Noel James Kyle Anderson (14 September 1987 – 24 August 2021) was an Australian 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 played within 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 ...

(PDC) from 2012 to 2021. He won the

2017 Auckland Darts Masters The 2017 Auckland Darts Masters, presented by Burger King & TAB was the third staging of the tournament by the Professional Darts Corporation, as the fourth entry in the 2017 World Series of Darts. The tournament featured 16 players (eight PDC pl ...

tournament.

Career

He started playing darts at the age of six and had competed in tournaments since he was nine. He first became interested in the game watching his father play. Anderson was an Aboriginal man of

Noongar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the so ...

origin. Anderson qualified for the

2013 PDC World Darts Championship The 2013 Ladbrokes World Darts Championship was the 20th 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 between 14 ...

by winning the Oceanic Masters. He lost to

Steve Beaton Steve Beaton (born 5 April 1964) is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won the BDO World Darts Championship in 1996 and is a former World No. 1. Background Beaton was born in Co ...

3–0 in the first round after he missed two opportunities to take each of the opening two sets. Anderson dominated in the DPA's 2013 Australian Grand Prix season by winning seven events to top the Order of Merit. This secured him a place in the Sydney Darts Masters and the 2014 World Championship. He was drawn to play against 16–time world champion Phil Taylor in Sydney, but was defeated 6–1. At 2–1 down to Ian White in the first round of the World Championship, Anderson became the seventh player to throw 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 the history of the event. It was the second nine darter in less than an hour, after

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 nin ...

had also hit one, meaning the £30,000 prize money was shared. However, it was the last leg that he won during the match, as he was defeated 3–1. Anderson stated after the match that he hoped his performance would help raise the profile of darts in Australia. Anderson entered the 2014 Q School in an attempt to earn a two-year PDC tour card and succeeded on the first day by winning seven matches, culminating in a 5–3 win over

Keegan Brown Keegan Brown (born 5 November 1992) is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won the 2014 PDC World Youth Championship. Career Early career Brown began playing darts at the age of ni ...

. He stated that if he could get sponsorship he would move to the UK to play the full schedule of events, which he did a few months later by moving to

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

. Anderson qualified for his first

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 seedin ...

but lost 5–4 against

Kevin McDine Kevin McDine (born 23 May 1985 in Wallsend) is an English professional darts player currently residing in Wallsend. Career In November 2004 he reached the last 16 of the JR & Vauxhall Holiday Park 128 Plus Classic. He improved on that perfor ...

in the opening round. He reached the semi-finals of a PDC event for the first time in April at the sixth Players Championship by beating seven-time major winner

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 ...

6–3 in the quarters. Anderson faced Ian White and lost 6–1, with his solitary leg coming via a 140 checkout. In the opening round of the Perth Darts Masters he was whitewashed 6–0 by

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 ...

. A week later, Anderson came from 3–0 down against

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 ...

at the Sydney Darts Masters to win 6–5 and set up an all Australian quarter-final with

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 ...

. Anderson stormed into a 3–0 lead, and went on to record the most significant win of his career 8–3. His run came to an end when he lost 10–4 to Phil Taylor in the semi-finals. A further quarter-final appearance at the 16th Players Championship followed, but Anderson lost 6–1 against

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 Wor ...

2015

Anderson defeated

3–0 in the first round of the 2015 World Championship, a complete reversal of their meeting at the same stage of the event two years prior. Anderson lost three consecutive sets from 2–1 ahead in the next round against

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 ...

to exit the tournament with a 4–2 defeat. He entered the top 64 on the Order of Merit for the first time after the event as he was ranked world number 55. Anderson had a good

as he saw off

Terry Temple Terence "Terry" Temple (born 16 August 1961 from Yorkshire) is an English professional darts player he currently playing in World Darts Federation (WDF) events. He has come through Qualifying School to earn a place on the PDC three times and is ...

, as well as recent defectors from the BDO Alan Norris and

James Wilson James Wilson may refer to: Politicians and government officials Canada *James Wilson (Upper Canada politician) (1770–1847), English-born farmer and political figure in Upper Canada * James Crocket Wilson (1841–1899), Canadian MP from Quebe ...

to play Mervyn King in the fifth round. Anderson led 8–7, but his scoring power deserted him as he was unable to set up a match winning double in the next two legs to be edged out 9–8. One semi-final and two quarter-final showings on the Pro Tour has seen Anderson qualify for the World Matchplay through the Pro Tour Order of Merit. In his debut in the event he was 8–7 behind

with all 15 legs going on throw. Anderson missed four darts for the next leg and would lose 10–7. He received an invite to the

World Series of Darts Finals The World Series of Darts Finals is a non-ranking darts tournament held by the Professional Darts Corporation. It is classed as a PDC premier event. The tournament was held annually in November, but in 2020, it moved to September, and moved to O ...

and exited in the first round 6–4 against

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 ...

2016

A 3–0 win over

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 ...

saw Anderson whitewash a seeded player in 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. He was 2–0 ahead of

Vincent van der Voort Vincent van der Voort (born 18 December 1975) is a Dutch professional darts player on the PDC circuit. As of the 2012 PDC World Darts Championship, his nickname is the "Dutch Destroyer", although he used to go by "Grease Lightning". He is bes ...

in the second round, but went on to be eliminated 4–2. Anderson reached his first major PDC quarter-final at the

by defeating

and

Benito van de Pas Benito van de Pas (born 18 January 1993) is a Dutch professional darts player. Career BDO Van de Pas reached the semi-finals of the 2011 PDC Under-21 World Championship, losing 1-4 to Michael van Gerwen. Van de Pas won the 2011 German Open. ...

. In the quarter-final he was thrashed 10–0 by

Jelle Klaasen Jelle Klaasen (born 17 October 1984), nicknamed The Cobra, is a Dutch professional darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and World Darts Federation (WDF) events. In 2006, he became the youngest darts player to win the ...

. At the second Players Championship event he came close to playing in his first Pro Tour final, but was edged out in the semi-finals 6–5 by

after missing one match dart. Anderson and

knocked out Germany and Denmark at the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

to meet the Netherlands in the quarter-finals. After Whitlock lost to Van Gerwen it meant Anderson needed to beat

to keep Australia in the event and he did so 4–3. In the deciding doubles match, the Dutch pair threw an 11 dart leg to win 4–3. In the quarter-finals of the Austrian Darts Open, Anderson knocked out Van Gerwen 6–4 and then went 4–1 up on Phil Taylor and for the second time that year missed one match dart to reach the final as Taylor won 6–5. After seeing off

10–4, Anderson and Van Gerwen met again, this time in the second round of the World Matchplay, with the world number one winning 11–3. He also reached the second round of the World Grand Prix by beating

Cristo Reyes Cristo Reyes Torres (born 30 July 1987) is a Spanish darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. Career In October 2014, Reyes bested a field of 154 players to win the Iberian Qualifier for the 2015 PDC World Champi ...

2–1 in sets, but lost 3–1 to Gary Anderson. In the European Championship, Anderson defeated

and James Richardson before losing 10–5 to Peter Wright in the quarter-finals. Anderson was then forced to withdraw from the

Players Championship Finals The Players Championship Finals is a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. The tournament originally featured the top 32 players from the Players Championship Order of Merit, a separate ranking system that only takes int ...

and the 2017 World Championship due to being unable to obtain a UK Visa.

2017: Auckland Masters triumph

Anderson returned to the UK in time for the start of the 2017 season. He won his first Players Championship title at the 17 event of the 2017 PDC Pro Tour, beating

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 ...

in the final. He then went on to win the

, his first televised title, beating

Corey Cadby Corey Patrick Cadby (born 18 March 1995) is an Australian professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He was the 2016 World Youth champion. Career A native of Tasmania, Cadby began competing in Darts ...

to win the event. Anderson made the semi-final of the 2017 European Championship, and hit a

against

before losing in a last-leg decider.

2018–2021

Anderson continued playing on the tour through 2018 and 2019, but was unable to win another event. After beginning the 2020 season, he returned to Australia in March following the suspension of events due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

and did not return to the tour, choosing to resign his card prior to the start of the 2021 tour so that he could stay with his family for the birth of his second child.

Personal life and death

Kyle’s older brother

Beau Beau may refer to: * Beau (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name, nickname or surname * Beau (guitarist) (born 1946), songwriter and 12-string guitar specialist * Beau (grape), another name for the Italian wine grape ...

is also a professional Darts player, however Beau left the PDC Tour in 2017. Kyle came from an Aboriginal background and was extremely proud of this. This was reflected in his nickname ‘The Original’ (Short for Aboriginal). Anderson moved from Australia to

, England, when he became a professional darts player. During the

, he returned to Australia. Anderson was a

diabetic Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level (hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased app ...

, and also had

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

in 2020. His death was announced on 24 August 2021; he was 33 years old. Cause of death was kidney failure. At the time of his death, he had been in hospital being treated for kidney failure. Following their victory at the 2022 World Cup of Darts, Australia’s players

and

Damon Heta Damon Heta (born 10 August 1987) is an Australian professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won the Brisbane Darts Masters in 2019 and also, in pair with Simon Whitlock, World Cup of Darts in 2022. H ...

dedicated their success to Anderson who had represented his country in the tournament four times before his death.

World Championship results

PDC

* 2013: First round (lost to

0–3) * 2014: First round (lost to Ian White 1–3) * 2015: Second round (lost to

2–4) * 2016: Second round (lost to

2–4) * 2018: Second round (lost to

1–4) * 2019: Third round (lost to

Nathan Aspinall Nathan Aspinall (born 15 July 1991) is an English professional darts player currently playing in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won the 2019 UK Open with a 170 checkout in the final leg against former World Champion Rob Cross. ...

1–4) * 2020: Second round (lost to

1–3) Source:

Career finals

PDC World Series finals: 1 (1 title)

Performance timeline

Source:

Nine-dart finishes

Source:

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Kyle 1987 births 2021 deaths Australian darts players Indigenous Australian sportspeople Noongar people Professional Darts Corporation former tour card holders World Series of Darts winners PDC ranking title winners Darts players who have thrown televised nine-dart games PDC World Cup of Darts Australian team Australian expatriate sportspeople in England 21st-century Australian people