World Dart Champions 1978 - 2012

Today there are two recognised World Dart Champions the BDO / WDF Word Champion and the PDC World Champion. The first World Champion was Leighton Rees from Wales. Leighton beat John Lowe 11 legs to 7 and won £3,000. The first World Championship was played in legs not sets as it is today. The first World Championship was held at Jollees Club, Stoke-on Trent and this remained the home of World Darts until 1985. Since1985 the World Darts finals have been held at the Lakeside complex Frimley Green, Surrey.

In 1992 saw a number of players split from the BDO and form they own darts organisation; the World Darts Council later to be renamed as the Professional Darts Corporation PDC (See History). In 1994 the PDC staged their first World Darts Championships to rival The BDO Championship. Many of the best names in darts had moved to the PDC and it has always been bitter rivalry of who is the best.

In 2001 the BDO introduced the first women’s World Darts Championship. Trina Gulliver from England has won this event every year from 2001-2007. In 2008 Trina reached the final again but this time she was defeated by Russia's Anastasia Dobromyslava 2-0. Trina Lost again in the 2009 final to Francis Hoenselaar but regained her crown in 2010 and 2011. Trina has been in the World final ever since every year since it's conception.

The lists below show the World Champions of past and present. Many remember the winners but who did they beat and what was the score?

A few past World Champions

Leighton Rees, John Lowe, Eric Bristow , Jocky Wilson. Phil Taylor & Trina Gulliver 

BDO / WDF World Championship main sponsor Embassy Tobacco 1978 - 2003, Lakeside 2003 - current 2012 BDO / WDF Men's World Champion Christian Kist (Netherlands)

For more information about BDO events please visit the BDO website

 

BDO / WDF World Championship main sponsor Embassy Tobacco 1978 - 2003, Lakeside 2003 - current 2012 BDO / WDF women's World Champion Anastasia Dobromyslava (Russia)

For more information about BDO events please visit the BDO website

PDC World Championship main sponsor 1994 Skol International , 1995 Proton Cars, 1996 -1997 Verons 1998 - 2002 Skol International, 2003 - current Ladbrookes.com 2012 PDC World Darts Champion Adrian Lewis (England)

Phil Taylor recorded a three dart average of 110.94 in the 2009 final. The highest ever for any major darts championship final.

Adrian Lewis hit a nine dart leg in the opening set of the Ladbrokes.com PDC World Darts Final in 2011. The first every dart player to achieve this feat in a World Darts Final

For more information on PDC events please visit the PDC website

In 2010 Unicorn introduced an alternative Womens World Darts Championship. The final took place in the Winter Gardens Blackpool, UK and consisted the best of 11 legs and was won by Stacy Bromberg (USA). The event was not stage in 2011 and there seems no plans for its return.

Trina Gulliver the most successful ladies dart player to grace the earth did not play in this event but went on to win the 2010 & 2011 BDO World darts Championship a total of nine World Championship wins.

2010

Stacy Bromberg

beat

Tricia Wright

6

-

5

Further information can be gained from the BDO web site; there you find all the match results and dart averages. For the PDC contact Planet darts the PDC main web site, see links below

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MEN'S CHAMPIONS 1974 - Cliff Inglis 1975 - Alan Evans 1976 - John Lowe 1977 - Eric Bristow 1978 - Ron Davis 1979 - Eric Bristow 1980 - John Lowe 1981 - Eric Bristow 1982 - Dave Whitcombe 1983 - Eric Bristow 1984 - Eric Bristow 1985 - Dave Whitcombe 1986 - Bob Anderson 1987 - Bob Anderson 1988 - Bob Anderson 1989 - Peter Evison 1990 - Phil Taylor 1991 - Rod Harrington 1992 - Dennis Priestley 1993 - Steve Beaton 1994 - Richie Burnett 1995 - Erik Clarys 1996 - Colin Monk 1997 - Graham Hunt 1998 - Les Wallace 1999 - Andy Fordham 2000 - John Walton 2001 - Raymond van Barneveld 2002 - Mark Dudbridge 2003 - Tony West 2004 - Mervyn King 2005 - Raymond van Barneveld 2006 - Michael van Gerwen 2007 - Robert Thornton 2008 - Martin Adams 2009 - Martin Adams 2010 - Martin Adams 2011 - Scott Waites

WOMEN'S CHAMPIONS 1982 - Ann Marie Davies 1983 - Sonja Ralphs 1984 - Kathy Wones 1985 - Lilian Barnett 1986 - Kathy Wones 1987 - Ann Thomas 1988 - Mandy Solomons 1989 - Mandy Solomons 1990 - Rhian Speed 1991 - Sandy Reitan 1992 - Leeanne Maddock 1993 - Mandy Solomons 1994 - Deta Hedman 1995 - Sharon Colclough 1996 - Sharon Douglas 1997 - Mandy Solomons 1998 - Karen Smith 1999 - Francis Hoenselaar 2000 - Trina Gulliver 2001 - Anne Kirk 2002 - Trina Gulliver 2003 - Trina Gulliver 2004 - Trina Gulliver 2005 - Trina Gulliver 2006 - Francis Hoenselaar 2007 - Karin Krappen 2008 - Francis Hoenselaar 2009 - Linda Ithurralde 2010 - Julie Gore 2011 - Lisa Ashton

YOUTH CHAMPIONS (MIXED at this Time) 1986 - Harith Lim 1987 - Sean Bell 1988 - Sean Dowling 1989 - Dennis Beisser 1990 - Craig Clancy 1991 - Michael Barnard 1992 - Leeanne Maddock 1993 - Jamie Caven 1994 - Steven de Brucker 1995 - Martin Whatmough 1996 - Carsten Hoffmann 1997 - Aaron Turner 1998 - Paul Higgins BOYS CHAMPIONS 1999 - Martin Brown 2000 - Danny Ballard 2001 - Stephen Bunting 2002 - Sean McDonald 2003 - Kirk Shepherd 2004 - Oskar Lukasiak 2005 - Jonny Nijs 2006 - Maarten Pape 2007 - Shaun Griffiths 2008 - Shaun Griffiths 2009 - Jamie Lewis 2010 - Reece Robinson 2011 - Jimmy Hendriks GIRLS CHAMPIONS 1999 - Janine Gough 2000 - Janine Gough 2001 - Anastasia Dobromyslova 2002 - Lynsey McDonald 2003 - Stevis Riggs 2004 - Irene Adrianova 2005 - Laura Tye 2006 - Kimberley Lewis 2007 - Kimberley Lewis 2008 - Linda Odén 2009 - Zoe Jones 2010 - Zoe Jones 2011 - Emily Davidson

For more information about the Winmau Masters please visit their website

Said to be one of the hardest dart tournaments to win The News of the World Individual Darts Championship

The "News of the World" tournament  began in 1927 and was originally  a London competition.  It then expanded to become one of the World's biggest darts tournaments After a couple of breaks it returned for the last time in 1996-7 by then there were two competitions a men's and ladies. The men's competition was won by Phil Taylor and the ladies by Linda Jones. To see the past winners of the oldest established darts tournament click here