Justin Pipe (born 9 November 1971) is an English former professional

darts Darts or dart-throwing is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small sharp-pointed missiles known as darts at a round target known as a dartboard. Points can be scored by hitting specific marked areas of the ...

player who has played in 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 Wor ...

(PDC) events. He was a former top 10 player.

Playing career

Pipe was a boxer in his youth, and, as a staunch anti-smoker, he refused to play darts in local pubs as the cigarette smoke would make his eyes water. In 2007, a

smoking ban Smoking bans, or smoke-free laws, are public policies, including criminal laws and occupational safety and health regulations, that prohibit tobacco smoking in certain spaces. The spaces most commonly affected by smoking bans are indoor workp ...

was introduced to England which enabled him to restart his darts career. He first emerged at the

2008 UK Open The 2008 Blue Square UK Open was the sixth year of the PDC's UK Open darts tournament where, following numerous regional qualifying heats throughout Britain, players competed in a single elimination tournament to be crowned champion. The tourname ...

as a pub qualifier. He defeated Geoff Wylie and Lionel Sams before losing 9–3 to

James Wade James Martin Wade (born 6 April 1983) is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). He became the youngest player to win a major PDC title, when he won the 2007 World Matchplay at the ...

in the third round. Following this performance, he joined the

PDC Pro Tour The PDC Pro Tour is a series of non-televised darts tournaments organised by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). They comprise Professional Dart Players Association (PDPA) Players Championships and European Tour events. Only four players ...

and reached the same stage of the UK Open a year later, this time losing 9–5 against Andy Jenkins. He qualified for the

2010 Grand Slam of Darts The 2010 Daily Mirror Grand Slam of Darts was the fourth staging of the darts tournament, the Grand Slam of Darts organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. The event took place from 13–21 November 2010 at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall, Wo ...

as one of four ITV Wildcard qualifiers. He lost all three of his group games to

, Vincent van der Voort, and Tony O'Shea.

2011–2014

Pipe also qualified for the

2011 PDC World Darts Championship The 2011 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship was the 18th World Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it separated from the British Darts Organisation. The event took place at the Alexandra Palace, London from 16 D ...

, losing 1–3 in the first round to Mark Walsh. In June 2011, Pipe hit a

nine-dart finish A nine-dart finish, also known as a nine-darter, is a perfect leg or single game in the sport of darts. The object of the game is to score a set number of points, most commonly 501; in order to win, a player must reach the target total exactly an ...

in a Players Championship match in Nuland against Colin Osborne. Pipe made his World Matchplay debut in 2011. He defeated Mervyn King 10–6 in the first round. In October, Pipe won his first PDC Pro Tour event in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

, defeating

Phil Taylor Phil Taylor may refer to: * Phil Taylor (musician) (1954–2015), English drummer, best known as "Philthy Animal" Taylor * Phil Taylor (darts player) (born 1960), English darts player * Phil Taylor (American football) (born 1988), American footbal ...

6–5 in the final.Pipe's Dublin Dream With First Win
PDC.tv On 5 November, Pipe won his third Players Championship in just a month. Pipe qualified for the 2011 Grand Slam of Darts. He beat Terry Jenkins 5–1 in the first match of the group stage, then missed a dart at a double to beat James Wade. In his final match against Dave Chisnall, Pipe had a shot at 17 in the deciding leg to qualify but bust with his first dart and lost the match, and was eventually eliminated as Jenkins beat Wade in the final match. At the 2011 Players Championship Finals, Pipe was the number 1 seed as he had reached the final of six of the last ten events. He reached the second round where he missed six match darts against Mark Webster before losing 8–7. Pipe won his first ever match at the PDC World Championship in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

by beating Sean Reed 3–1. In the second round he came from 2–0 down against world number 7

Wes Newton Wesley Newton (born 27 August 1977) is an English professional darts player. Darts career Newton's first PDC major was the 2003 UK Open where he lost 8–6 to Mark Thomson in the last 32. He was beaten in the semi-finals of the Eastbourne Op ...

, to win 4–3 and reach the last 16, where he played

Terry Jenkins Terry Jenkins (born 26 September 1963) is an English former professional darts player who was nicknamed The Bull, having previously used the name "Tucker" for his matches. He reached number three in the world rankings and was a runner-up in nine ...

. Pipe came up against an inspired opponent, who averaged 102, and lost the match 1–4. Pipe saw his progress in 2011 rewarded at the annual PDC awards ceremony on 3 January 2012, as he picked up the PDPA Players' Player of the Year award. He then continued his fine form by winning the first Players Championship of 2012 with a 6–0

whitewash Whitewash, or calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, or lime paint is a type of paint made from slaked lime (calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2) or chalk calcium carbonate, (CaCO3), sometimes known as "whiting". Various other additives are sometimes used. ...

of Paul Nicholson in the Spanish Darts Trophy. He almost pulled off a remarkable double as he reached the final of the second event a day later, but was beaten by Michael Smith 3–6. In April, Pipe won the Austrian Darts Open with a 6–3 victory over

in the final, having defeated

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 ...

in the semi-finals by the same scoreline with a 107 average. The victory saw him rise into the world's top 16 for the very first time, as he was ranked 15, meaning he gained automatic qualification into the upcoming major events. Pipe lost to Dave Chisnall 4–6 in the final of the sixth Players Championship event in May, having earlier beaten the likes of

Kevin Painter Kevin Painter (born 12 July 1967) is an English retired darts player, known as "The Artist". He is arguably most famous for finishing as the runner-up to Phil Taylor in the 2004 PDC World Championship final, now widely credited as one of the g ...

Simon Whitlock Simon Whitlock (born 3 March 1969) is an Australian professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) tournaments, having also played in the British Darts Organisation (BDO) between 2004 and 2009. He uses the nickname T ...

and

. In the World Matchplay Pipe beat Joe Cullen and Wes Newton, but then lost to

Ronnie Baxter Ronnie Baxter (born 5 February 1961) is an English former professional darts player who competed in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He used the nickname "The Rocket" for his matches. Baxter was known for his fast robotic throwing a ...

11–16 in his first televised quarter-final. At the World Grand Prix, Pipe came through close matches against Whitlock and Painter, but was then beaten 1–3 by home favourite

Brendan Dolan Brendan Gabriel Dolan (born 2 August 1973) is a Northern Irish professional darts player from County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He is best known for becoming the first player to hit a ...

in the quarter-finals in the double to start event. Pipe qualified from Group 2 of the Championship League with a 6–5 victory against

. He finished 5th in the Winners Group, as he won three of his seven league matches, only missing out on the play-offs by leg difference. After all 33 ProTour events of 2012 had been played, Pipe finished fifth on the Order of Merit to qualify for the Players Championship Finals. It was there that Pipe reached his first major televised semi-final as he saw off Colin Osborne,

and Mervyn King. Pipe went 0–2 down to

Kim Huybrechts Kim Huybrechts (born 16 November 1985) is a Belgian professional darts player currently playing in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He made the final of a major TV event, the 2012 Players Championship Finals, losing to Phil Taylor 13 ...

in the semi-final and never restored parity in the match as he lost 6–11. Pipe was defeated in the second round of the 2013 World Championship 2–4 by Mark Walsh, after overcoming Andy Jenkins 3–0 in the first. After being a losing quarter-finalist in three events during the first half of 2013, Pipe reached the semi-finals for the first time this year at the third Players Championship, but lost 3–6 to Paul Nicholson. He suffered a surprise 2–5 defeat to Gareth Pass in the first round of the

UK Open The Cazoo UK Open is a ranking major darts tournament held annually at the Butlins Minehead Resort by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) in England. Often referred to as the "FA Cup of darts", the UK Open replicates the abolition of see ...

. At the World Matchplay, he beat Mark Webster 10–4 in the first round and then defeated

13–9 with a 170 checkout. In his second consecutive quarter-final in the event, Pipe lost 10–16 to

. Pipe beat Andy Smith 2–0 and

Adrian Lewis Adrian Lewis (born 21 January 1985) is an English professional darts player currently playing in the PDC. He is a two-time PDC World Darts Champion, winning in 2011 and 2012. He is nicknamed Jackpot, as he won a jackpot gambling in Las Vegas ...

3–0 in the opening rounds of the World Grand Prix and then saw off

Andy Hamilton Andrew Neil Hamilton (born 28 May 1954) is a British comedian, game show panellist, television director, comedy screenwriter, radio dramatist, novelist and actor. Early life and education Hamilton was born in Fulham, southwest London. He wa ...

to reach his second major semi-final in a performance Pipe claimed was the best of his career. He faced Dave Chisnall and started the better as he led 1–0 and 2–1 but could only win another two legs in the match as Chisnall's scoring power eventually told in a 5–2 defeat. Pipe won through to the semi-finals of the Players Championship Finals for the second successive year where he faced

. He kept pace early on but with the match on throw at 5–4, Taylor took out a 132 finish on the bull with Pipe on 38, to enter the second break 6–4 ahead, before going on to defeat Pipe 10–4.

2014–2022

Pipe was beaten by qualifier

Devon Petersen Devon Petersen (born 4 June 1986) is a South African professional darts player and a pundit for Sky Sports. He has qualified for the PDC World Championship on seven occasions with his best result coming in 2014, 2019 and 2021 when he reached ...

4–1 in the second round of the 2014 World Championship. He reached the final of the first European Tour event of the year, the German Darts Championship, and led Gary Anderson 5–3 but missed six darts for the match to lose 6–5. Pipe lost 9–7 to Dave Chisnall in the third round of the

. In May, he was beaten 6–2 by Peter Wright in the final of the ninth Players Championship. Pipe won his first title in over two years at the 15th Players Championship of 2014. In the semi-finals and final he won deciding legs over world number three

and reigning world champion

Michael van Gerwen Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player. He is currently PDC Order of Merit, ranked number 3 in the world, having been number 1 from 2014 to 2021. He is also a three-time PDC World Darts Championship, PDC ...

respectively. However, two days later he was beaten 2–0 (sets) by Robert Thornton in the opening round of the World Grand Prix. Pipe reached the quarter-finals of the Masters by beating Peter Wright 10–7 and lost 10–6 to Mervyn King. At the 2015 World Championship, Pipe led Australian qualifier Laurence Ryder 2–1 in the first round but then lost six consecutive legs to suffer a surprise 3–2 defeat. He was knocked out in the third round of the

for the second year in a row, this time 9–5 by Jan Dekker. Pipe's first final of the year came at the Dutch Darts Masters in June which he reached without facing a single top 20 player, but he was whitewashed 6–0 by

. He lost 10–7 in the first round of the World Matchplay to Jamie Lewis and 3–0 in sets to Robert Thornton in the second round of the

2015 World Grand Prix The 2015 888.com World Grand Prix was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place between 16 and 22 March 2015 at the Venue Cymru in Llandudno, Wales. Judd Trump won the inaugural event by defeating Ronnie O'Sullivan 10–7 ...

. After failing to get past the second round of the last two majors he played in 2015, it meant that Pipe has not reached the quarter-finals of a major event in over two years. Pipe couldn't advance beyond the first round of the

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

for the second year in a row, as he was beaten 3–0 by Christian Kist whilst averaging 75.55, losing the final seven legs of the match. He lost 9–3 to

in the fourth round of the

and 10–7 to

in the first round of the World Matchplay. His only semi-final of the year came at the final Players Championship event by beating Peter Wright 6–5, but he was ousted 6–5 by Benito van de Pas. Pipe missed match darts in the opening round of the European Championship to be edged out 6–5 by Wright. He got to the third round of the Players Championship Finals by eliminating Andy Jenkins 6–3 and Jan Dekker 6–1, but lost 10–6 to Kist. Pipe lost 3–1 to Chris Dobey in the first round of the 2017 World Championship. Pipe was the 23rd seed in the

2017 Players Championship Finals The 2017 Mr Green Sport Players Championship Finals was the tenth edition of the PDC darts tournament, the Players Championship Finals, which saw for the second time the top 64 players from the 22 Players Championship events of 2017 taking part ...

. He beat Daryl Gurney 10–9 in the quarterfinal before losing 11–3 to Michael van Gerwen in the semifinal. Pipe faced Bernie Smith in the first round of the 2018 World Championship. He won the match 3–2 after a tiebreaker in controversial circumstances after he appeared to move closer to Smith, who was throwing for the match, and cough causing his opponent to miss. The event was dubbed "Cough-gate". Pipe faced

in the second round and won only two legs in a 4–0 defeat. On 8 January 2018, Pipe was fined £3,000 by the Darts Regulation Authority in relation to the above incident.

2022

He lost his tour card and it has been announced that he will not return for the 2022 PDC Q School.

Playing style

His slow throwing style is partly attributed to a serious car accident he suffered in 1993, where his right arm was paralysed for three months.

Management and sponsorship

Pipe joined darts manufacturer Cosmo Darts as a sponsored player on 14 October 2011.Sponsorship Deal Announced; Cosmo Darts and Justin Pipe
Darts, Beers & Cheers! Since January 2015, Pipe is self-managed by his 'Team Pipe' made up of family members and friend Krispy Brown. Justin Pipe Management
Pipe Official Website

Personal life

Pipe is married to Claire and they have two sons and a daughter. His brother, Mark, died in June 2013. Pipe played the following weekend in the European Championship and dedicated his first round win to him. Pipe has suffered from a persistent cough since childhood which at times has affected his and his opponent's game. He worked as an

arborist An arborist, tree surgeon, or (less commonly) arboriculturist, is a professional in the practice of arboriculture, which is the cultivation, management, and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants in dendro ...

before becoming a professional darts player in 2010.

World Championship results

PDC

* 2011: First round (lost to Mark Walsh 1–3) * 2012: Third round (lost to

1–4) * 2013: Second round (lost to Mark Walsh 2–4) * 2014: Second round (lost to

1–4) * 2015: First round (lost to Laurence Ryder 2–3) * 2016: First round (lost to Christian Kist 0–3) * 2017: First round (lost to Chris Dobey 1–3) * 2018: Second round (lost to

0–4) * 2020: Second round (lost to Daryl Gurney 0–3)

Performance timeline

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pipe, Justin 1971 births Living people English darts players Professional Darts Corporation former tour card holders Sportspeople from Taunton PDC ranking title winners