Justin Pipe
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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 bo ...
player who has played in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He was a former top 10 player.


Playing career

Pipe was a
boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...
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 was introduced to England which enabled him to restart his darts career. He first emerged at the 2008 UK Open as a pub qualifier. He defeated Geoff Wylie and
Lionel Sams Lionel Jeffrey Sams (born 20 January 1961 in Paddington, London) is a former English darts player who previously played in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) tournaments. His nickname was The Lion for his matches. Since 2011, he played f ...
before losing 9–3 to James Wade 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 Andrew Jenkins (born 11 March 1971) is an English professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He was nicknamed "Rocky" due to his rough personality. Jenkins has reached high rankings in the PDC, but ha ...
. 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, W ...
as one of four ITV Wildcard qualifiers. He lost all three of his group games to James Wade,
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 ...
, and
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 ...
.


2011–2014

Pipe also qualified for the 2011 PDC World Darts Championship, losing 1–3 in the first round to Mark Walsh. In June 2011, Pipe hit a nine-dart finish in a Players Championship match in
Nuland Nuland is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located about 8 km (5 mi) east of 's-Hertogenbosch. Nuland was a separate municipality until 1993 when it merged with Geffen and Vinkel to create the new municipality ...
against
Colin Osborne Colin Osborne (born 19 June 1975) is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. In 2009, he won the Championship League and reached the final of the UK Open. Darts career Osborne has won tw ...
. 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 c ...
, defeating Phil Taylor 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 gat ...
by beating
Sean Reed Sean Reed (born 28 June 1965) is an English-born Australian former professional darts player. Career Reed started playing darts at the age of 29. At the time, he was living in Japan, where he was working as an English language teacher. During ...
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 Ope ...
, 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 nin ...
. 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 James Wade in the final, having defeated Raymond van Barneveld 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 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 Champion ...
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 ...
,
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 ...
and Raymond van Barneveld. 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 The term Group 2 may refer to: * Alkaline earth metal, a chemical element classification * Astronaut Group 2, also known as The New Nine, the second group of astronauts selected by NASA in 1962 * Group 2 (racing), an FIA classification for cars in ...
of the
Championship League Championship League is a professional snooker tournament, devised by Matchroom Sport. A ranking event version of the tournament began from September 2020, played similarly to its invitational, non-ranking counterpart but with some minor changes ...
with a 6–5 victory against Phil Taylor. 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 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 ...
. It was there that Pipe reached his first major televised semi-final as he saw off
Colin Osborne Colin Osborne (born 19 June 1975) is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. In 2009, he won the Championship League and reached the final of the UK Open. Darts career Osborne has won tw ...
,
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 ...
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 1 ...
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 Andrew Jenkins (born 11 March 1971) is an English professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He was nicknamed "Rocky" due to his rough personality. Jenkins has reached high rankings in the PDC, but ha ...
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 seedin ...
. At the World Matchplay, he beat Mark Webster 10–4 in the first round and then defeated Raymond van Barneveld 13–9 with a 170 checkout. In his second consecutive quarter-final in the event, Pipe lost 10–16 to Phil Taylor. 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 ...
to reach his second major semi-final in a performance Pipe claimed was the best of his career. He faced
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 Champion ...
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 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 ...
for the second successive year where he faced Phil Taylor. 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 th ...
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 The German Darts Championship is a Professional Darts Corporation event that takes place in Germany as part of the PDC European Tour. Since 2013, it has been held at Halle 39 in Hildesheim, after previously being held in Berlin Berlin ( , ) ...
, and led Gary Anderson 5–3 but missed six darts for the match to lose 6–5. Pipe lost 9–7 to
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 Champion ...
in the third 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 seedin ...
. 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
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 ...
and reigning world champion
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 ...
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
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 ...
for the second year in a row, this time 9–5 by
Jan Dekker Jan Dekker (born 25 June 1990) is a former Dutch professional darts player. He twice reached the semi-finals of the BDO World Darts Championship, in 2011 and 2014. Career Dekker qualified for the televised stages of the 2010 Winmau World Ma ...
. 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
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 ...
. He lost 10–7 in the first round of the World Matchplay to
Jamie Lewis Jamie Lewis (born 8 November 1991) is a Welsh professional darts player who currently plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and World Darts Federation (WDF) events. His biggest achievement to date was reaching the semi-finals of the 2018 ...
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†...
. 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 Christian Kist (born 21 April 1986) is a Dutch professional darts player. In 2012, he won the BDO World Darts Championship, defeating Tony O'Shea in the final. Since 2014, he has competed in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Career BDO K ...
whilst averaging 75.55, losing the final seven legs of the match. He lost 9–3 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 1 ...
in the fourth 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 seedin ...
and 10–7 to
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 ...
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 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. Th ...
. 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 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 ...
by eliminating
Andy Jenkins Andrew Jenkins (born 11 March 1971) is an English professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He was nicknamed "Rocky" due to his rough personality. Jenkins has reached high rankings in the PDC, but ha ...
6–3 and
Jan Dekker Jan Dekker (born 25 June 1990) is a former Dutch professional darts player. He twice reached the semi-finals of the BDO World Darts Championship, in 2011 and 2014. Career Dekker qualified for the televised stages of the 2010 Winmau World Ma ...
6–1, but lost 10–6 to Kist. Pipe lost 3–1 to
Chris Dobey Chris Dobey (born 31 May 1990) is an English professional darts player currently playing in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. Career His first major TV appearance came in the 2015 UK Open where he lost 5–1 in the first round to N ...
in the first round of the 2017 World Championship. Pipe was the 23rd seed in the 2017 Players Championship Finals. He beat Daryl Gurney 10–9 in the quarterfinal before losing 11–3 to Michael van Gerwen in the semifinal. Pipe faced
Bernie Smith Bernard Keith Smith (19 December 1927 – 21 April 1985) was an Australian rules footballer who represented in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) and in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1940s and 1950s. Smi ...
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 Phil Taylor 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 dend ...
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
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 ...
1–4) * 2013: Second round (lost to Mark Walsh 2–4) * 2014: Second round (lost to
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 th ...
1–4) * 2015: First round (lost to Laurence Ryder 2–3) * 2016: First round (lost to
Christian Kist Christian Kist (born 21 April 1986) is a Dutch professional darts player. In 2012, he won the BDO World Darts Championship, defeating Tony O'Shea in the final. Since 2014, he has competed in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Career BDO K ...
0–3) * 2017: First round (lost to
Chris Dobey Chris Dobey (born 31 May 1990) is an English professional darts player currently playing in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. Career His first major TV appearance came in the 2015 UK Open where he lost 5–1 in the first round to N ...
1–3) * 2018: Second round (lost to Phil Taylor 0–4) * 2020: Second round (lost to
Daryl Gurney Daryl Gurney (born 22 March 1986) is a Northern Irish professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. Gurney is a winner of two majors, having won the World Grand Prix in 2017 in his native Ireland, and the P ...
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