Mark Walsh (darts Player)
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Mark Walsh (born 2 February 1965) is a former 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 competed 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) tournaments. He reached No. 6 in the
PDC Order of Merit The PDC Order of Merit is a world ranking system used by one of the darts organisations, the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Following the 2007 PDC World Darts Championship it superseded a world ranking system based on points being awarded ...
. Walsh reached his first major televised final in 2005, when he was beaten by Phil Taylor in the
UK Open The Ladbrokes UK Open is a ranking major darts tournament held annually at the Butlins Minehead Resort by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) in England. The event is often referred to as the "FA Cup of darts" as it has an unseeded open dr ...
.


Early career

Walsh made his televised debut at the 2002 World Matchplay but suffered a 10–0 whitewash at the hands of
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 ...
. His World Championship debut came in 2004, but he lost 0–3 to Erik Clarys in his first match. He went out to Wayne Mardle 2–4 in 2005. He won his first match at the World Championship at his third attempt in 2006. He was seeded 12th for the event, and beat Warren Parry before losing 0–4 to Dennis Smith in the next round.


Later career


2007–2010

He had slipped to 16th in the world rankings for the 2007 World Championship, when he was surprisingly beaten by 19-year-old Dutch player Rico Vonck, thus continuing his poor run at the tournament. He started the year ranked 15th in the world, but had fallen to 32 by November, which put him in danger of failing to qualify for the 2008 World Championship. However, he reached the semi-final of the Ireland Open Classic in September, and won the non-ranked Gleneagle Irish Masters in early November, thus hinting at an upturn in form. He also reached the semi-finals of the PDC German Darts Championship. In 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 ...
, Walsh defeated Adrian Gray in the first round, setting up a second-round match with Taylor. Walsh led Taylor 1–0, 2–1 and 3–2 before Taylor won six consecutive legs to beat him 4–3. Despite losing, Walsh stated that from suffering
dartitis Dartitis () is a condition that can affect darts players and severely damage their performance. It can be compared to 'the yips', an expression used to describe apparent loss of fine motor skills without any explanation. The term is used in referen ...
to pushing the greatest player in the world to the final set at the World Championship was a great victory in its own right. Walsh continued his good form, reaching three quarter finals including the Open Holland Masters and then reached the last 32 stage of the US Open and the UK Open. He followed up with a semi final showing in the PDPA Players Championship Las Vegas and then qualified for the 2008 Las Vegas Desert Classic the next day. He beat
Bill Davis William Grenville Davis, (July 30, 1929 – August 8, 2021) was a Canadian politician who served as the 18th premier of Ontario from 1971 to 1985. Behind Oliver Mowat, Davis was the List of premiers of Ontario by time in office, second-longes ...
in the first round before losing to
James Wade James Martin Wade (born 6 April 1983) is an English professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked world number nine; he reached a peak ranking of world number two in 2010. ...
. He then reached the second round of the 2008 World Matchplay, defeating
Colin Lloyd Colin Edward Lloyd (born 7 August 1973), nicknamed Jaws, is an English former professional darts player. He formerly competed in Professional Darts Corporation events, where he was ranked world number one from April 2005 to January 2007 (except ...
in the opening match of the tournament but lost to Kevin McDine. He reached the second round of the World Grand Prix, beating
Steve Beaton Steve Beaton (born 5 April 1964) is an English former professional darts player who competes in World Seniors Darts (WSD) events. Nicknamed "the Bronzed Adonis", Beaton formerly formerly competed in British Darts Organisation (BDO), World Dart ...
in the first round before losing 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 a peak ranking of world number three in the darts world ranki ...
. Walsh missed out on qualifying for the 2008 Grand Slam of Darts but bounced back to reach the semi-finals of the inaugural Championship League Darts, winning group eight and then placing second in the winners group, eventually losing to Mervyn King. He then reached the quarter-finals of the 2008 European Darts Championship and reached the final of the PDPA Players Championship Holland 2, losing to Wade. Walsh defeated Jamie Caven 3–2 in the first round of the 2009 PDC World Championship, narrowly missing out on a nine dart finish on the way. In the second round he lost 4–2 to King. On 17 January, Walsh hit a
nine-dart finish A nine-dart finish, also known as a nine-darter, is a perfect leg or single game in the sport of darts. The object of the game is to score a set number of points, most commonly 501; in order to win, a player must reach the target total exactly a ...
in the Eddie Cox Memorial Players Championship in Gibraltar against Caven to win the deciding leg of their first round match. Having rolled over for four Players Championships, Walsh won £1,600 for the nine-darter. Walsh won his first PDC title in two years, when he won the Coventry Players Championship on 28 March 2009 beating Taylor 6–4 in the final. He added another title with his second career UK Open Regional in
Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...
, by winning the
East Midlands The East Midlands is one of nine official regions of England. It comprises the eastern half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It consists of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire (except for North Lincolnshire and North East ...
region 6–5 over
Raymond van Barneveld Raymond van Barneveld (born 20 April 1967) is a Dutch professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he was ranked world number one from January 2008 to June 2008. Nicknamed "Barney", he is a five-t ...
.


2010 – present

Walsh was 12th seed for the 2010 World Championship, however he didn't get past the first round after losing 3–2 to former
World Champion 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 ...
Mark Webster. Walsh qualified for the
2011 Grand Slam of Darts The 2011 William Hill Grand Slam of Darts, was the fifth staging of the darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. The event took place from 12–20 November 2011 at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, England. F ...
as the highest ranked player from the PDC Order of Merit not already invited. He progressed through Group A with victories over Tony O'Shea 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 ...
but finished second after losing to
Scott Waites Scott Waites (born 17 February 1977) is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He is a two-time BDO World Darts Champion having won the 2013 tournament and 2016 tournament. He is also ...
. He then defeated Group B winner Dean Winstanley 10–9 and former World Champion Ted Hankey 16–14 before losing out 11–16 to Gary Anderson. At the 2012 World Championship he came from a set down to defeat Warren French, 3–1 in the first round. Walsh played Kevin Painter in the Last 32 and came back from 1–3 to level the match at 3–3. He couldn't keep his momentum going, however, as he lost the deciding set by 3 legs to 0 to exit the tournament 3–4. At the World Matchplay, Walsh beat Colin Osborne 10–8 in the first round, before being comprehensively beaten 4–13 by
James Wade James Martin Wade (born 6 April 1983) is an English professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked world number nine; he reached a peak ranking of world number two in 2010. ...
in the last 16. Despite winning the first set in his first round match against Robert Thornton at the World Grand Prix, he only took one more leg and lost 1–2. Walsh qualified from
Group 8 Group 8 may refer to: * Group 8 (Sweden), a feminist movement in Sweden * Group 8 element, a series of elements in the Periodic Table * Group 8 Rugby League, a rugby league competition * G8, or Group of 8, an inter-governmental political forum f ...
of the
Championship League Championship League (officially the BetVictor Championship League Snooker) is a professional snooker tournament devised by Matchroom Sport. The event was introduced in 2008 Championship League, 2008 as an invitational qualifier to the Premier ...
with a 6–5 victory against
Steve Beaton Steve Beaton (born 5 April 1964) is an English former professional darts player who competes in World Seniors Darts (WSD) events. Nicknamed "the Bronzed Adonis", Beaton formerly formerly competed in British Darts Organisation (BDO), World Dart ...
. However, he finished bottom of the eight man Winners Group, winning just one of his seven matches. Walsh was whitewashed 0–5 in his opening Group H game of 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 came back to defeat both Wayne Jones and
Christian Kist Christian Kist (born 21 April 1986) is a Dutch professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. In 2012, he won the BDO World Darts Championship, defeating Tony O'Shea in the final. Career BDO Kist reached ...
5–4. However, his heavy defeat and narrow wins meant that he failed to qualify for the knockout stage on leg difference. After all 33 ProTour events of 2012 had been played, Walsh was 23rd on the Order of Merit, inside the top 32 who qualified for the Players Championship Finals. He was beaten 1–6 by Thornton in the first round. Walsh reached the last 16 of the 2013 World Championship with wins over Darren Webster 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- ...
, but then lost to
Wes Newton Wesley Newton (born 27 August 1977) is an English professional darts player. Darts career Newton's first PDC major was the 2003 UK Open where he lost 8–6 to Mark Thomson in the last 32. He was beaten in the semi-finals of the Eastbourne Op ...
1–4, having missed three darts to only trail 2–3. He lost 4–5 to Lee Palfreyman in the second round of the
UK Open The Ladbrokes UK Open is a ranking major darts tournament held annually at the Butlins Minehead Resort by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) in England. The event is often referred to as the "FA Cup of darts" as it has an unseeded open dr ...
. He failed to qualify for the World Matchplay for the first time in his career and the World Grand Prix for the first time since 2007 due to falling out of the top 16 on the Order of Merit and not winning enough games through the PDC Pro Tour. In October, Walsh reached the quarter-finals of a Pro Tour event for the first time in a year at the 11th Players Championship as he beat the likes of
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, West London. He was educa ...
and Newton, before his run was ended with a 6–4 defeat against Robert Thornton. He lost 5–0 to Robert Thornton and 5–1 to
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, West London. He was educa ...
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 ...
, before a consolation 5–2 victory over
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- ...
but Walsh was already resigned to finishing bottom of the group. At the 2014 World Championship Walsh missed five darts to extend his first round match against Jarkko Komula into a final set as he lost 3–1. He dropped to world number 31 after the event concluded and was defeated 9–5 by Mark Webster in the third round of the
UK Open The Ladbrokes UK Open is a ranking major darts tournament held annually at the Butlins Minehead Resort by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) in England. The event is often referred to as the "FA Cup of darts" as it has an unseeded open dr ...
. Walsh failed to advance beyond the last 32 of any event after this. He fell to world number 41 ahead of the 2015 World Championship, outside of the top 32 who automatically qualify and could not claim a place via any other route to break a streak of 11 consecutive appearances in the event. 2015 also marked the first
UK Open The Ladbrokes UK Open is a ranking major darts tournament held annually at the Butlins Minehead Resort by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) in England. The event is often referred to as the "FA Cup of darts" as it has an unseeded open dr ...
not to feature Walsh (he had played in each one since its inception in 2003) after he failed to win enough matches to qualify. He did qualify for four European Tour events with two first round and two second round exits adding a total of £5,000 to his ranking. Walsh was 65th on the Order of Merit after the 2016 World Championship, just outside the top 64 who remain on tour and so entered Q School. Despite losing in the final round to Vincent Kamphuis on the last day, Walsh had done more than enough to win his place back right away as he topped the Q School Order of Merit. At the 10th Players Championship in July, Walsh reached his first quarter-final in over two years, but lost 6–1 to Andrew Gilding. This helped him qualify for the
Finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
and, in what was his PDC major event since February 2014, he was edged out 6–5 by Josh Payne in the opening round.


Successes

He has won six non-televised PDC titles: the Welsh Regional final of the UK Open in September 2005, the Gleneagle Irish Masters in November 2007,Walsh wins Irish Masters
planetdarts.tv
the Coventry Players Championship and the UK Open East Midlands Regional plus two more Players Championships in Barnsley beating Jamie Caven and in Germany beating Andy Hamilton 6–5.


World Championship results


PDC

* 2004: Second round (lost to Erik Clarys 0–3) (sets) * 2005: Third round (lost to Wayne Mardle 2–4) * 2006: Second round (lost to Dennis Smith 0–4) * 2007: First round (lost to Rico Vonck 0–3) * 2008: Second round (lost to Phil Taylor 3–4) * 2009: Second round (lost to Mervyn King 2–4) * 2010: First round (lost to Mark Webster 2–3) * 2011: 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 a peak ranking of world number three in the darts world ranki ...
0–4) * 2012: Second round (lost to Kevin Painter 3–4) * 2013: Third round (lost to
Wes Newton Wesley Newton (born 27 August 1977) is an English professional darts player. Darts career Newton's first PDC major was the 2003 UK Open where he lost 8–6 to Mark Thomson in the last 32. He was beaten in the semi-finals of the Eastbourne Op ...
1–4) * 2014: First round (lost to Jarkko Komula 1–3)


Career finals


PDC major finals: 1 (1 runner-up)


Performance timeline


References


External links


Mark Walsh's official websiteMark Walsh's profile and stats on Darts Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walsh, Mark 1965 births Living people English darts players Professional Darts Corporation former tour card holders People from Kings Langley Darts players with dartitis PDC ranking title winners