once more in this tournament in 2019. At the time, she was just the second female entrant to ever play in the PDC World Championship.
Adrian Lewis defeated Aussie legend Stewart 3-1 before falling 4-3 to Nicholson in the next round. It was the first time Lewis had not made the third round in his career at this tournament. Nicholson had eliminated Adrian Gray 3-0 in the first round. Former World Champion Dennis Priestley was Nicholson’s next victim, 4-2, after Priestley had beaten John MaGowan 4-1 and Kiwi Warren French 3-0 in rounds two and one respectively.
Nicholson became the first down-under player to win a round of 16 match in the PDC World Championship. His future World Cup partner Simon Whitlock had lost at that stage in his debut year of 2003. Nicholson lost to James Wade 5-3 in the quarter-finals.
Wade was then set to take on Raymond van Barneveld in the semi-finals, as Barney and Phil Taylor returned to their winning ways after their shock or relatively early exits the previous year. Van Barneveld had beaten Mark Stephenson 3-0, Wes Newton 4-1, Ronnie Baxter 4-3, and Jelle Klaasen 5-1 in the quarter-final. Klaasen had defeated him in the 2006 final. That match also saw a historic moment. In the second leg of the sixth set, van Barneveld hit a 9-darter with 180, 180, 141—the first ever in a PDC World Championship.
Taylor had met another Dutchman on his way to the Final, beating van Gerwen for the second year running 4-0 in Round Two before defeating Co Stompe 5-0 in the quarter-finals. It had been a strong tournament for the Dutch overall, with seven of their eight representatives winning matches. The only one to miss out was Roland Scholten, the most experienced Dutch player in the field. Over the next few years, he would only secure one more win in this championship. In between the two Dutchmen, Taylor met Kevin Painter again and once more came out on top, 4-1.
Mervyn King was the fourth semi-finalist after beating veteran Dennis Smith 4-1 in the fourth round and ending the run of Barrie Bates. Bates had seemed motivated by his shock loss to Kirk Shepherd in a previous campaign. King stopped that charge with a 5-2 win to book his place against Taylor. Taylor was dominant in a 6-2 win over King, while van Barneveld edged out Wade 6-4.
Despite the previews recalling the 2007 final, this one was at a different venue, was a different match, and had a different result. Taylor quickly took a two-set lead before he missed double 8 in the deciding leg of the third set. Van Barneveld stepped in and hit double 5 to make it 2-1. It was the only set he would win.
Taylor used the third set loss as fuel and went on to win every remaining set. In the fourth, Taylor missed darts at double 8 and double 4 to close the decider, and van Barneveld had a shot at 66 but missed double 18 and then double 9. Taylor took the set, and many consider it the pivotal moment of the Final.
Set five went to a decider, which Taylor closed out with an 81 finish in two darts to go 4-1 up. He then took the sixth in another decider with a double 12 finish. Despite the 5-1 scoreline, each of the previous four sets had gone to deciders with van Barneveld on a checkout.
Taylor won set seven 3-1. The eighth set returned to a decider. With van Barneveld needing 170, Taylor stepped up and hit 81 once again, ending the match with treble 19 and double 12. He won 7-1.
That checkout secured Taylor the title and a world record average in a PDC final: 110.94. The record still stands. Taylor had averaged over 100 in every round except the first in the 2009 tournament. It was his 14th World Championship and his first in three years, the longest gap between titles since 1995.


2010/2011
The 2011 tournament began with a setback for the Australian contingent as Rob Modra was unable to obtain a visa to travel to England and was replaced by Kirk Shepherd. Shepherd had made a significant impact three years earlier and had shown signs of resurgence the previous year before being stopped by Mark Webster. Kiwi Preston Ridd and Australian Shane Tichowitsch made their tournament debuts. Simon Whitlock was ranked fourth in the order of merit and Paul Nicholson sixteenth, meaning both Aussies were seeded in the 72-man field.
Ridd won his debut with a 4-0 whitewash over Northern Irish star Mickey Mansell to enter the first round proper. Canadian-born American Gary Mawson defeated Filipino Janito Gionzon 4-1 in the preliminaries before losing 3-0 to Phil Taylor in the first round, concluding a PDC World Championship career that had started in 1996. Dutch legend Roland Scholten progressed past Veijo Viinikka of Finland, while Dane Per Laursen beat Boris Krcmar 4-2 and Swedish player Magnus Caris overcame Austria’s Dietmar Burger 4-3. South Africa’s Devon Petersen made his debut, edging Norman Madhoo of Guyana 4-3. Japan’s Morihiro Hadimoto beat an Englishman 4-2, and German Jyhan Artut defeated Scott MacKenzie of Hong Kong 4-2.
Taylor, after defeating Mawson, went on to beat Laursen 4-0. Laursen had sensationally eliminated John Part in the first round, meaning the Canadian had lost in Round One in two of the three years since his last world title. Ridd and Tichowitsch did not progress. Ridd lost to Vincent van der Voort 3-0 and Tichowitsch was beaten 3-1 by Andy Smith. Nicholson beat Steve Farmer 3-0 and Whitlock beat Steve Evans by the same scoreline, marking the first time multiple players from Down Under made it to the second round.
In Round Three, Nicholson lost 4-2 to Peter Wright, who was then beaten 4-1 by Taylor. Whitlock advanced by defeating Denis Ovens 4-0 before falling to van der Voort 4-2 in the round of 16. Van der Voort, who had earlier defeated Wayne Jones 4-2 and Shepherd 3-1, went on to lose 5-2 in the quarter-finals to Adrian Lewis.
In the other quarter-final in that half of the draw, Mark Webster upset Phil Taylor 5-2 to set up a semi-final with Lewis. Webster had previously beaten Ronnie Baxter 4-1 and Co Stompe 4-2. Lewis won the semi-final 6-4.
In the bottom half, Gary Anderson beat Raymond van Barneveld 5-1 in their quarter-final, having earlier defeated Andy Smith 4-0. Van Barneveld had beaten Colin Osborne to reach that point. Terry Jenkins emerged from a tough section of the draw. His path included victories over Joe Cullen (3-2), Steve Brown (3-1), and Co Stompe (4-1), and then a 5-4 win over Wes Newton in the quarter-final. Jenkins had earlier benefitted from wins over James Wade, Mensur Suljovic, Brendan Dolan, and Alan Tabern in a draw full of talent.
Anderson beat Jenkins 6-2 in the semi-final to reach his first World Championship final. Neither finalist had previously played in a World Championship final.
Anderson won the first leg of the Final, but Lewis responded with the tournament’s only nine-darter to go 2-1 up in legs, though Anderson took the next two legs to win the first set. Lewis then stormed to a 2-0 lead in sets with six straight legs. Anderson hit back with a 136 checkout to win the third set 3-0. They traded sets over the next two, with Anderson’s 86 finish in set six levelling the match at 3-3.
Lewis took the lead 4-3, then won a deciding leg in the next set despite missing a 121 checkout. Anderson’s record-breaking 180 tally and a dominant set win closed the gap to 6-5. However, Lewis broke away in the final set. He led 2-0, was on 22 while Anderson sat on 118. Anderson left 40 but never got a shot as Lewis nailed double 11 to win 7-5. Lewis became the first player to win the PDC title without previously competing in the BDO World Championship. It was also the last World Championship match called by Sid Waddell, a fact unknown at the time.
2011/2012
Simon Whitlock was seeded fifth and Paul Nicholson ninth for the 2012 World Championship. Aussies Geoff Kime and Sean Reed also qualified. Warren French again made the tournament, winning a preliminary match 4-3 over Ireland’s Connie Finnan.
Devon Petersen won his second consecutive preliminary match, defeating Portuguese debutant Jose de Sousa 4-3. Kevin Munch beat Malaysian Lee Choon Peng 4-2, and Joe Cullen overcame Serbian Oliver Ferenc.
In the main draw, French lost 3-1 to Mark Walsh, who then beat Kevin Painter before losing 4-2 to three-time world champion John Part in the last 16. James Wade had dropped only one set en route to the quarters, beating Petri Korte, Jelle Klaasen, and Steve Farmer. Wade won the first set against Part, but Part struck back with a 167 checkout to take the second. Wade then reeled off six straight legs to go 3-1 ahead, but Part closed the gap and tied the match at 3-3. He then won the seventh set to lead 4-3. Wade levelled the match and won the deciding set 3-2 with a treble 15 and tops for the win.
Sean Reed lost 3-1 to Justin Pipe, who then beat Wes Newton 4-3 before losing 4-1 to Terry Jenkins. Jenkins had earlier beaten Joe Cullen and Co Stompe. Wayne Jones defeated Scott MacKenzie and Roland Scholten, the latter in his final world championship match. Scholten’s 3-1 win over Jamie Caven was his last victory in a world championship.
Jones faced reigning champion Adrian Lewis, who had beaten Nigel Heydon 3-2 and Rob Thornton 4-2. Lewis whitewashed Jones 4-0 and then defeated Jenkins 5-3 to reach the semi-finals. In the other quarter, Whitlock advanced by beating Dennis Smith 3-0, Steve Beaton 4-1, and Michael van Gerwen 4-3 in a tight round-three clash. Whitlock then crushed Gary Anderson 5-1 before losing 6-5 to Andy Hamilton in the semi-finals. Whitlock played the tournament with a broken ankle.
Paul Nicholson beat Mensur Suljovic 3-1 and Alan Tabern 4-0 before falling to Kim Huybrechts 4-1. Had he advanced, Nicholson would have faced Hamilton, opening the door to a potential all-Australian semi-final. Hamilton had beaten Antonio Alcinas 3-2 and survived a sudden-death set against Vincent van der Voort 4-3. He then beat Chisnall 4-0 and Huybrechts 5-2 to make his first World Championship final.
In the Final, Lewis retained his title with a 7-3 win. He took the first set in a deciding leg with a 122 checkout on the bull. Hamilton won the second set 3-1 but Lewis regained the lead. The pair split the next two sets and Lewis edged a deciding leg with a 112 checkout to lead 3-2. A double 15 gave Lewis a 4-2 lead, but Hamilton hit back with three straight legs to narrow the margin to 4-3. Lewis responded with a double 11 to win the next set, then took the ninth with a 118 checkout. In the tenth, Lewis trailed 2-0 but rallied with three legs to win the set. Hamilton missed tops to extend the match, and Lewis hit double 20 to defend his crown. Only Phil Taylor had previously done so. Later that year, Lewis would break Australian hearts again in the World Cup, teaming with his mentor Taylor and throwing double 5 after all other players had missed match darts, clinching the title for England.


2012/2013
The Aussie contingent in 2013 included Simon Whitlock (ranked 5th), Paul Nicholson (ranked 16th), Shane Tichowitsch, and a young Kyle Anderson, who was just starting his UK darting journey. They were joined by Kiwi Dave Harrington. Unfortunately for New Zealand fans, Harrington could not replicate the success of his predecessors and lost in the preliminary round 4-0 to Haruki Muramatsu of Japan. Other notable winners at this stage included Paul Lim, Max Hopp, and Daryl Gurney.
Nicholson won his opening match against Dutchman Co Stompe and was joined in Round Two by Whitlock, who avenged Harrington’s loss with a 3-0 victory over Muramatsu. Tichowitsch lost to Dave Chisnall 3-0, as did Kyle Anderson to Steve Beaton. In Round Two, Nicholson lost in a final set decider to Robert Thornton 4-3, while Whitlock had better fortune, defeating Colin Osborne 4-0 and then edging Chisnall 4-3. He faced Raymond van Barneveld in the quarter-finals but lost 5-1. Barney had defeated Michael Smith 3-0, Brendan Dolan 4-1, and Gary Anderson 4-0 to reach the semis.
Van Barneveld then faced Phil Taylor, who beat Mickey Mansell and Jerry Hendriks in Rounds One and Two, repeating Barney’s results. Taylor then defeated Thornton 4-0 and Andy Hamilton 5-0 in a dominant run to the semi-finals. Michael van Gerwen ended Adrian Lewis’s 14-match unbeaten run at the Worlds with a 5-4 quarter-final win. Van Gerwen had beaten Paul Lim 3-0, Peter Wright 4-2, and Colin Lloyd 4-1. Lewis had defeated Gino Vos 3-0, Denis Ovens 4-1, and Kevin Painter 4-3.
James Wade also reached the semis after a 5-4 win over Wes Newton. Both players had relatively smooth paths to that point. Van Gerwen defeated Wade 6-4, a match highlighted by a sensational 9-darter in the third leg of the fifth set: 179, 177, 144. He narrowly missed a second consecutive 9-darter in the following leg. Dean Winstanley had earlier recorded a 9-darter of his own in his match against Vincent van der Voort.
In the Final, Taylor faced his third Dutch opponent in five rounds. Van Gerwen started strong, taking the first set with a 140 checkout and winning the second set 3-1. Taylor responded, edging the next two sets in deciders to tie the match 2-2. Van Gerwen regained the lead by winning the next two sets, going up 4-2. Taylor clawed back again, winning two sets to tie it 4-4.
Taylor took the lead for the first time at 5-4 after van Gerwen missed a 107 checkout. Taylor then extended his lead to 6-4, and in the next set, with van Gerwen on 170, Taylor checked out 91 with 17, treble 14, and double 16 to win the title 7-4. This was Taylor’s 16th World Championship and his first to receive the newly unveiled Sid Waddell Trophy, named in honour of the legendary commentator. Both players paid tribute to retiring referee Bruce Spendley after the Final, with Taylor presenting him the Final match board. Spendley passed away in June 2021.


2013/2014
The 2014 PDC World Championship saw Kyle Anderson’s brother, Beau, make his debut alongside Kiwi Rob Szabo. The Anderson brothers joined Kim and Ronny Huybrechts and Wes and Dale Newton as sibling pairs to feature in the event. Colin and Aaron Monk remain the only father-son pair to have competed. Paul Nicholson (20th) and Simon Whitlock (4th) were seeded in the top 32.
Szabo continued New Zealand’s strong preliminary form, winning 4-3 over Ian Moss. He then lost 3-1 to reigning champion Phil Taylor, who was upset in the next round 4-3 by Michael Smith. Smith then lost to Peter Wright, who advanced to the semis after beating Wes Newton 5-4 in the quarters. Newton had earlier beaten Royden Lam 3-1, John Part 4-0, and Robert Thornton 4-1. Part’s first-round win over Mareno Michels 3-2 was his last in a World Championship.
Beau Anderson defeated veteran Colin Lloyd 3-2 in the first round but was eliminated 4-0 by Thornton. Nicholson also made Round Two with a 3-0 win over Stuart Kellett but lost 4-0 to Kevin Painter. It marked the first time three players from Down Under reached the second round.
Whitlock beat Ross Smith 3-0 and Jarkko Komula 4-0 before also whitewashing Painter 4-0. He then edged Ian White 5-4 in a tight quarter-final. White had earlier defeated Kyle Anderson 3-1. Notably, Kyle hit a nine-darter in the first leg of the fourth set, the second of the tournament. Earlier the same night, Terry Jenkins had also hit a 9-darter against Per Laursen. Both players eventually lost their matches.
Whitlock reached his second semi-final in three years but lost to Wright 6-2. In the lower half of the draw, van Gerwen beat Mark Webster 5-3, and Adrian Lewis thrashed James Wade 5-1 in the quarters. Van Gerwen had edged Gary Anderson 4-3, while Webster had beaten Raymond van Barneveld 4-3. Lewis had defeated Mervyn King 4-1, and Wade stopped Devon Petersen’s run 4-0.
Van Gerwen then whitewashed Lewis 6-0 in the semis and advanced to face Wright, who he had previously beaten in 2010 and 2013. Wright started strong but fell behind quickly, losing the first two sets 3-1 and then the third to a 108 checkout. Van Gerwen took a 4-0 lead before Wright won set five with a 130 checkout. Wright then took the sixth set 3-1 and trailed only 4-2.
Van Gerwen won two tight sets to lead 6-2, but Wright fought back, winning sets nine and ten by 3-1 margins to trail 6-4. Wright led early in the 11th set and later missed a 108 checkout while van Gerwen failed on 7. Wright took the leg with a 48 finish. Van Gerwen then hit a 124 checkout to level, but Wright responded by hitting double 9 for 2-1. Van Gerwen held with six perfect darts and later secured the set in a deciding leg. In the final leg, Wright missed tops twice, leaving 20. Van Gerwen hit 20, 16, and double 20 for a famous 7-4 win.
Michael van Gerwen became the fourth Dutchman to win a darts World Championship, joining Raymond van Barneveld, Jelle Klaasen, and Christian Kist.


2014/2015
The 2015 World Championship saw the highest representation from Down Under in tournament history to that point. There were still only 72 competitors, but with Simon Whitlock (ranked 7th), Paul Nicholson (25th), and Kyle Anderson (qualified through the Pro Tour Order of Merit, ranked 13th in that order), others could also join through local qualification. Those who did were Australians Laurence Ryder and John Weber, as well as Kiwi Mark McGrath.
McGrath lost his preliminary round match 4-0 to Scott Kirchner from the US. Boris Koltsov defeated Haruki Muramatsu 4-2 in the preliminaries to become the first Russian to reach the first-round proper. Previously, Anastasia Dobromyslova (2009) and Roman Konchikov (2010) had both lost in the preliminary round.
Also debuting was John Michael, the first player to represent Greece at the PDC World Championship. He lost 3-1 to Ian White in Round One. Pre-tournament expectations were that Whitlock and Nicholson would progress, but instead it was Ryder and Kyle Anderson who made the second round. Whitlock suffered a 3-1 upset loss to Darren Webster, his first-ever first-round exit in the event. Nicholson fell 3-2 to young Dutchman Benito van de Pas.
Weber and Ryder were in the same section of the draw but didn’t meet, as Weber lost to Terry Jenkins 3-1. Ryder had seen off Justin Pipe 3-2 in the first round, but Jenkins then defeated him 4-0. Kyle Anderson beat Steve Beaton 3-0 in Round One before falling 4-2 to Andy Hamilton.
Hamilton couldn’t get past Peter Wright, losing 4-0. Wright then fell 5-1 to fellow Scot Gary Anderson, who had already dismissed defending champion Michael van Gerwen 6-3 in the semi-final. In two matches, Anderson had beaten both previous year’s finalists.
Van Gerwen had defeated Joe Cullen 3-1 in Round One, Sascha Stein 4-1 in Round Two, and then Terry Jenkins 4-1 in the quarter-finals. Stein was playing his only World Championship. Jenkins had beaten Weber and Ryder, as well as Justin Pipe, giving him three wins over Down Under players.
After beating Nicholson, van de Pas stunned Dave Chisnall 4-2 before being whitewashed 4-0 by Robert Thornton. Thornton lost to van Gerwen 5-2 in the quarters.
In the bottom half, Phil Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld were dominant. Taylor beat Vincent van der Voort 5-3 in the quarters, while van Barneveld defeated Stephen Bunting 5-4. Barney had earlier edged Adrian Lewis 4-3 in a match that featured a nine-darter by Lewis—the second of his career at the Worlds, matching Barney's record.
Other notable performances included John Part’s final World Championship appearance, where he lost 3-2 to Keegan Brown in the first round. Mark Webster and Kevin Painter made the second round, while Andy Hamilton and Adrian Lewis reached the third.
The semi-final between Taylor and van Barneveld wasn’t a classic, with Taylor winning 6-2. The Final, however, was an instant classic. Gary Anderson became the first Scot to win the PDC World Championship with a 7-6 victory. Only Jocky Wilson and Les Wallace had previously been World Champions from Scotland.
Anderson took the first leg with a 121 checkout and led 3-1 after winning two sets in a row. Taylor responded after the break, tying the match at 3-3. Despite missed doubles in the seventh set, Taylor took the lead for the first time. Anderson hit back to level at 4-4.
In the ninth set, Anderson came back from 2-0 down to win it 3-2. Despite all three of his darts bouncing out of the treble 20 during one visit, Anderson won the set and led 6-4. Taylor nearly hit a nine-darter in the next set and pulled one set back before tying the match at 6-6.
In the deciding set, Taylor missed three darts to tie the set, and Anderson hit double 13 to take the lead. A double 12 in the next leg crowned Gary Anderson the 2015 PDC World Darts Champion.


2015/2016
In 2016, Gary Anderson looked to defend his title. He was joined by five players from Down Under: Simon Whitlock, Kyle Anderson, Rob Szabo, Laurence Ryder, and debutant Koha Kokiri. John Part missed the championship for the first time since 1997, and Paul Nicholson did not feature for the first time since 2008.
Thailand debuted with Thanawat Gaweenuntawong, who lost 2-0 to Germany’s Rene Eidams in the new best-of-three sets format for the preliminary round. Rob Szabo won his prelim 2-0 against Michael Rasztovits, meaning two Kiwis reached the first round for the first time.
In the top half, Kokiri lost 3-0 to Steve Beaton. Raymond van Barneveld beat Michael Smith 5-4 in the quarter-finals after edging van Gerwen 4-3 in Round Three. Smith had beaten three Dutch players—Jeffrey de Zwaan, Benito van de Pas, and Beaton—but couldn’t overcome Barney.
Peter Wright beat Keegan Brown 3-0, Ronny Huybrechts 4-0, and Dave Chisnall 4-3 to reach the quarters, where he lost 5-2 to Adrian Lewis. Lewis had been dominant, beating Jan Dekker, Andrew Gilding, and Mensur Suljovic without dropping a set. He then beat van Barneveld 6-3 in the semis.
In the bottom half, Vincent van der Voort eliminated both Ryder (3-0) and Kyle Anderson (4-2). Kyle had beaten Brendan Dolan 3-0 in the first round. Szabo lost to Jamie Caven 3-0, and Whitlock suffered a second straight first-round exit, losing 3-2 to Ricky Evans.
Caven beat Evans 4-0 before losing 4-1 to James Wade. Wade then lost to Anderson 5-1 in the quarters. Anderson had beaten Daryl Gurney 4-1, Andy Boulton 3-0, and van der Voort 4-0.
Jelle Klaasen and Mark Webster rolled back the years in the bottom quarter. Webster lost 4-1 to Alan Norris in Round Three. Klaasen defeated Norris 5-4 in the quarters before being whitewashed 6-0 by Anderson in the semis. The Flying Scotsman hit two 170 checkouts and a nine-darter in the third leg of the first set.
In the Final, Anderson and Lewis met again. Lewis took the first set 3-1. Anderson responded by sweeping the second and winning the third 3-1. The fourth set went to a decider, which Lewis won to tie it 2-2. He edged ahead 3-2 after another tight set.
Anderson then won two sets 3-1 and swept the eighth to lead 5-3. Lewis took the ninth set 3-0 to close the gap. Anderson answered with a 3-0 sweep of his own to lead 6-4.
Lewis dominated the next set to make it 6-5. Anderson had the throw in the 12th set and needed to hold serve to avoid a decider. Lewis broke in the first leg with an 11-darter, but Anderson broke back and then hit a 170 checkout to move within a leg of the title.
Despite a poor start in the fourth leg, Anderson hit double 12 to win the leg, the set, the match, and retain his world title. Anderson joined Taylor and Lewis as the only players to defend the PDC World Championship and became the first to defend the Sid Waddell Trophy.


2016/2017
Downunder representation dropped to four in 2017, with Simon Whitlock joined by the returning Warren Parry from New Zealand, David Platt (now representing Australia), and debutant Corey Cadby, who had become a sensation on the circuit. For the first time, all three non-seeded Down Under players had to win qualifiers, and two of them succeeded. Platt defeated England’s John Bowles 2-0, and Cadby beat China’s Sun Qiang by the same score. Parry lost 2-0 to Jerry Hendriks, ending Kiwi hopes in the tournament.
Malaysia’s Tengku Shah debuted and upset Japan’s Masumi Chino 2-1 in the preliminary round. Simon Whitlock won his first-round match for the first time in three years, defeating Germany’s Dragutin Horvat 3-0, but then lost in the second round 4-0 to Darren Webster. Cadby went down 3-1 to Joe Cullen in Round One.
Phil Taylor met David Platt again, their careers having briefly intersected before. Taylor won 3-0, then defeated Kevin Painter 4-0 in the second round (Painter’s last World Championship match) and Kim Huybrechts 4-2 in the third to reach the quarter-finals. Raymond van Barneveld, who had beaten Robbie Green, Alan Norris, and Adrian Lewis (in a sudden-death final set), overcame Taylor 5-3 in the quarter-final.
Michael van Gerwen defeated Kim Viljanen (3-0), Cristo Reyes (4-2), Darren Webster (4-1), and Daryl Gurney (5-1) to reach the semi-finals, where he beat van Barneveld 6-2 to return to the Final. Gurney had earlier eliminated Mark Webster in a deciding set.
On the other side of the draw, defending champion Gary Anderson swept past Mark Frost (3-0), Andrew Gilding (4-0), and Benito van de Pas (4-2) before beating Dave Chisnall 5-3 in the quarters. Chisnall had edged past Rowby-John Rodriguez, Chris Dobey, and Jelle Klaasen. Peter Wright defeated James Wade 5-3 in the other quarter-final after posting a 104.79 average.
Michael Smith made his fourth straight third-round exit, losing a deciding set to Wade. Wright’s path included wins over Jamie Lewis, Ian White, and Jerry Hendriks. In the semi-final clash of future World Cup winners, Anderson beat Wright 6-3 to reach his third consecutive final, extending his unbeaten run at the Worlds to 17 matches.
The Final saw Van Gerwen take the first set before Anderson responded to lead 2-1. MvG won the next three sets, including nine of eleven legs, to take a 4-2 lead and then extend it to 6-2. Anderson stayed alive with a stunning leg featuring two 180s and an 81 checkout in the ninth set to cut it to 6-3. He then took a leg lead in set ten before Van Gerwen produced his fifth triple-figure checkout of the match to level. When Anderson needed 134 to stay in it, he missed, and Van Gerwen sealed the title with an 85 finish on the bull.
Michael van Gerwen became a multiple-time PDC World Champion and aimed to defend his title for the first time in his career.


2017/2018
The 2018 Championship was billed as Phil Taylor’s farewell, setting a new record with his 29th consecutive appearance. He had already announced it would be his last, giving the 25th PDC World Championship a special significance.
From Down Under, Kyle Anderson (24th) and Simon Whitlock (10th) were seeded. They were joined by Gordon Mathers, and two Kiwis—veteran Bernie Smith and emerging star Cody Harris—who all had to qualify via the preliminary round. Mathers lost to Japanese sensation Seigo Asada 2-1, who then lost to eventual finalist Rob Cross in the first round. Harris beat American Willard Bruguier 2-1, while Smith defeated China’s Zong Xiao Chen 2-0.
In the main draw, Harris lost 3-1 to Ian White. Smith lost to Justin Pipe 3-2 in a match dubbed “cough gate” by fans. Pipe was accused of coughing during critical throws, but Smith downplayed it, saying Pipe won because he took his chances.
Whitlock and Kyle Anderson each won their first-round matches 3-1, against Martin Schindler and Peter Jacques respectively. Both lost in the second round by the same 4-1 scoreline. Whitlock was eliminated by Darren Webster (who had also beaten him in 2016), while Anderson fell to Raymond van Barneveld.
Jamie Lewis emerged as a surprise semi-finalist, coming through the preliminaries to beat Johnny Clayton (3-0), Peter Wright (4-1), James Richardson (4-1), and then Webster (5-0) in the quarter-finals. Lewis became the first player to make a semi-final from the preliminary round.
Phil Taylor reached the semi-finals with dominant wins over Chris Dobey (3-1), Pipe (4-0), Keegan Brown (4-0), and Gary Anderson (5-3). Anderson had defeated Jeff Smith, Paul Lim, and Steve West. Taylor then beat Lewis 6-1 to book a place in the Final.
The top half of the draw saw another classic between van Gerwen and van Barneveld in the quarter-finals, with MvG winning 5-4. Van Gerwen had earlier beaten Christian Kist, James Wilson, and Gerwyn Price. In the other quarter-final, debutant Rob Cross edged Michael Smith 4-3, beat John Henderson 4-1, and won a deciding set over Dimitri van den Bergh 5-4.
Cross then met van Gerwen in what many considered one of the greatest matches in PDC history. Cross took the first set after MvG failed to check out 77. The match was level at 3-3 after both players exchanged sets. Cross led 4-3, MvG drew level, and the final set went to sudden death after six tied legs. Van Gerwen missed six match darts across the final two legs, and Cross hit double 18 to win one of the most dramatic matches in the tournament’s history.
The Final between Cross and Taylor was a story of a debutant facing a retiring legend. Cross took the first three sets with clinical finishing, including a 167 checkout and a 153. Taylor clawed back one set and nearly hit a nine-darter but missed double 12. Cross pushed ahead 5-1 and then 6-1. Taylor managed to take one more set before Cross closed out the match with a 140 checkout.
Rob Cross became only the second debutant to win the PDC World Championship. Taylor’s final match ended in defeat, but he left behind the greatest legacy in the sport.


2018/2019
The 2019 PDC World Championship saw a record number of Downunder representatives. Paul Nicholson returned to the Ally Pally stage alongside Kyle Anderson, Simon Whitlock, James Bailey, Raymond Smith, and New Zealanders Craig Ross and Cody Harris. This marked the high point for Downunder participation in the newly expanded 96-player field.
Cody Harris played third on the opening day and won his first-round match 3-2 against Martin Schindler. He then lost in the second round to Jamie Lewis by the same score. Lewis looked like repeating his deep run from the previous year but was halted in the fourth round 4-0 by Dave Chisnall. Chisnall had edged Josh Payne 3-2 and then swept Kim Huybrechts 4-0.
In the same section, Paul Nicholson lost 3-0 to Kevin Burness in the opening round. Burness was then defeated 3-1 by Gary Anderson, who would go on to survive two tight 4-3 matches against Jermaine Wattimena and Chris Dobey before setting up a quarter-final clash with Chisnall.
Raymond Smith lost his first-round match 3-1 to Alan Tabern, who then lost to Michael van Gerwen 3-1. MvG beat Max Hopp 4-1 in Round Three and Adrian Lewis 4-1 in Round Four to progress to the quarter-finals.
Ryan Joyce, who had beaten Anastasia Dobromyslova 3-0 in the opening round, defeated Simon Whitlock 3-0 in Round Two. He then beat Alan Norris and James Wade in two 4-3 thrillers to reach the quarter-finals. Norris had earlier beaten Steve Lennon, who had defeated Aussie debutant James Bailey 3-0 in Round One.
Kiwi Craig Ross lost 3-0 to Tony Alcinas, who then shocked Peter Wright 3-1 in Round Two. Alcinas lost to Benito van de Pas 4-2, and the Dutchman was then defeated 4-1 by Brendan Dolan. Dolan had never passed the second round in ten previous attempts but now found himself in the quarter-finals.
Kyle Anderson beat Noel Malicdem 3-1 in Round Two but lost to rising star Nathan Aspinall 4-1 in Round Three. Aspinall had already eliminated Geert Nentjes 3-0 and sixth seed Gerwyn Price 3-2. He then beat Devon Petersen 4-3 in a dramatic fourth-round match, clinching the win with a double 16 under pressure.
In the final quarter, Michael Smith beat Ron Meulenkamp 3-1, John Henderson 4-2, and Ryan Searle 4-1. Luke Humphries eliminated reigning champion Rob Cross 4-2 in Round Four after beating Dimitri van den Bergh, Adam Hunt, Stephen Bunting, and others.
In the quarter-finals, Anderson (5-2), van Gerwen, Aspinall, and Smith (all 5-1) advanced. MvG comfortably dispatched Anderson 6-1 in the semi-final, while Smith ended Aspinall’s dream run 6-3.
In the Final, van Gerwen took early control, winning the first three sets. Smith missed four darts at double in the deciding leg of the fourth, and MvG pounced for a 4-0 lead. Smith fought back, taking two sets, but van Gerwen surged again to win 7-3. It was his third PDC World Championship, and his first successful title defence became his next challenge.


2019/2020
The 2020 World Championship saw five Downunder players take the stage: Simon Whitlock, Kyle Anderson, Damon Heta, Robbie King, and Ben Robb. Heta, King, and Robb were all debutants and part of a new wave of talent already well-known in Australia and New Zealand.
Kyle Anderson won his opening match 3-2 against China’s Xiachen Zong. Robbie King lost a deciding set to Ryan Searle 3-2, narrowly missing a 108 checkout for the match. Damon Heta impressed with a 3-0 win over José de Sousa, who would soon become a Premier League player.
Fallon Sherrock followed Heta on stage and made history by becoming the first woman to win a match in the PDC World Championship, defeating Ted Evetts 3-2. She then beat Mensur Suljovic 3-1 before losing to Chris Dobey in Round Three.
Ben Robb lost 3-0 to Ron Meulenkamp in Round One. Dobey beat Meulenkamp next and then lost a tight 4-3 match to Glen Durrant in the fourth round. Durrant had earlier beaten Heta 3-0 and then Daryl Gurney 4-2.
Simon Whitlock defeated Harry Ward 3-0 in Round Two and then beat Mervyn King 4-1. His run ended in Round Four with a 4-2 loss to Gerwyn Price. Kyle Anderson lost to Steve Beaton 3-1 in Round Two, in what would be his final world championship appearance.
Beaton upset James Wade 4-2 in Round Three before losing 4-2 to Darius Labanauskas, who had matched his previous best BDO run. MvG defeated Jelle Klaasen 3-1, Ricky Evans and Stephen Bunting 4-0 each, to reach another quarter-final. Bunting had earlier beaten Johnny Clayton 4-0 after surviving a scare from José Justicia.
Searle followed his win over King by defeating Steve West 3-0, then lost a deciding set 4-3 to Gary Anderson in Round Three. Anderson was stopped by Aspinall 4-2 in the next round. Aspinall had already beaten Danny Baggish and Krzysztof Ratajski. He then defeated Dimitri van den Bergh 5-3 in the quarter-finals.
Peter Wright had survived a match dart against Noel Malicdem in his first match, eventually winning 3-2. He beat Seigo Asada 4-2 and then edged Jeffrey de Zwaan 4-3 in Round Four. De Zwaan had earlier beaten Dave Chisnall 4-3. Wright faced Luke Humphries in the quarter-finals after Humphries beat Devon Petersen, Jermaine Wattimena, Nico Kurz, and Kim Huybrechts.
In the semi-finals, MvG beat Aspinall 6-3, while Wright defeated Price 6-3 in a heated clash. Wright had been down 2-1 and later 3-3 before winning three of the next four sets. MvG’s semi-final lead never faltered.
The Final saw Wright take the first set and extend to a 2-0 lead with 12 and 13 dart legs. MvG responded by taking the third and fourth sets. Wright broke twice in the fifth and whitewashed the sixth to lead 4-2. MvG cut the deficit to 4-3 but missed tops in the eighth set and Wright pounced with a double 16.
Wright held throw in the ninth to go 6-3 up. Van Gerwen missed a double 12 for a nine-darter in the tenth but won the leg. Wright broke back and finished the job with a double 10 after initially missing two match darts. Peter Wright was crowned World Champion, becoming the second Scotsman to win the PDC title and joining Anderson, Wallace, and Wilson as world champions from Scotland.


2020/2021
The 2021 event was held without crowds due to the pandemic, though it still took place at Alexandra Palace. It was one of the few major events not cancelled during that time. Downunder was represented by Aussies Gordon Mathers, James Bailey, Simon Whitlock, and Damon Heta, along with New Zealander Haupai Puha. Whitlock was playing his 12th consecutive PDC World Championship, 13th overall, and Heta entered with rising hype as a tour card holder.
With some players unable to participate due to COVID-related restrictions, South Africa’s Cameron Carolissen received a bye into Round Two after Martijn Kleermaker withdrew and replacement Josh Payne was ruled out due to close contacts. Thirteen players, including Carolissen, made their World Championship debuts amid a disrupted qualification season. The Oceanic Masters was not held for the first time in its history, so James Bailey and Haupai Puha received invites based on DPA and DPNZ rankings, respectively.
Both Mathers and Bailey were eliminated on day two. Max Hopp defeated Mathers 3-0, while Callan Rydz beat Bailey 3-1. Two days later, Puha fell to Mickey Mansell by the same score. The biggest Downunder disappointment came when Heta, considered a dark horse, was edged 3-2 by American Danny Baggish. It would prove a breakout moment for Baggish, who secured a tour card shortly after.
That left Simon Whitlock to keep Downunder hopes alive. He had a tough second-round match against Darius Labanauskas, a surprise quarter-finalist the year before, but came through 3-2 after winning the deciding set 3-0. It ensured that at least one Downunder player claimed a win, avoiding a blank year, something not seen since 2008.
Whitlock’s run ended in Round Three, losing 4-0 to Krzysztof Ratajski, who then defeated Gabriel Clemens 4-3 in a dramatic fourth round. Clemens had knocked out reigning champion Peter Wright 4-3 in the previous round and had earlier beaten fellow German Nico Kurz 3-1.
Stephen Bunting emerged from a series of all-English clashes. He beat Andy Boulton 3-2, James Wade 4-2 (including a nine-darter in set five), and Ryan Searle 4-3, winning the final set 3-2. Searle had beaten Danny Lauby Jr, Jeffrey De Zwaan, and Kim Huybrechts en route.
Michael van Gerwen defeated Ryan Murray and Ricky Evans, then survived a classic against Joe Cullen in Round Four. Cullen missed match darts, and MvG came back from 3-1 down in sets and 2-1 down in the deciding set to win.
Van Gerwen then faced Dave Chisnall in the quarter-finals. Chisnall had been in fine form, seeing off Keegan Brown, Danny Noppert, and Dimitri van den Bergh. Expectations were high, but Chisnall shocked the darts world with a 5-0 whitewash of van Gerwen, conceding only seven legs and averaging 107.34.
Meanwhile, Gary Anderson survived a tense third-round match with Mensur Suljovic, who frustrated the Scot with slow play and positioning at the table. Despite dropping three straight sets and falling behind 3-2, Anderson bounced back with two clean sweeps to win 4-3. He then defeated Devon Petersen 4-0 and Dirk van Duijvenbode 5-1 in the quarter-finals.
Gerwyn Price had scraped through several deciding sets against Jamie Lewis (3-2), Brendan Dolan (4-3), and Daryl Gurney (5-4). In each, he was pushed to the brink but held his nerve. He then met Bunting in the semi-final. Despite falling 3-1 and later 4-3 behind, Price won the last three sets (3-1, 3-0, 3-1) to become the first Welshman to reach a PDC World Championship final.
Anderson, chasing a third title, had beaten Chisnall 6-3 in the other semi. In the Final, Anderson took a 2-0 leg lead in the first set but lost it after missing darts at double. Price went on a dominant run, winning sets four through six with a 12-3 leg count to lead 5-1.
Anderson fought back to 5-3 and forced a deciding leg in set nine, but Price took it. In set ten, Price missed several match darts while Anderson fought back again. At 2-2 in the deciding leg, Anderson had a chance to force a decider but missed. Price hit double five with his 12th match dart to win 7-3. He became the first Welsh PDC World Champion, joining Burnett, Rees, Webster, and Warren as World Champions from Wales. On the day of his triumph, Wales held both PDC and BDO world titles. With this win, Price also became world number one.


2021/2022
Crowds returned to Ally Pally, but COVID still cast a shadow over proceedings. The format remained unchanged, with no preliminary round. A record-equalling five Australians took part: Damon Heta, Simon Whitlock, Gordon Mathers, Raymond Smith, and Ky Smith. New Zealander Ben Robb also featured. Ky and Raymond Smith made history as the first father-son duo to play in the same World Championship.
Raymond Smith kicked off the Downunder campaign with a 3-1 win over Jamie Hughes. Ky followed but lost 3-1 to Maik Kuivenhoven. Mathers also lost 3-1 to Jason Heaver. Ben Robb was next, losing by the same score to Rusty-Jake Rodriguez, despite the match being competitive through two sets.
Raymond Smith returned in Round Two and whitewashed Devon Petersen 3-0 to become the first Aussie into Round Three. Whitlock fell 3-1 to Martijn Kleermaker, but Damon Heta beat Luke Woodhouse 3-1 to join Smith after Christmas.
Smith then defeated Florian Hempel 4-1, but Heta’s campaign ended at the hands of Peter Wright, despite Heta having led 2-0 before Wright changed darts and swept the rest. Smith’s remarkable run continued as he led Mervyn King 3-1 in Round Four, but King stormed back to win 4-3. King had earlier beaten Ryan Joyce and Steve Lennon. Had Smith won that match he would remarkably have qualified for a PDC tour card based on money earnt at the event.
James Wade was dominant in that section. He beat Kuivenhoven 3-1, received a bye against van der Voort (withdrawn due to medical reasons), and defeated Kleermaker 4-0. Wade then hammered King 5-0 in the quarter-final.
Peter Wright had been clinical since beating Heta. He brushed aside Ryan Meikle, then defeated Ryan Searle 4-1 and battled past Callan Rydz 5-4. Rydz had beaten Yuki Yamada, Brendan Dolan, Nathan Aspinall (injured), and Alan Soutar.
Luke Humphries eliminated Rusty-Jake Rodriguez and received a bye after Dave Chisnall withdrew. He then beat Chris Dobey 4-3 in a dramatic quarter-final, with Dobey missing key chances. Humphries had beaten Rowby-John Rodriguez and faced Gary Anderson in the semis.
Anderson had overcome Adrian Lewis, Ian White, and Rob Cross in tight matches, winning deciding sets in each. He comfortably defeated Humphries 5-2 to reach yet another semi-final.
In the top quarter, defending champion Gerwyn Price faced tough opposition. After surviving a scare against Kim Huybrechts, he defeated Dirk van Duijvenbode 4-1. Meanwhile, Michael Smith defeated Jonny Clayton 4-3 in a high-quality match, having already beaten Meulenkamp and O’Connor.
Smith then upset Price in a thrilling quarter-final that included a nine-darter from Price. Smith won the deciding set 3-1 to reach the semi-final. There, he defeated Wade 6-3, despite Wade’s fightback from 5-1 down.
Peter Wright’s semi-final against Anderson was a gritty 6-4 victory, marked by Wright’s comeback after Anderson led 3-1. In the Final, Wright won the opening two legs, but Smith levelled at 2-2. Smith led 4-3 but Wright bounced back and won four of the next five sets, finishing the match 7-5 to become a two-time PDC World Champion.


2022/2023
The 2023 PDC World Championship was not a standout tournament for the Australian and New Zealand contingent. Ben Robb was the first player eliminated, unable to match the success of Preston Ridd in 2010, as he lost 3-0 to Mickey Mansell, the same man who had eliminated Robb’s friend Haupai Puha two years earlier.
Australia’s Mal Cuming made his debut on the Ally Pally stage but lost 3-0 to Scotsman Alan Soutar, who would go on quite a run in the tournament. The following night, Simon Whitlock edged out Christian Perez of the Philippines 3-2 in a tight contest. Raymond Smith, who had been a standout the year before, couldn’t replicate his run and lost 3-0 to Czech player Karel Sedlacek. Damon Heta produced a dominant 3-0 win over Adrian Lewis, possibly Lewis's final World Championship appearance. Whitlock then fell 3-2 to José de Sousa in Round Three. Heta was the only Aussie to return after Christmas, but his run ended with a 4-0 defeat to Joe Cullen, the same player who had famously halted Corey Cadby’s only World Championship campaign back in 2016.
Soutar continued his run with wins over Daryl Gurney (3-0) and Danny Noppert (4-2), before falling 4-1 to Gabriel Clemens. The German advanced to the semi-final after a stunning 5-1 victory over world number one Gerwyn Price. Price had earlier beaten Luke Woodhouse 3-1, Raymond van Barneveld 4-0, and José de Sousa 4-1. De Sousa had previously eliminated Ryan Searle in a deciding set (4-3) after defeating Whitlock.
Joe Cullen’s progress ended against Michael Smith, who won 4-1. Smith had narrowly survived Martin Schindler 4-3 in the previous round. Meanwhile, Stephen Bunting was in resurgent form, beating American Leonard Gates 3-1, Dave Chisnall 4-2, and rising star Luke Humphries 4-1. Bunting’s run ended in the quarter-final against Smith, 5-3, despite averaging over 97.
The bottom half of the draw became a European affair. Mansell, who had beaten Robb, lost to Peter Wright. Wright’s title defence ended early with a loss to Belgian Kim Huybrechts, who was then defeated 4-0 by compatriot Dimitri Van den Bergh. Van den Bergh reached the semi-final with a 5-3 win over Jonny Clayton, who had narrowly edged out Josh Rock 4-3. Rock had earlier beaten Nathan Aspinall 4-3.
The remaining quarter of the draw featured Dutch and English stars. Michael van Gerwen defeated fellow Dutchman Dirk van Duijvenbode 4-1. Rob Cross was beaten 4-2 by Chris Dobey, who had previously knocked out Gary Anderson 4-2. Van Gerwen then whitewashed Van den Bergh 5-0 in the semi-final, dropping just three sets en route to the Final. Smith beat Clemens 6-2 in the other semi-final.
The Final saw England's Michael Smith take on the Netherlands' Michael van Gerwen, marking the fifth England vs Netherlands final in 30 editions. With the head-to-head record tied 2-2, this was Smith’s chance to make history, having previously lost to van Gerwen in a final.
Van Gerwen started strongly, winning the first set 3-1. Smith responded by winning the next two sets 3-1. Van Gerwen hit back with a 3-0 fourth set and took the fifth 3-2 to retake the lead. Smith held his composure and won the next three sets: 3-2, 3-1, and 3-0 to go 6-3 up. Van Gerwen won a deciding leg to make it 6-4, and many expected him to take over. But Smith stood firm and claimed the deciding leg in the eleventh set to secure a 7-4 victory.
Smith became the fifth Englishman to win the PDC World Championship, finally overcoming the heartbreak of his two previous final losses, including one to van Gerwen.


2023/2024
The 31st edition of the PDC World Darts Championship brought a mix of youth and experience, upsets and dominance, with the emergence of a teenage sensation and the coronation of a calm and clinical new world champion. For the players from Australia and New Zealand, it was another mixed campaign. Five players came from the Oceania region: Damon Heta, Simon Whitlock, Darren Penhall, Haupai Puha, and Ben Robb.
The opening night saw Simon Whitlock play against Paolo Nebrida in the third match. The Wizard came from 1-0 down in sets to win 3-2 and avoid a first night upset. Another man to do the same was defending champion Michael Smith in the last match of the evening, as is tradition. Kevin Doets of the Netherlands led two sets to one, but Smith won the last two sets 3-1 to progress into Round Three. Doets had beaten Steve Buntz in the opening match of the tournament just a couple of hours earlier, a loss Buntz would avenge twelve months later.
The next afternoon saw a win for Darren Penhall, the English-born Australian, who overcame Belgium’s Mario Vandenbogaerde 3-1 in the opening round. It was a composed performance, with Penhall showing poise on the outer ring and using the crowd’s energy to his advantage. Later that night, Whitlock fell to Gary Anderson in a dominant performance from the former world champion. Sunday afternoon brought Penhall’s final match on stage, and he fell just as comprehensively to Joe Cullen, a man who has made a habit of defeating Australians at the World Championships.
Twenty-four hours later Haupai Puha was third on stage, but he only managed to win the third set in his match with Martin Lukeman and became the third Oceanic player in four sessions to be eliminated. On Wednesday night his compatriot Ben Robb faced Richard Veenstra but failed to take a set.
That left Damon Heta as the final Oceania representative. Entering as the 16th seed, he skipped the first round and opened his campaign on Thursday night with a solid 3-1 victory over Martin Lukeman. Heta finished with a 92.68 average and showed good control in the closing legs. Lukeman had denied the first ever Aussie versus Kiwi matchup at the World Championship with his Round One win over Puha. In Round Three Heta met Dutchman Berry van Peer in one of the tournament’s most thrilling matches. Heta came through a seven-set battle 4-3, winning the deciding set 3-2 and finishing with 50% on doubles. His run ended in Round Four, outclassed 4-1 by Scott Williams, the surprise package of the event.
Williams had beaten Haruki Muramatsu and Danny Noppert comfortably before edging Martin Schindler in a 4-2 final set thriller. After beating Heta, he continued his run by knocking out Michael van Gerwen 5-3 in the quarter-finals. Up to that point, van Gerwen had not dropped a set. He had seen off Keane Barry and Robb’s conqueror Veenstra, who had gone on to upset Kim Huybrechts, and then whitewashed Stephen Bunting. Both Veenstra and Bunting had not dropped a set in their previous matches. Williams had now made his first PDC World Championship semi-final.
After beating Penhall, Joe Cullen defeated Ryan Searle 4-2 to reach the last 16. There he met Luke Humphries, the tournament favourite following a great run leading into the worlds. Humphries opened with a 3-0 win over compatriot Lee Evans and then survived a scare against Ricardo Pietrezcko. The German had upset Callan Rydz in the previous round and led Humphries 3-1 in sets before the Englishman stormed back to win three straight. He then edged Cullen in another tight match, coming from 2-0 and 3-2 down in sets and winning the 11th leg of the final set.
Humphries went on to face Dave Chisnall, who had beaten Cameron Menzies 3-1, Gabriel Clemens 4-1, and Daryl Gurney 4-2. The quarter-final was one-way traffic, with Humphries running out a 5-1 winner to book an all-English semi-final with Scott Williams.
The top quarter of the draw featured no Oceanic players. Four names progressed to the round of 16 as expected. Michael Smith faced Chris Dobey, while Rob Cross met Jonny Clayton. Both matches ended 4-0, with Dobey ending Smith’s title defence and Cross just as clinical in victory. Dobey then led 4-0 in their quarter-final, but the race was to five. Cross fought back to win four straight sets, only one of which went to a deciding leg. At three legs all in the final set, Cross won two in succession to complete a stunning comeback.
Yet none of it would overshadow what occurred in the bottom of the top half. Sixteen-year-old Luke Littler powered through, capturing the fans’ and media’s imagination. He beat Christian Kist 3-0 and Andrew Gilding 3-1 before seeing off Canadian Matt Campbell 4-1. Campbell had eliminated James Wade in the previous round. Littler then faced a section of the draw where Jim Williams had upset Peter Wright before falling to Raymond van Barneveld. Barney, however, was no match for Littler, who dropped just one set in a 4-1 win.
His next opponent would come from the match between Gary Anderson, who had beaten Whitlock and Boris Krcmar, and Brendan Dolan, who had upset former world champion Gerwyn Price 4-2. Dolan led Anderson 2-0 but fell behind 3-2. He then won back-to-back sets 3-1 to reach the quarter-finals, having eliminated two former world champions along the way. Littler beat Dolan 5-1 in the quarter-final, his fourth straight match dropping only one set (his first match was a clean sweep).
The semi-finals featured four Englishmen. Both matches were dominant displays. Littler dropped two sets, the first and fifth (both in deciders), as he defeated Rob Cross 6-2. Humphries was even more ruthless, winning 6-0 over Williams and posting a 108.74 average, one of the top ten in tournament history.
Littler opened the Final with a hold of throw, although Humphries nearly stole it. Humphries held throw to level, then took advantage when Littler missed a Shanghai checkout. The third leg went with throw again as Humphries closed out the set with a 32 checkout. One set to nil Humphries.
Humphries held throw to start set two, then broke for a 2-0 lead after Littler missed the bull on 128. Littler broke back and then landed a stunning 142 checkout to force a decider. Humphries had the throw but Littler hit a Shanghai finish to win the set. One set all.
Littler opened the third with an 80 checkout and followed with a clean 40 finish. He left 20 chasing 70 in the third leg but Humphries punished with a 39 checkout. A 116 on throw tied the set, and despite Littler leaving 40 on his next visit, Humphries checked out 25 to edge the set. Two sets to one Humphries.
Littler broke to open the fourth, then held for a two-leg lead. Humphries kept the set alive with a 73 finish but Littler responded, checking out 30 after Humphries had missed his chance. Two sets all.
Littler held his throw in the fifth, then again under pressure from Humphries. A 180 in the next leg left him on 51, and he cleaned it up comfortably to take the set 3-1. Littler three sets, Humphries two.
Littler broke again in set six with a 168 setup and secured a two-leg lead. He then punished a miss from Humphries to take the set and extend his lead to four sets to two.
Humphries hit a 170 checkout to break Littler in the seventh and then landed another 108 finish to lead 2-0. Littler responded with an 84 checkout and then a 122. Humphries stayed steady and finished 28 after a 180 visit to edge the set. Littler four sets, Humphries three.
Humphries opened the eighth with a hold, then broke to lead 2-0. Littler broke back and pressured Humphries with a 120 setup, but Humphries checked out 121 to win the set 3-1. Four sets all.
Humphries broke again with another 108 finish and backed it up with a second straight 108 checkout. Littler held to stay in the set, then levelled it with a 71 checkout. In the decider, Humphries opened with a 180 and followed with two 140s to leave 36. Littler missed 170 and then 70. Humphries checked out for his third straight set. Five sets to four.
Humphries held to open the tenth set, Littler responded with a 170 checkout to level. Humphries held again and then piled on 140s to break and take the set. Six sets to four.
In the eleventh, Littler held to start, Humphries equalised, and Littler moved ahead 2-1. Humphries held again and forced a decider. A 180 gave him the edge, and despite Littler’s late pressure, Humphries closed out the match by checking out 16. Seven sets to four.
In a final worthy of the occasion, Littler’s brilliance met the metronomic precision of Humphries. Despite the teenager’s fearless resistance, it was Cool Hand Luke who held firm in the deciding legs, sealing not just the match, but his place atop the PDC rankings. At 28, he had finally lifted the Sid Waddell Trophy, capping off the greatest run of his career.


2024/2025
The story of the 2024/25 PDC World Championship of Darts began with a match that embodied the tournament’s growing diversity, representing two continents and one shared dream. An Australian and a Frenchman played out this first match in the 32nd edition of the PDC World Championship. Joe Comito was making his debut, whilst Thibaut Tricole was playing his second successive World Championship. He had become the first Frenchman to win a match at the previous tournament and by the end of the first match, he had repeated that result, defeating Comito 3-1 (the Western Australian winning the third set).
The next match saw a new nation represented when Stefan Bellmont from Switzerland stepped onto the Ally Pally stage, but he fell to Jermaine Wattimena. Keane Barry won the third match of the night before Tricole was on stage again, as he took on Luke Humphries in the main event on the opening night of the competition. The defending champion triumphed 3-0 over Tricole. Wattimena, meanwhile, upset James Wade in the following afternoon session’s final match (3-0).
Ben Robb was second up in the evening session but was unable to secure his first win at his fifth event, as he fell 3-0 to Connor Scutt. The following match saw the return of the popular American Leonard Gates to the stage, and he upset Cameron Menzies 3-1, with Menzies visibly upset on stage after the match. Welshmen Robert Owen and Gerwyn Price both won their matches in this session.
The next day, Tuesday, saw no Oceanic representatives, with the notable wins on the day coming from Luke Woodhouse—upsetting the in-form Mike De Decker—and Peter Wright, fixing the wrongs of 12 months prior by winning his opening match 3-1 over Wesley Plaisier of the Netherlands.
The single session the next day had quite the matches, including an Oceanic representative. The opening match saw Paolo Nebrida upset Welshman Jim Williams, winning the match in the fifth leg of the fifth set. Madars Razma then defeated Christian Kist, but Kist still made a name for himself as he secured a nine-darter to win the first set, earning him £60,000 in prize money from a sponsor.
Gordon (GG) Mathers was then up, and the Aussie twice came from a set behind to draw level and force the game to a deciding set. Rapid Ricky Evans took out that set to win the match and leave Oceanic representation down to Damon Heta.
Thursday saw two upsets in the opening session, with Lok Yin Lee defeating Chris Landman 3-1 and Robert Owen taking down Gabriel Clemens 3-1. The evening saw Canadian Matt Campbell eliminate Mensur Suljovic, with Welshman Nick Kenny and Englishman Scott Williams winning through. The final match saw a rematch from the opening round of the previous year, but this time Kevin Doets held his nerve to eliminate Michael Smith, winning 6-4 in the final set.
Wins to Stephen Bunting and Michael van Gerwen headlined a Friday that did not really go the way of the underdogs, although youngster Dylan Slevin did beat William O’Connor in an all-Irish affair.
Round One ended on the Saturday afternoon, with Rhys Griffin of Wales and Alexis Toylo of the Philippines eliminating their more favoured rivals. In the evening, Dutchmen Danny Noppert and Raymond van Barneveld were upset before Luke Littler began his second championship campaign with a 3-1 win over Ryan Meikle (Meikle had eliminated the “Queen of the Palace” Fallon Sherrock earlier in the tournament). Littler’s third set was completed in 32 of the youngster’s darts. Littler completed the legs in 11, 10, and 11 darts. In the second, he missed double twelve by a whisker for what would have been a perfect leg. The final match of the night saw Damon Heta defeat Connor Scutt, the man who had denied the chance of an all-Oceanic match in this year’s championship with his victory over Ben Robb in the first round. Heta went behind after the first set, but he cleaned up the next three, only dropping two legs to win the match three sets to one.
Three Englishmen won in the Sunday afternoon session (Ryan Searle, Joe Cullen, and Ian White), with Madars Razma joining them after upsetting Dirk van Duijvenbode. In the evening, Callan Rydz and Dimitri van den Bergh progressed, whilst Nebrida (over Ross Smith) and Jeffrey de Graaf (over Gary Anderson) both caused upsets, not just by winning their matches but doing so without conceding a set (Nebrida winning each set in a deciding leg, De Graaf dropping only three legs in total).
The final day of Round Two matches saw an afternoon session without an upset, as Krzysztof Ratajski, Andrew Gilding, Josh Rock, and Jonny Clayton all progressed. The evening went less to plan, although Daryl Gurney did progress in a deciding set against Florian Hempel. Hempel’s German compatriot Ricardo Pietreczko did cause a minor upset in his battle with fellow youngster Gian van Veen by defeating the Dutchman 3-1. The last two matches of the round saw two top-ten players in Dave Chisnall (2-3 to Ricky Evans) and Rob Cross (1-3 to Scott Williams) bundled out of the tournament.
The top of the draw in Round Three saw Humphries and Wright set up a fourth-round clash after comfortable wins. Stephen Bunting was also just as comfortable in his match, but the fourth match in this section went down to the wire. Damon Heta ended up spurning a 3-1 set lead to lose 4-3 to Luke Woodhouse, but it would still be memorable for the Aussie as he became the second person in the tournament to hit a nine-darter, going 2-1 up in the second set. He gained £60,000 from the tournament sponsor as a result, but it did end Oceanic representation earlier than the previous year.
In the battle of two former world champions, it would be Wright who would stop the title defence of Humphries with a 4-1 win in the fourth round. Bunting would join him in the quarter-finals with a 4-0 clean sweep of Woodhouse. Bunting went four sets up in their quarter-final before Wright won two consecutive sets, but a 3-0 seventh set gave the Bullet the semi-final position.
The next section of the draw saw three-quarters of the Round Four positions taken by Englishmen, with Littler dominating Ian White 4-1, Ryan Joyce surviving Ryan Searle in a deciding set, and Nathan Aspinall whitewashing Andrew Gilding. The semi-finalist from the previous year, Scott Williams, could have made it an English clean sweep but he fell 4-1 to Pietreczko.
Aspinall continued his run of whitewashes against the German in the next round, whilst Littler had the toughest match of his tournament so far against Joyce, leading after sets one, three, five and, most critically, seven, giving him the 4-3 win. The quarter-final in this section saw Littler go 2-1 up against Aspinall after three sets. He duplicated this result in the next three sets and sealed it with a 3–0 win in the seventh to give him a 5-2 overall victory.
The third section of the draw saw Round Three wins for Kevin Doets, still on a roll having eliminated a former world champion in the previous round, and Chris Dobey. The two Welsh World Cup-winning teammates, Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton, also progressed to create a face-off in the fourth round. That match saw Price move through with a 4-2 win, whilst Dobey would outlast Doets in a 4-3 win, having been down in sets twice in the match. Dobey and Price faced off in this section’s quarter-final and it would be Price who got off to a flyer and led 2-0 in sets. Dobey would then win four successive sets before Price would win another set. It would all be in vain though, as Dobey secured the next leg to take a semi-final position.
The bottom quarter of the draw would see a multiple world champion reclaim his place in the semi-finals of this tournament. Michael van Gerwen would eliminate Brendan Dolan and Jeffrey de Graaf (de Graaf having ended the Nebrida run in the previous stage) to make the quarter-finals. His victim at that stage would be Callan Rydz, who had eliminated Dimitri van den Bergh and Robert Owen (the winner over Ricky Evans in Round Three) in starkly different matches—the first a 4-0 whitewash, the second a 4-3 nail-biter. MvG saw off Rydz 5-3 in their quarter-final, with the Dutchman never falling behind in sets throughout the match.
The semi-finals were played on the 2nd of January, and it was Dobey and van Gerwen who would have the honour of playing off for the first position in the Final. Van Gerwen would go two sets up quickly before Dobey won a set. It would be his last, though, as MvG won the next four sets straight to take the match 6-1 and look in ominous form for the Final.
Littler and Bunting then took the stage, and it was Littler who got the flying start, going four sets to nil up before Bunting took a set. The younger of the two Englishmen, not yet eighteen, would then take the final two sets to not only make the Final against van Gerwen but also take away the story of the Dutchman having all the momentum going into the Final.
The Final was set for the Alexandra Palace stage Friday evening, the third of January. One of Littler or van Gerwen would be 2025’s first world champion of any sport. Would it be the youngster going one better than the year before and a passing-of-the-torch moment, or would it be the three-time champion of the world showing that he had returned to his dominance of five years before?
Van Gerwen dropped the first leg on throw and Littler doubled down by holding throw. MvG then held his throw for the first time, but with Littler doing the same in the next leg he secured the first set. Littler then held throw in the first leg of the next set, and despite leaving tops after four visits, MvG dropped the second leg to his opponent. Littler then held throw to win the set 3-0 after his opponent missed the bull for the leg.
Van Gerwen then held throw to lead a set for the first time in the match before Littler did the same, holding his throw after van Gerwen could not convert tops on his previous visit to the oche. He then failed to convert 91 in the next leg, leaving tops, and thus Littler jumped to a 2-1 lead in the set, and a leg later he had held throw and now led the match by three sets.
The fourth set saw Littler hold throw once more to open the set and then van Gerwen lose his throw once more. This time Littler failed to clear out the set by holding throw, as he left 32, only for MvG to secure the same score for the leg. Littler struck the final blow for the set in the next leg though, breaking his opponent for the second time in the set and taking a four-set lead.
Van Gerwen would start his comeback in the next set, holding throw twice, Littler holding throw in between with a 130 checkout, before the Dutchman broke his young opponent’s throw, taking the set with a 132 checkout with his opponent needing 35 to hold his throw.
Van Gerwen was looking to take the next set against the throw. Both players held throw twice to set up a deciding leg and the theme for this set continued as Littler held throw to take the set and halt his opponent’s revival. The next set saw both players hold throw twice once more, highlighted by a 124 checkout for Littler in leg two. Van Gerwen opened with a maximum on throw in that leg and held throw to take his second set of the match.
At 5-2, the match seemed set for either an easy Littler win or a big van Gerwen comeback that most fans knew he had in him. The eighth set saw Littler hold throw and then van Gerwen drop his first leg on throw in the set, yet again. Littler holding throw in the final leg meant he moved a set away from the World Championship.
On throw, van Gerwen secured the first leg of the next set and, after Littler did the same, then held throw to lead 2-1. MvG broke the Littler throw by checking out 49 in the fourth leg to move the match to 6-3.
Littler then held throw before breaking his opponent to move a leg away from the match. He then held throw to win the leg, the set, the match, and became the youngest-ever PDC World Champion. The 7–3 scoreline was the largest margin since 2021 and cemented that result as the most common in World Championship final history.
From an opening act featuring rising nations to a final defined by generational brilliance, the 2024/25 PDC World Championship delivered a narrative as sharp as the tungsten on the oche.