Mervyn King (born 15 March 1966) is an English professional
darts
Darts is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small projectile point, sharp-pointed projectile, projectiles known as dart (missile), darts at a round shooting target, target known as a #Dartboard, dartboard.
Point ...
player who competes in
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 formerly competed in
British Darts Organisation (BDO) tournaments. Nicknamed The King, he reached seven PDC premier event finals and a peak ranking of world number four in the
PDC Order of Merit. In the BDO he was the 2004
Winmau World Masters
The World Masters is a darts tournament, initially organised by the British Darts Organisation from 1974 and later by the World Darts Federation. It is one of the longest-running and most prestigious of the BDO/WDF tournaments. The tournament w ...
winner, and both the
Finder Masters and
International Darts League champion in 2005, becoming the former BDO world number one during 2000 and 2005.
He was the runner-up at the
BDO World Darts Championship in both
2002
The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
and
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 60 ...
as well as at the 2000 World Masters. In the PDC, King reached the semi-finals at the
2009 PDC World Championship, and was runner-up at the
PDC Masters in both
2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
and
2021
Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
, the
Players Championship Finals in
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
and
2020
The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
, the
2009 Premier League Darts, the
2012 World Grand Prix, and the
2008 Championship League Darts.
Early life
King first took up the game at the age of 12, playing with an old rolled-cardboard dartboard given to him by his father. His father insisted that he played darts using competition distance and height. By the age of 13, he had ambitions to become a professional player as he was playing county darts at Superleague level. His first county A game was at the age of 14 and he won his local men's singles league at that age.
BDO career
King made his professional debut as a 28-year-old in the 1994
World Masters where he lost in the last 32 to
Andy Fordham. His first title in the BDO came in the 1996 French Open where he beat
Leo Laurens in the final. King has won several Open titles since he came onto the darts scene in 1995, including the Dutch Open in 1997. He made his debut at
BDO World Darts Championship in 1997 as a 30-year-old. He reached the semi-final of the event beating
Ronnie Baxter and
Roland Scholten before losing to eventual champion
Les Wallace. He won £8,700 for his performance.
King reached twelve major finals whilst playing in the BDO and converted only three of them into tournament victories. In 2004, he claimed his first BDO major title when he won the World Masters in
Bridlington
Bridlington (previously known as Burlington) is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is on the Holderness part (Flamborough Head to the Humber estuary) of the Yorkshire Coast by the North Sea. The town is ...
, defeating
Tony O'Shea 7–6 in the final having trailed 3–5. His two other major victories to date have both taken place in the Netherlands. The first of these was the
2005 International Darts League, where he defeated O'Shea again in the final, this time by 13–11 in legs. Later the same year he added the
Dutch Grand Masters beating
Martin Adams 5–4 in the final.
His first major final came in the 2000
World Masters where he beat such players as
Peter Manley and
Colin Monk before eventually narrowly falling to
John Walton 2 sets to 3. King went into the
2002 BDO World Darts Championship as number 4 in the event seedings and reached the final, losing to Australian
Tony David. King beat
Raymond van Barneveld in the quarter-finals 5–3 whilst averaging 101.67 before beating
Colin Monk in the semi-finals to reach his first World Championship final. As well as winning £24,000 for reaching the final, he also earned a further £2,000 for a 170 finish, the highest checkout in the tournament.
2003 proved to be a good year for King as he reached two major finals and the semi-final of the World Championships. He began the year with the
2003 BDO World Darts Championship and was seeded third for the tournament. He whitewashed
Colin Monk 5 sets to 0 in the quarter-finals before losing out to
Raymond van Barneveld in the semi-finals, denying him a second consecutive World Championship final appearance He went on to reach the finals of the 2003
International Darts League and
World Darts Trophy losing out to Raymond van Barneveld on both occasions.
In 2004, King had another successful year as he reached two semi-finals and two finals, winning one, in the four BDO majors. He began the year ranked third in the seedings for the second consecutive year. In the
2004 BDO World Darts Championship
The 2004 Lakeside World Darts Championship was the first World Darts Championship held after Imperial Tobacco were forced to withdraw their sponsorship. UK government legislation had banned tobacco companies from attaching their brands to sport ...
, he narrowly beat Ritchie Davies 5 sets to 4 in the quarter-finals before convincingly beating
Tony O'Shea in the semi-finals 5–1. Despite this he lost in the final for the second time in three years losing to
Andy Fordham 3 sets to 6. After his good World Championship form he went on to reach the semi-finals of the 2004
International Darts League and
World Darts Trophy narrowly losing to
Tony David and
Martin Adams 8–9 and 4–5 respectively. He ended the year winning his first BDO Major in the
World Masters as he beat
Tony David in the semi-finals 6–2 before winning the tournament prevailing against
Tony O'Shea in a tight encounter which ended 7–6 in favour of King handing him his first major title after his sixth final.
In 2005, he had his worst World Championship performance in four years, as he made only the quarter-finals, losing out to
André Brantjes 2 sets to 3. King spoke of his poor form and prior to the
2005 BDO World Darts Championship. King's next tournament that year was the
International Darts League. He beat
Ted Hankey,
Co Stompé and
Simon Whitlock
Simon Whitlock (born 3 March 1969) is an Australian professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, having previously competed in British Darts Organisation (BDO) events.
Nicknamed "The Wizard", he won th ...
before facing
Tony O'Shea for the second time in a major final, and won 13–11 to secure his second major BDO title. Also in 2005, King made the final of the
World Darts Trophy for the second time and on this occasion he was beaten again losing 4–6 against
Gary Robson. This was to be King's last major final before his controversial switch to 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 ...
.
In 2006, King's form declined and his best result came in the 2006
World Darts Trophy where he made the quarter-finals narrowly losing to
Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player, who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world number three; he was ranked world number one from 20 ...
4–5. He also made only the second round in the
2006 BDO World Darts Championship whitewashing
Brian Woods 3 sets to 0 before losing to eventual champion
Jelle Klaasen 2–4. His last tournament as a BDO affiliated player came in the
2007 BDO World Darts Championship where he made the semi-finals before losing 4–5 against eventual champion
Martin Adams. King was surrounded by controversy during this tournament following speculation about his future and a possible switch to the PDC. This would prove to be his last tournament as a BDO player.
PDC career
PDC switch and beginnings
King's switch from the BDO to rival organization 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) created much debate and controversy. During the
2007 BDO World Darts Championship there was much speculation that King and three fellow BDO players (Michael van Gerwen, Jelle Klaasen and Vincent van der Voort) would be switching to the PDC after the World Championships. King was angry that rumours had surfaced and even threatened to quit the tournament as the speculation heightened even stating, "I'm really not happy with the treatment I've had today, not just from one person but from a lot of people who I have known for many years". Despite claiming to BDO press officer Robert Holmes that he would "rather pack up darts than play for the PDC"
King announced his switch to the PDC on 6 February 2007 in a bid to "further his career". Having reached the semi-final of the 2007 BDO World Championships losing to eventual champion
Martin Adams, King had signed a contract confirming he would play at the 2008 tournament due to a clause in all contracts of BDO players stating that if they reach the semi-finals of the World Championship they are obliged to return the following year, with champions committing themselves to three years. King's switch meant that the BDO threatened legal action against King.
King made his PDC debut at a non-televised event, the Southern Regional Final of the
UK Open on 4 March 2007. He reached the quarter-finals before losing to
Wayne Mardle.
During his first year in the PDC, he performed well on the
2007 PDC Pro Tour, reaching one final, two semi-finals and four quarter-finals. He also gained a place in the
2007 World Matchplay where he reached the quarter-finals before losing to eventual champion
James Wade. His performances in his first year helped him steadily climb the world rankings and qualify for his first PDC World Championship.
2008
In his debut at the
2008 PDC World Darts Championship
The 2008 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship was the 15th World Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it separated from the British Darts Organisation. The event took place between 17 December 2007 and 1 January ...
, he fell to Dutchman
Roland Scholten in the second round.
2008 proved a successful year for King as he reached two semi-finals in PDC premier events as well as his maiden PDC premier final in the inaugural
2008 Championship League Darts where he lost 7–5 to
Phil Taylor.
His first PDC title came at the Scottish Players Championship in Glasgow in April 2008 where he beat Taylor on his way to a 3–0 victory over
Mark Dudbridge. He also won a Pro Tour title in the Netherlands, beating
Raymond van Barneveld. He also had two semi-final appearances in the
2008 World Grand Prix and the
2008 Grand Slam of Darts losing to
Raymond van Barneveld and
Phil Taylor respectively. King ended the year and went into the
2009 PDC World Darts Championship as world number 13 in the
PDC Order of Merit. His first year performances saw him win the Best Newcomer prize at the annual PDC awards dinner.
2009
King went into 2009 competing in the
2009 PDC World Darts Championship, and this turned out to be his best result in the PDC World Championship to date. He beat
Barrie Bates in the quarter-finals before falling to Phil Taylor 2–6 with Taylor averaging 103.44.
His performance in the World Championship meant that he moved up to 6 in the
PDC Order of Merit and therefore qualified automatically for the
2009 Premier League Darts.
King carried on his good form into the
2009 World Matchplay in July. He defeated
Mark Dudbridge,
Steve Beaton and
Vincent van der Voort before meeting Phil Taylor in the semi-final. Taylor prevailed 17–6, averaging 106.54, and went on to win the tournament. In the next PDC Premier event of the 2009 season, the
2009 European Championship, he reached the quarter-final before losing to
James Wade 6–10. This was after beating
Colin Osborne in the second round 9–6 recording a 104.00 average. King's successful run in the 2008 Championship League Darts continued into the
2009 tournament as he reached the semi-final before losing to eventual champion
Colin Osborne 1–6.
Also in 2009, King achieved his first televised
nine dart finish. It came in September 2009 at the
South African Masters against
James Wade, and was the first ever televised nine dart finish outside of Europe.
2009 Premier League
King made a great start to his Premier League career as he opened up with an 8–1 victory over Sky wildcard
Wayne Mardle. He then went on to record three more victories on the bounce beating
James Wade 8–1,
John Part
John Part (born 29 June 1966) is a Canadian former professional darts player and current commentator, who competes in World Seniors events. Nicknamed "Darth Maple", he is a three-time World Champion, having won the 1994 BDO World Darts Champions ...
8–2 and
Jelle Klaasen 8–4. He then faced defending champion Phil Taylor in
Newcastle, recording a 7–7 draw despite leading 7–5 with both players averaging over 100. King's form then dropped, only winning two more games in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
and
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
against Mardle and Wade respectively. King was also a controversial figure during the tournament, often letting the crowd get to him and affect his mood and darts. During a 2009 Premier League match with Taylor, he threw a dart over Taylor as he stooped down to pick up his flight. During the post-match interview, neither of them would look at each other. His final position of 4th in the league was influenced by the illness of Mardle, as he was withdrawn from the competition. Therefore, all results that included Mardle were annulled, including King's two victories over Mardle. King's fourth place in the overall league meant that he faced Taylor in the play-off semi-finals at the
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena () (originally the Empire Pool, currently known as OVO Energy, OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, Greater London, England. The 12,500-seat facility is Greater Lond ...
. King won 10–6 to end Taylor's winning streak in Premier League competitions. Despite this victory he was to finish runner-up as he lost the final 13–8 to Wade, who beat Raymond van Barneveld 10–8 in the other semi-final. Wade led King 8–2 before a mini comeback from King but Wade was able to see the game out to claim his maiden
Premier League Darts title.
2010
King went into the
2010 World Championship as number 5 in the PDC Order of Merit. Despite a poor performance in the tournament, where he lost 2–4 in the second round to Co Stompé, he still qualified for the
2010 Premier League Darts King reached his third PDC major final in the
2010 Players Championship Finals. Having beaten James Wade, Jelle Klaasen,
Wayne Jones and Colin Osborne in earlier rounds, he narrowly lost in the final to
Paul Nicholson 13–11. This was his third PDC Premier event final without victory. King also reached the last 16 in the
2010 UK Open, losing 8–9 to
Gary Anderson. King hit his second televised nine-dart finish during the match.
2010 Premier League
King started the 2010 Premier League with wins over James Wade and
Adrian Lewis. His first loss of the season came in
Belfast
Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
as he lost 6–8 to
Ronnie Baxter. His rivalry with Phil Taylor continued in Manchester, where King recorded a 7–7 draw. King lost his last three round-robin matches to Taylor, Raymond van Barneveld and Simon Whitlock, but he still made it to the semi-finals for the second consecutive year, again finishing 4th in the table. He finished on the same number of points as Baxter, but qualified due to a better leg difference. Just like in the previous year, he played against Taylor in the semi-final. This time, Taylor resoundingly won 8–1, averaging 107.98 in the process Despite losing badly against Taylor, King beat Whitlock in the third-place play-off.
2011
King went into the
2011 World Championship ranked 6th in the PDC Order of Merit. His World Championship campaign was ended in the second round, where he was beaten 3–4 by
Andy Smith. After the World Championship, King dropped out of the automatic qualifying places for the
2011 Premier League Darts, and was not awarded a wildcard. His successful streak in the
Players Championship Finals continued as he again reached the semi-final for the second consecutive year. He lost in the semi-final to Phil Taylor 8–10. He lost in the third round of the
2011 UK Open tournament, losing 9–5 to
Mark Walsh. He qualified for the
2011 World Matchplay Darts as the 9th seed., but lost 6–10 against
Justin Pipe
Justin Pipe (born 9 November 1971) is an English former professional darts player who competed in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won six PDC titles.
Playing career
Pipe was a Boxing, boxer in his youth, and, as a staunch anti- ...
in the first round, reporting a complaint of
tennis elbow. At the
2011 European Championship, he beat Co Stompé 6–1 in the first round, before losing 3–10 to Taylor in the second round. He also qualified for the
2011 Championship League Darts winner's group by beating
Simon Whitlock
Simon Whitlock (born 3 March 1969) is an Australian professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, having previously competed in British Darts Organisation (BDO) events.
Nicknamed "The Wizard", he won th ...
6–3 in the final of group five. In the winner's group finished second in the table before losing to Paul Nicholson in the semi-final. At the
Players Championship Finals in December, he beat
Colin Lloyd 6–4 to meet
Phil Taylor in the second round. King produced his second victory over Taylor in major competitions with an 8–5 win. However, he lost in the quarter-finals to eventual winner
Kevin Painter.
2012
King played
Geoff Kime in the first round of the
2012 World Championship and outplayed his opponent, winning 3–0 without dropping a leg. However, he was knocked out in the second round for the third successive year as he was beaten 1–4 by
Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player, who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world number three; he was ranked world number one from 20 ...
.
At the
UK Open King beat his old BDO rival
Ted Hankey and Gareth Cousins, before losing 7–9 to van Gerwen in the last 32. Due to dropping out of the top 16 in the PDC rankings, King was due to play seed Phil Taylor in the first round of the
2012 World Matchplay. Despite a strong performance where he hit eight maximums to Taylor's one, King crucially missed three darts to lead the match 9–8 and instead lost 8–10.
At the
World Grand Prix in October, King reached his first major final in two years. In his first round match against
Terry Jenkins, King survived five missed match darts from his opponent to edge the game 2–1 in sets, and then saw off
Dave Chisnall (3–1) and
Robert Thornton (3–0 in 31 minutes) to meet home favourite
Brendan Dolan in the semi-finals. King came back from 0–2 down in the first set to take it and from there was in control of the match as he won 5–2 and met
Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player, who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world number three; he was ranked world number one from 20 ...
in the final. King led 3–0 and 4–1 in the final, but from there on only won three more legs as he lost the match 4–6. King afterwards admitted he was unhappy with the crowd, as they were loudly booing his starting and finishing doubles, but the £40,000 runner-up prize saw him climb to 13th in the world.
King won all three of his group games at the
Grand Slam of Darts
The Grand Slam of Darts is a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation and is known as the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts for sponsorship purposes. The PDC used to invite the best performing players from its rival, the Briti ...
, but was defeated by
Kevin Painter 5–10 in the last 16. After all 33 ProTour events of 2012 had been played, King was 20th on the Order of Merit, comfortably inside the top 32 who qualified for the
Players Championship Finals. He reached the quarter-finals, where he lost 7–10 to
Justin Pipe
Justin Pipe (born 9 November 1971) is an English former professional darts player who competed in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won six PDC titles.
Playing career
Pipe was a Boxing, boxer in his youth, and, as a staunch anti- ...
.
2013
King lost in the first round of the PDC World Championship for the first time in its
2013
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
edition 2–3 to
Dean Winstanley. The match has been described as a classic with both players missing darts to win before Winstanley took the deciding set 6–4. His first final of the year came at the eighth
UK Open Qualifier in April, having won seven games including defeats over
James Wade,
Wes Newton and
Robert Thornton, but he was then whitewashed 0–6 by
Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player, who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world number three; he was ranked world number one from 20 ...
. He was the seventh seed for the
UK Open itself. King reached the final of the
Austrian Darts Open by beating
Joe Cullen 6–0 in the quarter-finals with an average of 103.66 and
Steve Beaton 6–5 in the semis. He faced van Gerwen once more in the final and was defeated 3–6. He also played van Gerwen in the third round of the
UK Open and was defeated 5–9. King's second European Tour final of the year came in September at the
German Darts Masters where he edged past
Peter Wright 6–5 in the third round, whitewashed
James Wade 6–0 in the quarter-finals and beat
Wayne Jones 6–4 in the semis. He faced
Steve Beaton and with the final on throw with Beaton 4–3 ahead King incredibly burst his score when on 134 as he hit a treble 20 with his last dart instead of a single to leave 40. Beaton replied by finishing 160 and, even though King fought back to take the match into a deciding leg, he never had a dart for the title as Beaton won 6–5. King could not replicate his performances at the
World Grand Prix from last year as he was defeated 2–0 in sets by
Wayne Jones in the first round.
2014
King overcame
Darin Young and
Ricky Evans to face
Adrian Lewis in the third round of the
2014 World Championship. He lost nine of the first eleven legs and could never recover as he was beaten 4–1 in sets. King's first final of the year came in February at the
Dutch Darts Masters, but he was defeated 6–4 by
Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player, who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world number three; he was ranked world number one from 20 ...
whilst averaging 107.40. Despite playing with a bad sciatica in his back, King reached the semi-finals of the
UK Open for the first time in his career. He fell 3–0 down to Lewis and was denied a place in the final with a 10–6 defeat. In the first round of the
World Matchplay, King was 5–4 ahead of
Kim Huybrechts and then won five legs in a row to advance 10–4 with an average of 101.06. He could not replicate his form in the next round however, as he averaged 89.59 in a 13–8 loss to Lewis. In September, King ended a run of three defeats in European Tour finals to win the
European Darts Grand Prix by beating
Michael Smith 6–5.
In a tight match in the quarter-finals of the
World Grand Prix, King was defeated in a final leg decider against Van Gerwen as he was unable to checkout 120. He went a stage further at the
European Championship, but lost 11–8 to
Terry Jenkins. King continued his fine form at the
Masters by beating
Simon Whitlock
Simon Whitlock (born 3 March 1969) is an Australian professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, having previously competed in British Darts Organisation (BDO) events.
Nicknamed "The Wizard", he won th ...
and
Justin Pipe
Justin Pipe (born 9 November 1971) is an English former professional darts player who competed in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won six PDC titles.
Playing career
Pipe was a Boxing, boxer in his youth, and, as a staunch anti- ...
and then produced a superb performance to exact revenge over Van Gerwen 11–9 with a 121 finish on the bull. He built on his momentum in the final against
James Wade to lead 5–0 after the first session with an average of 110 and was also 9–2 in front. Wade rallied to trail 9–6 before a 158 finish from King saw him stand one leg away from his first PDC major title. However, he would miss a total of eight championship darts as Wade completed his comeback with an 11–10 win. The misses didn't seem to affect him at the
Grand Slam, as he punished every mistake from
Gary Anderson in a second round 10–4 win and then beat
Stephen Bunting 16–9 to face
Phil Taylor in the semi-finals. King couldn't keep pace with Taylor as he fell 12–2 down and, though he briefly rallied, was eliminated 16–9. Taylor also knocked King out of the
Players Championship Finals, 10–7 in the second round.
2015
King suffered a surprise 3–2 defeat to German teenager
Max Hopp in the first round of the
2015 World Championship. He lost 10–3 in the first round of the
Masters to
James Wade. King showed his best battling abilities at the
UK Open to defeat
Gary Anderson 9–8 after being 8–4 down and surviving 13 match darts from Anderson. He then overturned an 8–5 deficit against Nathan Derry to win 9–8 and emerged successfully from a deciding leg for the third game in a row by beating
Kyle Anderson 9–8 to reach the quarter-finals. He met
Stephen Bunting and the first 12 legs went on throw, before Bunting took four unanswered legs to inflict a 10–6 defeat on King. The rest of 2015 proved to be disappointing for King as he was eliminated at the first round stage of the
World Matchplay,
World Grand Prix,
European Championship and
Players Championship Finals and could not get out of his group at the
Grand Slam.
2016
After edging out Russia's
Aleksandr Oreshkin 3–2 in the first round of the
2016 World Championship, King lost 4–2 to
Jelle Klaasen in round two.
He won through to the semi-finals of the
Dutch Darts Masters, which included recovering from 5–0 down to
Benito van de Pas in the quarters to win 6–5, and was beaten 6–2 by
Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player, who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world number three; he was ranked world number one from 20 ...
. He lost 9–7 to Van de Pas in the third round of the
UK Open. King inflicted
James Wade's first ever first round defeat at the
World Matchplay by beating him 10–5 and then saw off
Brendan Dolan 11–8 to play in the quarter-finals of the event for the first time in seven years. In an extremely tight match he narrowly lost 16–14 to
Phil Taylor, with the 16-time world champion stating that it was the best he had seen King play for two or three years. He lost in the opening round of both the
World Grand Prix and
Players Championship Finals and
James Wilson edged out King 10–9 in the second round of the
European Championship.
2017
King was on the brink of being knocked out in the first round of the
2017 World Championship as he was 2–0 down in sets to
Steve West. In the third set, West was on 36 for the match, but King took out a 136 finish, won the set and levelled the match at 2–2. In the deciding set West missed two match darts and King would win 3–2 and was in tears on stage afterwards. In the second round
Michael Smith missed five darts to beat King 4–1. King then hit a match saving 130 checkout to help him close to 3–3 and Smith missed three more match darts in the deciding set, but eventually got over the line to edge King out 4–3. King reached his first final since 2014 at the third
Players Championship and was defeated 6–5 by
Rob Cross.
2018
At the
2018 World Championship, King lost 3–2 in the first round to
Zoran Lerchbacher.
2019
At the
2019 World Championship, King lost 4–2 in the third round to
Brendan Dolan.
He reached the quarter-finals of the
World Matchplay, beating defending champion
Gary Anderson en route, before losing to
Michael Smith.
2020
At the
2020 World Championship, King lost 4–1 in the third round to
Simon Whitlock
Simon Whitlock (born 3 March 1969) is an Australian professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, having previously competed in British Darts Organisation (BDO) events.
Nicknamed "The Wizard", he won th ...
.
In November he reached his first major final in 6 years at the
Players Championships Finals, where he eventually lost 11–10 to defending champion
Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player, who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world number three; he was ranked world number one from 20 ...
.
2021
At the
2021 World Championship, King lost 4–1 in the fourth round to eventual champion
Gerwyn Price
Gerwyn Price (born 7 March 1985) is a Welsh professional darts player and former professional rugby union and rugby league player. He competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world ...
.
At the
Masters, he lost 11–8 in the final to
Jonny Clayton.
2022
At the
2022 World Championship, King had his best run since 2009 by beating
Ryan Joyce,
Steve Lennon and
Raymond Smith, but was eventually whitewashed 5–0 in the quarterfinals by
James Wade.
2023
At the
2023 World Championship, King began his campaign with a 3–2 win over
Danny Baggish, before losing 4–1 to former world champion
Rob Cross in the third round.
World Championship performances
King has reached two World Championship finals and four semi-finals since making his debut in the BDO version in
1997
Events January
* January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States.
* January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis.
* January 1 ...
. He went as far as the semi-final in his debut year, losing to eventual champion Les Wallace. During his run he hit thirty 180s, setting a new record for the tournament at the time. Since switching to the PDC, his best performance came in the
2009 World Championship when he reached the semi-final, losing 2–6 to Phil Taylor.
He reached his first BDO World Championship final in
2002
The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
. He narrowly beat Raymond van Barneveld 5–3 in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals he convincingly beat Colin Monk 5–1. He lost the final 4–6 to Tony David. King spoke on David's performance congratulating him and commented, "I just wish I could have played half as well as he did."
In
2003
2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater.
In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War.
Demographic ...
, King beat
Steve Coote,
Dennis Harbour and Monk before losing to van Barneveld 5–2 in the semi-finals.
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 60 ...
, King again reached the world final. During his run he beat
Rick Hofstra 3–1,
Jarkko Komula 3–2, Ritchie Davies 5–4,
Tony O'Shea 5–1, before meeting
Andy Fordham in the final. The match ended in a 6–3 victory for Fordham, making it the second time in three years that King had finished runner-up.
Again King told of his disappointment commenting "I don't think it was a fantastic game. I just did not turn up".
His last appearance at the BDO World Championship was in
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
, where he narrowly lost a semi-final to
Martin Adams 5–6.
King's most successful PDC World Championship was in the
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
, when he beat
Mark Walsh and
Dennis Smith before beating
Barrie Bates 5–2 in the quarter-finals. This run set up a semi-final clash with Phil Taylor. King lost to Taylor 2–6.
However, since then he has been knocked out in the second round every year to
Co Stompé,
Andy Smith and
Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player, who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world number three; he was ranked world number one from 20 ...
in
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
,
2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
and
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
respectively.
Controversy
King has been the subject of controversy during his career. In 2003 following his semi-final defeat to
Raymond van Barneveld, he subsequently blamed the air conditioning being on. The following year in his first round match against
Rick Hofstra, when tied at 1–1 in sets, King complained that the length of the oche was not right; the players were forced to leave the stage whilst officials measured, King was incorrect. The players returned with the majority of the crowd against King, though he went on to win the match 3–1.
In the 2010 Grand Slam of Darts, King played then-BDO player
John Henderson in his last group game. Despite winning the game 5–4, he exchanged heated words with Henderson towards the end of the match and was visibly unhappy. Whilst refusing to reveal the precise reason to his actions, it was understood through television analysis that King felt Henderson, after having to move across the oche for a better shot with his third dart, had stepped across the oche line and thrown from a closer distance to the board, thus believing he had gained an unfair advantage.
Personal life
King's father died in September 2010, which King later admitted left him 'devastated', and this led to a loss of form. At the
2011 PDC World Darts Championship, King's wife cheered him on accompanied by a crown in remembrance of his father.
King is good friends with and lives close to fellow darts player
Peter Wright and they often practise together.
He lives in Bradwell in Norfolk. He is also a keen motor enthusiast and revealed that when younger he gave up his chance of becoming a racing driver to continue his fledgling darts career. King currently travels and practises with upcoming darts player and
2012 World Youth Champion James Hubbard, whom King has described as a player to watch in the future.
During the first
lockdown
A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely.
The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...
of the
COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the United Kingdom, it has resulted in confirm ...
in 2020, King undertook work as a delivery driver for online retail company
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...
, and in 2021 set up a construction company.
In 2025 King was declared insolvent. His financial troubles stemmed from him believing the money he made during his darts career were winnings rather than earnings and exempt from income tax. It was reported that as a consequence, King failed to pay tax correctly for c. 20 years.
Awards
*PDC Newcomer of the Year 2008.
*PDC Televised Performance of the Year 2009 (v Phil Taylor, Premier League Darts Semi-Final).
World Championship results
BDO
*
1997
Events January
* January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States.
* January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis.
* January 1 ...
– Semi-finals (lost to
Les Wallace 3–5)
*
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
– Second round (lost to
Ted Hankey 0–3)
*
1999
1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons.
Events January
* January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers.
* January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
– First round (lost to
Andy Fordham 2–3)
*
2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
– Quarter-finals (lost to
Co Stompé 2–5)
*
2001
The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
– Second round (lost to
John Walton 0–3)
*
2002
The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
– Runner-up (lost to
Tony David 4–6)
*
2003
2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater.
In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War.
Demographic ...
– Semi-finals (lost to
Raymond van Barneveld 2–5)
*
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 60 ...
– Runner-up (lost to
Andy Fordham 3–6)
*
2005
2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
– Second round (lost to
André Brantjes 2–3)
*
2006
2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
Events
January
* January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.
* January 12 – A stampede during t ...
– Second round (lost to
Jelle Klaasen 2–4)
*
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
– Semi-finals (lost to
Martin Adams 5–6)
PDC
*
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
: Second round (lost to
Roland Scholten 2–4)
*
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
: Semi-finals (lost to
Phil Taylor 2–6)
*
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
: Second round (lost to
Co Stompé 2–4)
*
2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
: Second round (lost to
Andy Smith 3–4)
*
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
: Second round (lost to
Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player, who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world number three; he was ranked world number one from 20 ...
1–4)
*
2013
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
: First round (lost to
Dean Winstanley 2–3)
*
2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
: Third round (lost to
Adrian Lewis 1–4)
*
2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
: First round (lost to
Max Hopp 2–3)
*
2016
2016 was designated as:
* International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
* International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
: Second round (lost to
Jelle Klaasen 2–4)
*
2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
: Second round (lost to
Michael Smith 3–4)
*
2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
: First round (lost to
Zoran Lerchbacher 2–3)
*
2019
This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year.
Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
: Third round (lost to
Brendan Dolan 2–4)
*
2020
The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
: Third round (lost to
Simon Whitlock
Simon Whitlock (born 3 March 1969) is an Australian professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, having previously competed in British Darts Organisation (BDO) events.
Nicknamed "The Wizard", he won th ...
1–4)
*
2021
Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
: Fourth round (lost to
Gerwyn Price
Gerwyn Price (born 7 March 1985) is a Welsh professional darts player and former professional rugby union and rugby league player. He competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world ...
1–4)
*
2022
The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
: Quarter-finals (lost to
James Wade 0–5)
*
2023
Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
: Third round (lost to
Rob Cross 1–4)
Career finals
BDO major finals: 12 (3 titles, 9 runners-up)
PDC major finals: 7 (7 runners-up)
Career statistics
Performance timeline
PDC European Tour
PDC Players Championships
Nine-dart finishes
References
External links
Official website(archived)
*
*
Profile on PDC.tvManagement website
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Mervyn
English darts players
Sportspeople from Ipswich
1966 births
Living people
Professional Darts Corporation former tour card holders
British Darts Organisation players
People from the Borough of Great Yarmouth
PDC ranking title winners
Darts players who have thrown televised nine-dart games