Top 10 UK Open Shock Results
The UK Open is known as the FA Cup of darts and just like football’s oldest cup competition, the Bolton tournament throws up plenty of shocks every year. We here at FREEbets.org.uk have trawled the memory banks to recall 10 of the most surprising results in UK Open history.
10. Colin Lloyd 9-5 James Wade – 2012 Third Round
James Wade is a two-time champion in Bolton and went into the 2012 event as the defending champion so many thought he would be at the business end of the tournament again. However, he won just one match and went out in round three to Colin Lloyd who had been out of form for seemingly years. He was certainly not a no-hoper but if anyone said they saw a win over Wade coming they are telling porky pies.
9. Roland Scholten 11-6 John Part -2004 Final
Having won the World Championship just over a year earlier and reached two more finals in 2003, Part went into the UK Open in 2004 as one of the hot favourites and having despatched Phil Taylor in the last eight he looked nailed on to beat Scholten in the final. The man known as the Tripod had other ideas though and he cantered to victory and the then £30,000 winner’s cheque.
8. Andy Hamilton 6-9 Andrew Gilding – 2011 Third Round
Andrew Gilding is now a regular presence on the Pro Tour but very few people were aware of him when he competed in the 2011 UK Open, however he made his name in Bolton that year. He not only whitewashed Brendan Dolan 4-0 in round one, he went on to bash the Hammer 9-6 in round three, not a bad couple of days for an almost complete unknown.
7. Colin Monk 9-8 John Part – 2003 Fifth Round
In the first edition of the tournament the reigning world champion was John Part and most fancied him and Taylor to be contesting the final as they had done at the Circus Tavern. However, a man not even in the PDC was to put a stop to that as Colin Monk knocked Part out with a thrilling 9-8 win in the fifth round. Monk was still a WDF player at the time and it may well have been this run to the last eight that convinced him to switch to the PDC.
6. Paul Nicholson 9-8 Phil Taylor – 2011 Fifth Round
Having won the previous two editions of the tournament it was always going to be a surprise when he lost in 2011, but being downed by Paul Nicholson was especially shocking. The Asset was in good nick that year having knocked Gary Anderson out in the previous round but no one thought he would do for the Power. It was this contest that started their mini spat which soon fizzled out.
5. Mervyn King 8-9 Michael Barnard – 2009 Third Round
The King was emerging as a real force in the PDC in early 2009 as he had reached the semi-finals of the World Championships at the back end of 2008 and then finished runner-up in the Premier League, knocking out the Power in the semis. Some thought this might be his time to shine in 2009 but the rarely seen Michael Barnard had other ideas. Barnard is a steady floor player but upped his game on stage to edge out the King 9-8 and make it to the fourth round.
4. Colin Osborne 9-4 Raymond van Barneveld -2009 Fifth Round
Ozzy (then known as the Wizard) was no minnow coming into this one but he was a long outside bet against the two-time former champion and the recent runner-up in the World Championship in Raymond van Barneveld. Osborne was not to be denied though and scored a fairly comfortable 9-4 win to reach the quarters and eventually the final where he was downed by Taylor.
3. Tony Ayres 10-9 James Wade -2010 Quarter-Finals
Ayres had been around for a few years without making much impact at all in the major tournaments but he was to put that right in 2010. It was already something of a big shock that he had reached the last eight but then he was to secure his greatest achievement as he knocked out the former champ James Wade in the quarters with a 10-9 victory. He came unstuck in the next round against Gary Anderson but it was still some run.
2. Gary Mawson 10-8 Raymond van Barneveld – 2008 Semi-final
Barney had just pulled off a fabulous result by knocking out Phil Taylor in the quarter-finals with the Power averaging in three figures so there was no doubt that the Dutchman was then the favourite to go on and win the competition, especially as he had won it two years on the trot. However, little fancied American Gary Mawson who had never got to a semi-final before sprung a huge surprise with a 10-8 win to reach the final where he would lose to James Wade.
1. Robert Thornton 11-5 Phil Taylor -2012 Final
Rob Thornton was a 250/1 shot for the tournament before he had thrown a dart and his odds were almost as long as that coming into the final against Phil Taylor who was as short a price as you are ever likely to see in a major final. The Thorn hit his doubles where Taylor faltered though and eventually emerged with a pretty comfortable victory.