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Top 10 Matches In World Grand Prix History

Top 10 Matches In World Grand Prix History

Alex Moss |

Top 10 Memorable World Grand Prix Matches

The World Grand Prix is one of the most prestigious events on the darts calendar. First held in 1998, every autumn 32 of the world’s top players face off over seven days in the unique double-in double-out format.

This October will mark the 27th staging of the World Grand Prix, and over the years darts fans have been treated to many incredible moments. From historic nine-dart legs to breakthrough wins for some of the sport’s biggest names, this popular tournament has seen it all. But what have been the most memorable matches in World Grand Prix history?

The team at Darts Corner have delved through the archive and put together our own top 10 list. Here’s our countdown of the most unforgettable matches in the history of the World Grand Prix.

10. Peter Wright 2-3 Luke Humphries (2023 quarter-finals)

We start our countdown with a match from last year’s World Grand Prix and what would prove to be a seminal moment in the career of Luke Humphries. Heading into the 2023 edition of the double-start event, many observers felt that it was only a matter of time before ‘Cool Hand’ lifted major silverware. The sixth seed had not dropped a set on his way to reaching the quarter-finals in Leicester, seeing off Daryl Gurney (2-0) and Luke Woodhouse (3-0) to progress to the last eight of a major for the sixth time in the space of just 12 months.

But Humphries’ latest bid for a first major title looked to be ending at the quarter-final hurdle, as Peter Wright raced into a 2-0 lead in sets. The Englishman kept his hopes alive by winning the third set to halve the deficit and would then survive three match darts in a dramatic conclusion to the fourth set.

The fifth and deciding set went all the way to a last leg and Humphries held his nerve to win the shootout and move into the semi-finals. In his post-match interview Humphries said: “that could be one of the greatest wins of my career." Just two days later ‘Cool Hand’ was celebrating his maiden major success in the PDC and the floodgates opened after that with even more triumphs on the big stage.

9. Mark Dudbridge 3-2 Andy Jenkins (2007 last 16)

Dave Lanning: “He’s having a nightmare. It’s not just a mare – it’s a super mare!”

Sid Waddell: “If he had a hedgehog in his hands and aimed it at the bull it would probably bounce out!”

That was how the commentators described Mark Dudbridge’s situation after he started the deciding leg of his second-round match against Andy Jenkins with zero points from his first nine darts.

The brutal nature of the World Grand Prix format, whereby players have to start each leg by hitting a double, was in full effect here as ‘Flash’ was unable to start scoring points with his opening three visits to the board.

Jenkins pinned tops with his first dart of the leg and began to pull away, only for Dudbridge to produce a last-gasp fightback and snatch the leg and the match. After hitting tops with his 10th dart of the leg, Dudbridge posted scores of 120, 100 and 180 to leave 101.

And after seeing his opponent miss two darts at tops for a 56 checkout to win the match, Dudbridge stepped up and completed an unlikely victory with a 101 finish on double 12. Dudbridge would describe it as a ‘one in a million leg’ and it’s a moment that is still reshared on social media every year the World Grand Prix comes around.

8. Alan Norris 2-3 Simon Whitlock (2016 last 16)

From one thrilling last-leg decider to another here and a match that saw Simon Whitlock produce a magic spell to claw victory from the jaws of defeat. In this second-round tie, ‘The Wizard’ stormed into a commanding 2-0 lead with the loss of just one leg, before his opponent Alan Norris hit back to win the next two sets and force a fifth and final set.

The deciding set swung back and forth as Whitlock went 1-0 up against the throw, only for Norris to rally again with consecutive legs to go 2-1 up. A 180 midway through the next leg appeared to put Norris on course for the win, but Whitlock had other ideas. The Australian conjured up a run of 16 perfect darts to squeeze past Norris in a final leg shootout.

Whitlock replied with a maximum of his own and a 150 finish to level up the set at 2-2, before reeling off scores of 152, 180 and 129 in the decider to leave tops after nine darts. Norris was first to a finish and was unable to take out 116 and up stepped Whitlock to pin tops first dart, completing a brilliant sequence of 16 perfect darts to win the match.

7. Michael van Gerwen 4-5 Robert Thornton (2015 final)

Very few players can lay claim to having beaten Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen in major finals. Robert Thornton became only the third man to join a shortlist that at the time only included Raymond van Barneveld and Gary Anderson when he beat van Gerwen in the 2015 World Grand Prix final.

‘The Thorn’ had stunned Taylor to win the UK Open three years earlier yet still went into a clash with the top seed van Gerwen as the underdog. The Dutchman was very close to the peak of his powers in 2015, having won the UK Open and World Matchplay already that year to extend his lead at the top of the rankings.

An unforgettable clash at the Citywest Hotel, in Dublin, saw van Gerwen fire in an incredible 18 maximums, but he was made to pay for missed doubles at the end of legs. Thornton won all three sets that went to a deciding leg, including in the seventh set as he went 4-3 up and a set away from victory.

The world number one took the next set 3-1 to send the final all the way to a ninth set, but it was Thornton’s impressive strike rate on tops that saw him over the line. The Scot won all three of his legs in the deciding set on tops to join an elite group to have toppled Taylor and van Gerwen in major finals.

6. Daryl Gurney 5-4 Simon Whitlock (2017 final)

The 2015 World Grand Prix final between Michael van Gerwen and Robert Thornton was the first time in the tournament’s history that the final had gone to a last-set decider. Just two years later the deciding clash of the World Grand Prix went all the way again as Daryl Gurney and Simon Whitlock battled it out over nine sets at the Citywest.

For Northern Ireland’s Gurney wins over Adrian Lewis, Joe Cullen, Robert Thornton and John Henderson had taken him through to his first major final. Australian stalwart Whitlock was appearing in a major final for the first time in four years and was looking to double up his title tally, having won the European Championship in 2012.

A back and forth clash saw Whitlock surge into a 2-0 lead, before Gurney hit back with three straight sets to lead for the first time at 3-2. ‘The Wizard’ regained the advantage by taking the next two sets to go 4-3 up, but in a drama-filled finale it was ‘Superchin’ who claimed the last two sets to win and become the first Irish player to win a PDC major title.

Gurney, who took out an incredible seven 100+ checkouts in the final, said: “I’m lost for words. I can’t believe it, I really can’t. It feels better than anything else I’ve ever felt in my life. Dreams do come true and this is a dream.”

5. Phil Taylor 0-2 Andy Callaby (2004 last 32)

Phil Taylor holds the record for the most World Grand Prix titles as he finished his career having won the double-start event 11 times. Five of those victories came during the first six years of the tournament, with the only blemish on his record during that time a 2-1 first-round defeat to Kevin Painter in 2001.

‘The Power’ had responded by winning the next two stagings of the World Grand Prix in 2002 and 2003, and as a result went into the 2004 edition as a red-hot favorite. However, the top seed would suffer a shock defeat at the first hurdle to an unknown qualifier by the name of Andy Callaby.

The 39-year-old, from Wisbech, in Cambridgeshire, was making his debut on the big stage and produced one of the biggest shocks in televised darts history. Callaby sent Taylor home with a straight sets 2-0 win in the first round which was capped off with a 145 checkout to win the match.

“It was my first time on stage and I wasn’t too shabby,” said a modest Callaby. “There’s no reason why I can’t go all the way because I’ve just beaten the best player in the world. I don’t fear anyone.”

Callaby would claim another scalp in the next round, edging past former world champion Dennis Priestley 3-2, before bowing out to Alan Warriner-Little in the quarter-finals. His victory over Taylor is still talked about to this day and always gets mentioned each year during the World Grand Prix.

4. Brendan Dolan 5-2 James Wade (2011 semi-finals)

A nine-dart leg is a fairly common occurrence these days. At the recent Hungarian Darts Trophy, three players threw the perfect game by finishing a leg of 501 in the minimum number of darts (nine). Throwing a nine darter in the World Grand Prix is a much harder feat to achieve, as the tournament’s format requires players to start and finish on a double.

In 2011, the wait for a first nine-dart leg at the World Grand Prix came to an end as Brendan Dolan achieved perfection during his semi-final clash against James Wade. Before the tournament, the Northern Irishman had never been past the last 16 of a major, but that would all change during a memorable and life-changing week at the Citywest.

Dolan got the better of Wayne Jones, John Part and John Henderson to reach the final four and in the early stages of his semi-final with Wade he made even more history. In the fourth leg of the second set, Dolan kicked off the leg with a 160 and a maximum before checking out 161 on the bullseye.

The historic leg saw Dolan later adopt the nickname of ‘The History Maker’, but before then he went on to beat Wade 5-2 to progress to his first major final. Dolan was beaten 6-3 by Phil Taylor in the final, but it was his nine-dart leg in that semi-final which meant it was Dolan that everyone was talking about after the tournament.

3. James Wade 3-2 Robert Thornton (2014 last 16)

Speaking of nine darters, this next match in our countdown had two of them! The second-round tie between James Wade and Robert Thornton at the 2014 World Grand Prix saw more history made, as both players threw a perfect leg. It was the first time ever that both players have thrown a nine-dart leg in a televised match. A remarkable feat that to date has yet to be repeated.

After winning the first set, Wade kicked off the first leg of the second set with a 160 and a maximum to leave 161 after six darts. ‘The Machine’ took out the 161 to become only the second player to throw a nine darter in World Grand Prix history.

The tide had turned when Thornton threw a perfect leg of his own. ‘The Thorn’ had claimed the next two sets to lead 2-1 and, in the second leg of the fourth set, achieved perfection with visits of 160, 180 and 161 to join Brendan Dolan and Wade on the shortlist of players to throw a double-start nine darter on TV.

An already unforgettable encounter had more drama when Thornton missed four match darts in the fourth set, with Wade surviving in a deciding leg to send the match to a fifth and final set. In the decider, Wade prevailed 3-1 to book his place in the quarter-finals and bring an end to a record-breaking contest.

2. Mervyn King 4-6 Michael van Gerwen (2012 final)

A landmark match in the career of Michael van Gerwen came in the final of the 2012 World Grand Prix. ‘Mighty Mike’ had shown immense potential when he won the BDO World Masters at just 17 years of age, but his career had stalled somewhat after making the switch to the PDC. In 2012 that would all change.

After failing to qualify for the previous two editions of the World Grand Prix, van Gerwen returned to the Citywest riding the crest of a wave. The Dutchman had won four titles on the floor that season and reached his first PDC major quarter-final, throwing a nine-dart finish on his way to the last eight of the World Matchplay.

Van Gerwen’s career in the professional ranks would fully take off at the 2012 World Grand Prix. Wins against Colin Lloyd, Adrian Lewis, Andy Hamilton and Wes Newton sent him through to a maiden major final in the PDC, where he took on Mervyn King, who was also looking for his first major title in the PDC.

It was a classic match-up of youth vs experience, with van Gerwen 23 years younger than his opponent King. It was the experienced King who looked on course for the title when he raced into a 4-1 lead in sets, but van Gerwen had other ideas. ‘MVG’ reeled off five sets on the bounce to win 6-4, wrapping up the title with a 145 finish. The comeback victory would open the floodgates for van Gerwen, who would go on to dominate the world of darts for much of the next 10 years.

1. Phil Taylor 4-5 Adrian Lewis (2010 semi-finals)

We’ve reached the end of our countdown and the number one match on our list – a ‘master vs apprentice’ clash between Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis at the 2010 World Grand Prix. The two former practice partners met in the semi-finals at the Citywest with Taylor boasting an unbeaten record against Lewis in front of the television cameras.

‘Jackpot’ opened up 1-0 and 2-1 leads against Taylor in the early exchanges, before ‘The Power’ hit back with three straight sets to move 4-2 in front and a set away from victory. Another defeat to his former mentor looked to be on the cards for Lewis, before he conjured up a memorable fightback to dethrone Taylor on TV for the first time.

Lewis dropped just one leg in the next two sets as he levelled the match at 4-4, but Taylor responded again as he won the first two legs of the deciding set to move a leg away from a place in the final. A courageous Lewis would not be denied though, surviving a match dart in each of the next two legs to send the match to a last-leg shootout.

‘Jackpot’ had the throw in the decider and was quick out of the blocks, whilst Taylor took four darts to hit a starting double. Lewis pulled clear and checked out 106 on tops to earn a first TV win against ‘The Power’. The day after his landmark victory Lewis lost out to James Wade in the final, but just three months later he would win the first of his back-to-back world titles.

Honorable mentions

The World Grand Prix has served up countless memorable moments over the years, so it was a difficult task whittling our list down to just 10 matches. Two recent finals deserve honorable mentions, the all-Welsh decider in 2021 between Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price saw the former produce an astonishing display of double hitting to beat his compatriot 5-1.

The following year’s finale saw Nathan Aspinall almost produce an unlikely comeback, as he fought back from 4-0 down before eventually succumbing 5-3 to Michael van Gerwen. Sticking with the theme of comebacks, Peter Wright’s miraculous 4-3 victory against Mensur Suljovic in the 2018 semi-finals saw him overturn a 3-0 deficit to progress to the final.

The double-start format of the World Grand Prix lowers the possibility of 100+ averages, with only 20 instances of a player throwing a three-figure average during the tournament’s history. Alan Warriner-Little holds the record for the highest average in a match at the World Grand Prix, with his 106.45 average in a 2-0 first-round win over Andy Jenkins in 2001 a performance that has been top of the pile for more than 20 years.

What’s in store for the 2024 World Grand Prix?

The latest instalment of the World Grand Prix is almost upon us as 32 of the top players in the PDC get ready to battle it out over the double-start format. The 2024 World Grand Prix takes place from October 7-13 at Leicester’s Mattioli Arena and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland.

Get in touch with Darts Corner and let us know your thoughts on our top 10 list. You can tweet us your most memorable matches on X (Twitter) or leave a comment on our Facebook page.

Shop our World Grand Prix collection for the signature darts and accessories of your favorite players competing in this year’s tournament. Read our ‘World Grand Prix’ blog for a closer look at the history of the event.

Pictures: PDC

Alex Moss is a content creator for Darts Corner and the co-host of the Weekly Dartscast podcast. Alex co-founded the Weekly Dartscast in 2017 and has helped produce 350+ episodes of the podcast, with their list of previous guests on the show a who’s who in the world of darts.

Alex also writes content for the Darts Corner blog, including the weekly darts news round-ups and how-to guides.

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