|
A nine dart finish is the ultimate checkout in the game of darts, constituting a perfect game. It is notoriously difficult to achieve, even by the game's top professionals.
With each player starting from a score of 501, nine darts is the fewest number of throws necessary to finish the game. Although other methods are possible, the traditional way is to score maximum 180 tallies with each of the first two sets of three darts (a treble 20 per dart) thereby leaving a score of 141.
This final outshot, under any circumstances, is difficult but achievable, but in the pressure of a nine dart situation it suddenly becomes even more difficult and thousands of instances have occurred whereby players have achieved the two maximum scores but missed a crucial dart during the 141 outshot.
This outshot is traditionally done one of three ways:
- treble 20 (60), treble 19 (57) and double 12 (24)
- treble 18 (54), treble 17 (51) and double 18 (36)
- treble 20 (60), treble 15 (45) and double 18 (36)
(All games of darts have to end with a double)
The first televised nine dart finish was achieved at the World Matchplay championship in 1984 by John Lowe, who used the second method above as his outshot after scoring two maximum 180s. For this he received a prize of 102,000 pounds and then went on to win the whole event. The first and only player to manage the outshot in the world championship was American player Paul Lim in 1990. He favoured the first method of those listed above for his outshot.
Phil Taylor is the only player to have achieved this feat twice on television: the first time in 2002, during a quarter final tie at the Professional Darts Corporation World Matchplay Championship in Blackpool and then again in 2004 during a match in the Professional Darts Corporation UK Open Championships in Bolton.
BDO Stalwart Shaun Greatbatch has also achieved a televised 9 dart finish. He accomplished this feat in 2002 in the Dutch Open; his was the first to be seen "live" on television.
See also
| 
