Gary "Big Robbo" Robson (born 19 June 1967) is an English professional
darts
Darts or dart-throwing is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small projectile point, sharp-pointed projectile, missiles known as dart (missile), darts at a round shooting target, target known as a #Dartboard, dar ...
player who plays in
World Darts Federation
The World Darts Federation (WDF) is a sport governing body and (along with the PDC) a tournament organiser for the game of darts. It was formed in 1974 by representatives of the original fourteen founding members. Membership is open to the natio ...
events.
Robson now resides in the small rural village of Rothbury, Northumberland.
Career
Robson qualified twice for the World Championships, but was beaten in the first round on each occasion. He made it for a third time in
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
, but found himself 2–0 down in sets against
Steve Coote
Stephen Coote (born 19 September 1970) is an English professional darts player. He won the German Open in 1999. He is not a full-time professional and works as a fireman.
BDO career
Coote made his televised debut at the 1999 Winmau World Mast ...
. However, Robson recovered and took the match to a sudden death deciding leg, which he won.
Bobby George
Robert Francis George (born 16 December 1945) is an English television presenter and former professional darts player. He is widely recognised as one of the game's biggest personalities, known for his flamboyant entrances in which the "King ...
commented that "you won't see browner darts in this tournament than that match". Robson had another excellent performance in losing to 'Silverback'
Tony O'Shea
Tony O'Shea (born 9 May 1961) is an English professional darts player. His squat figure has resulted in the nickname "Silverback". O'Shea has reached the finals of seven British Darts Organisation (BDO) major darts tournaments, but to date h ...
in the second round.
Robson's biggest tournament win so far was at the
World Darts Trophy
The Bullit World Darts Trophy was a professional Darts (sport), darts tournament run by the British Darts Organisation and the World Darts Federation. Held each September from 2002 to 2007, it took place at the :nl:Vechtsebanen, De Vechtsebanen ...
in
Utrecht
Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...
,
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. He beat
Mervyn King 6–4 in the 2005 final, averaging 91.5 for three darts, which was a fair way below his averages during his aforementioned performances in the 2004 World Championship.
Robson had to wait until
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
to win another match at the World Championship, but his opponent for that match was pre-tournament favourite
Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player. He is currently ranked number 3 in the world, having been number 1 from 2014 to 2021. He is also a three-time PDC World Champion, having won the title in 2014, 2 ...
. Robson won 3–2, although the teenage van Gerwen was not quite at his best form and looked nervous on some doubles. Robson did not have to wait long for his next win, as he made the quarter-finals for the first time in his career with a superb 4–3 win over former champion
John Walton, having been 3–1 down. Robson could have had a nine-dart leg, but missed his seventh treble. However, his run was ended by Dutchman
Niels de Ruiter
Niels de Ruiter (born January 21, 1983 in Lelystad, Flevoland) is a former Dutch darts player and former chairman of the Dutch Darts Federation.
Career
On the darts circuit his nickname is The Excellent Dude, which is a reference from the ...
. Robson led 2–0 and 4–2 but ended up losing 5–4. This match included a leg which
Tony Green
Anthony John "Tony" Green (born 29 January 1939) is an English sports commentator and television presenter.
Darts career
A former amateur player, who played county darts for Lancashire, he was the BBC's lead commentator when they showed th ...
and
John Part
John Part (born June 29, 1966) is a Canadian former professional darts player and current commentator. Nicknamed Darth Maple, he is a three-times World Champion, having won the 1994 BDO World Darts Championship on his world championship debut, a ...
touted as "probably the best in thirty years", which Robson won to take the fifth set and lead 3–2.
Robson returned to the World Championship in
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
where he was drawn against 2002 World Champion,
Tony David
Tony David (born 11 September 1967) is an Australian former professional darts player, who played under the nickname The Deadly Boomerang. He is the only Australian player to have been a senior singles world darts champion, having won the 200 ...
. This was Robson's only win at the 2008 World Championship, as in the second round he came up against an in-form
Darryl Fitton
Darryl Fitton (born 5 May 1962) is an English professional darts player. He is nicknamed The Dazzler and comes to the stage dancing to the Madness song "One Step Beyond" wearing sunglasses; one of the most popular walk-ons with the audience ...
. Fitton averaged over 100 in a 4–0 victory.
In the
2009 World Championship, Robson reached the quarter final for the second time, beating
Stephen Bunting
Stephen Bunting (born 9 April 1985) is an English professional darts player who competes in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Nicknamed The Bullet, Bunting won the 2014 BDO World Darts Championship and is a twice former Worl ...
and
Martin Atkins
Martin Clive Atkins (born 3 August 1959) is an English drummer and session musician, best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Pigface, and Killing Joke. He also works as ...
before losing to
Martin Adams
Martin Adams (born 4 June 1956) is an English professional darts player who plays in World Darts Federation (WDF) events. Nicknamed "Wolfie", he is a three-time BDO World Champion and three-time World Masters champion. He represents Cambridgesh ...
. 2009 was not a good year for Robson as a whole and as a result, he was forced to qualify for the
2010 Lakeside World Championship.
Robson lost 3–0 in a first round clash with 2009 champion and 5th seed
Ted Hankey
Edward Hankey (born 20 February 1968) is an English former professional darts player and convicted sex offender. Nicknamed "The Count", he won the BDO World Darts Championship in 2000, was runner-up in 2001, and won the title for a second time ...
at the 2010 BDO World Championship. The next year, Robson was seeded once more and cruised through to the quarter-finals for a third time by defeating
Steve Douglas and
Dave Chisnall
Dave Chisnall (born 12 September 1980) is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He began his career in the British Darts Organisation (BDO) and was the runner-up in their World Champions ...
for the loss of just one set. He then led
Martin Phillips 3–1 but was once again defeated 5–4.
Robson was knocked out of the 2012 World Championships in the first round losing 3–0 to
Steve Douglas
Gary was again knocked out in the first round in 2013 this time losing 3–1 to
Garry Thompson
PDC
He competed for a tour card at the 2020 Q school in an attempt to join the
Professional Darts Corporation
The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) is a professional darts organisation in the United Kingdom, established in 1992 when a group of leading players split from the British Darts Organisation (BDO) to form what was initially called the World ...
, however he finished 164th and failed to win a tour card.
Qualifying School Order of Merit
/ref>
World Championship results
BDO
* 2001: 1st Round (lost to Raymond van Barneveld
Raymond van Barneveld (born 20 April 1967) is a Dutch professional darts player. Nicknamed Barney, although originally known as The Man, he is one of the most successful darts players in history. Van Barneveld is a five-time World Darts Champ ...
1–3)
* 2003: 1st Round (lost to Robert Wagner
Robert John Wagner Jr. (born February 10, 1930) is an American actor of stage, screen, and television. He is known for starring in the television shows '' It Takes a Thief'' (1968–1970), ''Switch'' (1975–1978), and ''Hart to Hart'' (1979– ...
1–3)
* 2004: 2nd Round (lost to Tony O'Shea
Tony O'Shea (born 9 May 1961) is an English professional darts player. His squat figure has resulted in the nickname "Silverback". O'Shea has reached the finals of seven British Darts Organisation (BDO) major darts tournaments, but to date h ...
2–3)
* 2005: 1st Round (lost to Darryl Fitton
Darryl Fitton (born 5 May 1962) is an English professional darts player. He is nicknamed The Dazzler and comes to the stage dancing to the Madness song "One Step Beyond" wearing sunglasses; one of the most popular walk-ons with the audience ...
1–3)
* 2006: 1st Round (lost to Gary Anderson 1–3)
* 2007: Quarter Finals (lost to Niels de Ruiter
Niels de Ruiter (born January 21, 1983 in Lelystad, Flevoland) is a former Dutch darts player and former chairman of the Dutch Darts Federation.
Career
On the darts circuit his nickname is The Excellent Dude, which is a reference from the ...
4–5)
* 2008: 2nd Round (lost to Darryl Fitton
Darryl Fitton (born 5 May 1962) is an English professional darts player. He is nicknamed The Dazzler and comes to the stage dancing to the Madness song "One Step Beyond" wearing sunglasses; one of the most popular walk-ons with the audience ...
0–4)
* 2009: Quarter Finals (lost to Martin Adams
Martin Adams (born 4 June 1956) is an English professional darts player who plays in World Darts Federation (WDF) events. Nicknamed "Wolfie", he is a three-time BDO World Champion and three-time World Masters champion. He represents Cambridgesh ...
4–5)
* 2010: 1st Round (lost to Ted Hankey
Edward Hankey (born 20 February 1968) is an English former professional darts player and convicted sex offender. Nicknamed "The Count", he won the BDO World Darts Championship in 2000, was runner-up in 2001, and won the title for a second time ...
0–3)
* 2011: Quarter Finals (lost to Martin Phillips 4–5)
* 2012: 1st Round (lost to Steve Douglas 0–3)
* 2013: 1st Round (lost to Garry Thompson 1–3)
* 2014: 2nd Round (lost to Robbie Green
Robbie Green (born 19 July 1974) is a former English professional darts player. His nickname was Kong.
PDC career
Green made his televised debut at the 2004 UK Open, reaching the last 64 stage. The same year he qualified for the World Matchp ...
1–4)
* 2015: 2nd Round (lost to Jeff Smith 3–4)
* 2016: 1st Round (lost to Madars Razma
Madars Razma (born 26 September 1988) is a Latvian professional darts player nicknamed Latvian Razmatazz who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won the Latvia National Championships in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2016.
Car ...
1–3)
* 2018: 1st Round (lost to Glen Durrant
Glen Durrant (born 24 November 1970), nicknamed "Duzza", is an English former professional darts player who played in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He previously won the BDO World Darts Championship three times consecutively fr ...
0–3)
* 2019: 1st Round (lost to David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
1–3)
* 2020: 1st Round (lost to Ben Hazel
Ben Hazel (born 22 May 1990) is a professional English darts player, who is currently playing in World Darts Federation events.
Career
In May 2018, Hazel won the Vilnius Open, he beat Łukasz Wacławski in the final. In 2019, he reached Quarter ...
2–3)
Career finals
BDO major finals: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)
Performance timeline
Notes
External links
Official website for Gary Robson
Gary Robson's profile and stats on Darts Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robson, Gary
1967 births
Living people
People from Cramlington
Sportspeople from Northumberland
English darts players
British Darts Organisation players