Kevin Painter
Encyclopedia
Kevin Painter is an English
professional darts
player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation
tournaments, where he is known as "The Artist". He is most famous for finishing runner up to Phil Taylor in the monumental 2004 World Championship
final, now widely credited as one of the greatest televised matches in the history of darts, and the greatest final in televised darts. Commentator Sid Waddell has also referred to it as the most dramatic darts match he has ever seen.
county player, his first appearance on television was in the 1994 BDO World Championship
, which was notable as the first BDO World Championship to follow the split in darts
, where 16 players formed the World Darts Council (later Professional Darts Corporation) and their own world championship. Painter was defeated in the first round 3-2 by Kevin Kenny
. He reached the second round of the 1995 championship before falling 3-0 to Martin Adams
, but success followed later in 1995 with a win in the inaugural England Open and in 1997 he won the prestigious British Open. Two more appearances in the second round of the BDO World Championship followed and in the 2000 championship he reached his first televised quarter-final, but lost 5-2 to the eventual champion Ted Hankey
.
The new millennium marked more success for Painter with victory in the Swedish Open. Only a month earlier he had made his debut in a PDC event - the 2000 World Grand Prix
where he reached the second round, but was defeated 3-2 by Taylor. Painter however did not become a member of the Professional Dart Players Association
, the organisation that allows players to play in all PDC events, and therefore remained a BDO player. In what would be his final appearance in the event, Painter once again reached the quarter-finals in the 2001 BDO World Championship
before losing 5-2 to Andy Fordham
. Painter entered another PDC event, the 2001 World Matchplay
, but lost in the first round before returning again in the 2001 World Grand Prix
, where in a major shock he defeated Taylor in the first round. Taylor had never before been defeated in this event and had not lost on television for two years prior to this loss. This was also the first time that Taylor had been defeated in the first round of a televised PDC event. Painter reached the quarter-finals before losing 6-1 to Dennis Smith
. Back in the BDO he made his best performance in the 2001 Winmau World Masters
, reaching the quarter-finals and repeated that placing in the 2001 Zuiderduin Masters, in what was his last BDO event.
. Despite a victory in the 2002 Bob Anderson Classic he failed to make any real headway in the televised PDC events until he reached his first world championship semi-final in the 2003 PDC World Championship
, where he lost 6-4 to eventual champion, John Part
.
Painter's finest hour came in the 2004 World Championship
. As the 10th seed, he defeated 7th seed Baxter in the fourth round, and a whitewash of former world champion Bob Anderson
followed later on in the semi-finals. Painter then met top seed Taylor in the final. What followed was the longest televised darts match ever and for a time the most watched PDC darts match (820,000 viewers) until the 2007 final. Despite Painter leading 4-1 at one point, the match went to 6-6 in sets and 5-5 in legs in the final set, so a sudden death leg was needed to decide a winner. Taylor won it and became the champion, but Painter gained fame for his participation in such an epic final.
The following year was a strong one for Painter where he reached the quarter-finals in the UK Open and the semi-finals in the Las Vegas Desert Classic
, his best performance in these tournaments to date. He reached the quarter-finals of the 2005 Las Vegas Desert Classic and the 2005 World Championship
despite falling victim to a leg injury which damaged his form and kept him out of many tournaments.
his form began to stagnate around the middle of the year. Painter suffered first or early round defeats in most of the major tournaments and his ranking
had dropped to 18 by the beginning of 2007. This was exacerbated by a defeat in the first round of that year's World Championship
, to once practice partner Colin Osborne
.
The first half of 2007 saw the early round defeats in televised majors continue, though many of them were to Taylor and then-World Champion Raymond van Barneveld
. In the autumn darts season, Painter suffered another first round loss in the 2007 World Grand Prix
, but this would prove to be the turning point. Sky Sports pundit and friend Rod Harrington
warned that Painter could 'slip into anonymity' if he did not recover his form. Painter attributed the 'perception that he was finished' to a renewed determination and subsequent rise in form.
despite being entered as a wild card
. The 2008 World Championship
proved to be a monumental success for Painter, where he was responsible for knocking out defending champion Raymond van Barneveld
in the last 16. Painter was knocked out in the semi finals by, again, the eventual champion Part, his best performance since when he was the runner-up in 2004. Painter considers the win over van Barneveld as the greatest of his career.
Painter's results in the televised majors in 2008 were not as might have been expected from the World Championship - he was once again defeated by Osborne in the third round of the 2008 UK Open
and lost in the first round of the 2008 Las Vegas Desert Classic
despite a spirited performance against the eventual champion Taylor. Painter averaged 104 (the third highest average of the tournament) and didn't miss a double in the match, but was still defeated 6-4. His poor record at the World Matchplay continued as he suffered a first round loss in the 2008 event
to Tony Eccles
. He lost in a deciding leg to Colin Lloyd
in the second round of the 2008 World Grand Prix
(having missed three darts for the match) and finished bottom of his group in the 2008 Grand Slam of Darts
. However, his success in non-televised events was considerably better including an appearance in the Bristol Players Championship final - losing 3-2 to Dennis Priestley
- this was his first PDC final since September 2006.
Painter entered the 2009 PDC World Championship
as the number 17 seed. He defeated Matt Clark
in the first round, winning in a sudden death leg to become the first seeded player to progress to the second round. However in the third round he lost 4-1 to top seed and eventual champion Phil Taylor. In the inaugural Players Championship Finals
at the end of January, Painter looked to be heading for another first round exit as he went 5-2 down to Alex Roy
, but he won four consecutive legs to progress to the second round, where he met second seed James Wade
. This match also went to a deciding leg; Painter missed one dart at the bull and Wade took his chance to go through at Painter's expense. However, this performance saw Painter re-establish his place in the top 16, and his good form in floor events from 2008 has continued - he has reached two semi-finals on the PDC Pro Tour
so far, notably in Gladbeck
, Germany
, where on March 1 he led Taylor 5-4 before losing 6-5.
In June 2009, Painter made a good start to the summer darts season with a run to the semi-finals of the 2009 UK Open
, his best ever performance in the tournament. After dispatching Dennis Priestley
9-3 and Alan Tabern
10-8, Painter eventually lost to Colin Osborne
10-7. His World Matchplay woes continued with a 13-3 defeat to Taylor in the second round of the 2009 event
, though he reached the quarter-finals of the 2009 World Grand Prix
and the 2009 Grand Slam of Darts
, in the latter topping the 'group of death' that included Raymond van Barneveld
and John Part
. Another third round exit followed in the 2010 World Championship
, 4-1 to van Barneveld this time.
Painter's first televised appearance in 2010 was an unfortunate one; in the third round of the 2010 UK Open
he was on the end of a 9-0 whitewash by Taylor, who recorded the current world record average at 118.66. But success was to follow in the 2010 World Matchplay
; after making 'one of the finest comebacks ever seen' to come from 8-2 down in defeating Essex rival Colin Lloyd 11-9 in the first round, he overcame Mark Walsh 14-12 to reach the quarter-finals of the World Matchplay at the tenth time of asking. Once again however, eternal rival Taylor brought his run to an end.
In the 2011 World Matchplay Darts Painter revealed that he had received laser eye surgery before the tournament to improve his game, he also stated that he had hit a nine dart finish
after 10 minutes of practise with his improved vision. In the opening night of the tournament he proved that he had upped his game by seriously challenging the world champ Adrian Lewis. He lead Lewis for most of the match but missed 6 doubles that would have won him the match. He subsequently lost a resounding 14 legs to 12.
, his record in the PDC World Darts Championship
is far more impressive, having reached the quarter-finals twice (2005, 2006), the semi-finals twice (2003, 2008), and he was the runner-up in 2004. This record is reflected in him being the player with the sixth highest amount of money won in the PDC World Championship, behind the four champions and three-time runner up Manley. Remarkably, in nine attempts at the PDC World Championship, he has been defeated by the eventual champion six times (Taylor four times and Part twice).
, who also used to play darts, and they have a daughter, Madison Elise. He plays darts professionally now, but used to be a builder
.. He spends his training sessions with Matthew 'The Edgar' Edgar
, a young up and coming UK darts player. . He is also a season ticket and share holder of Ipswich Town
. He often plays wearing a blue shirt in reference to his favourite team.
Painter has also been featured in two darts videogames; PDC World Championship Darts 2008
and 2009
.
, where he often tried to check out by hitting the Bullseye, but failed many times. Taylor won the last leg of the match by deliberately leaving 50, then checking out on the bull, which Painter took as a taunt and argued viciously with Taylor for a few minutes after the match. Since then the two have had numerous matches and the incident appears to have been put behind them.
In April 2008, Painter was involved in another incident at the Holland Masters, a non-televised tournament. In a quarter-final match with Taylor's protégé, Adrian Lewis
, an argument between the two took place in the deciding set. They were both disqualified from the tournament. In July, the Darts Regulation Authority decided upon an appropriate punishment; Painter was fined £200 and banned for three months with two months suspended while Lewis was fined £400 with a six month ban, four months suspended.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional darts
Darts
Darts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...
player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation
Professional Darts Corporation
The Professional Darts Corporation is a professional darts organization, established in the United Kingdom during 1992, when a group of leading professional players split from the British Darts Organisation to form what was initially called the World Darts Council...
tournaments, where he is known as "The Artist". He is most famous for finishing runner up to Phil Taylor in the monumental 2004 World Championship
2004 PDC World Darts Championship
The 2004 Ladbrokes.com World Championship was the 10th anniversary of the PDC version of the World Darts Championship. An extra preliminary round was introduced bringing the total players at the televised stages to 48. Ladbrokes, who sponsored the event initially for one year in 2003, decided to...
final, now widely credited as one of the greatest televised matches in the history of darts, and the greatest final in televised darts. Commentator Sid Waddell has also referred to it as the most dramatic darts match he has ever seen.
BDO
Painter started playing darts around the age of 17. Once an EssexEssex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
county player, his first appearance on television was in the 1994 BDO World Championship
1994 BDO World Darts Championship
-References:...
, which was notable as the first BDO World Championship to follow the split in darts
Split in darts
The split in darts refers to an acrimonious dispute between top professional darts players and the game's governing body which began in 1992 and resulted in the formation of a new organisation to arrange tournaments - including a second version of the World Professional Darts Championship...
, where 16 players formed the World Darts Council (later Professional Darts Corporation) and their own world championship. Painter was defeated in the first round 3-2 by Kevin Kenny
Kevin Kenny
Kevin Kenny is a former darts player who played for England and Merseyside. Kenny received 12 caps for England, winning 11 times, and 116 caps for Merseyside, winning 92. He was also a two time semi-finalist at the BDO World Darts Championships and a semi-finalist at the News of the World Darts...
. He reached the second round of the 1995 championship before falling 3-0 to Martin Adams
Martin Adams
Martin Adams is an English international darts player. Nicknamed Wolfie or Mr BDO, he is BDO world ranked number one, three-time and reigning BDO World Champion and three-time World Masters champion...
, but success followed later in 1995 with a win in the inaugural England Open and in 1997 he won the prestigious British Open. Two more appearances in the second round of the BDO World Championship followed and in the 2000 championship he reached his first televised quarter-final, but lost 5-2 to the eventual champion Ted Hankey
Ted Hankey
Edward "Ted" Hankey is an English darts player who is a two-time BDO World Professional Darts Champion. His nickname is The Count and his walk on music is Be On Your Way by DJ Zany. Hankey built up a large following due to his obsession with and resemblance to Dracula...
.
The new millennium marked more success for Painter with victory in the Swedish Open. Only a month earlier he had made his debut in a PDC event - the 2000 World Grand Prix
2000 World Grand Prix Darts
The 2000 World Grand Prix Darts was the first World Grand Prix PDC darts tournament to take place outside the UK was at The Crosbie Cedars Hotel in County Wexford, Southern Ireland.-1st Round:Winners to meet seeded players in last 16...
where he reached the second round, but was defeated 3-2 by Taylor. Painter however did not become a member of the Professional Dart Players Association
Professional Dart Players Association
The Professional Dart Players Association is an organisation for professional dart players. Its intention is to look after the interests of professional players through an annually elected Board of six current professionals.-Formation:...
, the organisation that allows players to play in all PDC events, and therefore remained a BDO player. In what would be his final appearance in the event, Painter once again reached the quarter-finals in the 2001 BDO World Championship
2001 BDO World Darts Championship
The 2001 Embassy World Professional Darts Championships were held from 6–14 January 2001 at the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green, Surrey. Ted Hankey the number 7 seed was the defending champion. He was the eventual runner-up, losing 6–2 in a one-sided final to John Walton.In 2001, the first...
before losing 5-2 to Andy Fordham
Andy Fordham
Andy "The Viking" Fordham is an English darts player. He won the 2004 BDO World Darts Championship, beating Mervyn King in the final...
. Painter entered another PDC event, the 2001 World Matchplay
2001 World Matchplay Darts
The 2001 World Matchplay was a darts tournament held in the Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool. This was the second World Matchplay tournament to be sponsored by UK bookmaker Stan James...
, but lost in the first round before returning again in the 2001 World Grand Prix
2001 World Grand Prix Darts
-Results:...
, where in a major shock he defeated Taylor in the first round. Taylor had never before been defeated in this event and had not lost on television for two years prior to this loss. This was also the first time that Taylor had been defeated in the first round of a televised PDC event. Painter reached the quarter-finals before losing 6-1 to Dennis Smith
Dennis Smith (darts player)
Dennis Smith is an English darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation events. He is a stalwart on the PDC circuit, having been playing on the circuit since 1994 but has yet to capture a major title to add to his collection of Open wins...
. Back in the BDO he made his best performance in the 2001 Winmau World Masters
Winmau World Masters
The Winmau World Masters is one of the longest running and most prestigious professional darts tournaments, which began in 1974 - even before the current World Professional Championship...
, reaching the quarter-finals and repeated that placing in the 2001 Zuiderduin Masters, in what was his last BDO event.
2001-2004: Early success
Painter made his debut in the PDC World Championship in the 2002 event but lost in the first round to Ronnie BaxterRonnie Baxter
Ronnie Baxter is an English darts player. He uses the nickname The Rocket for his matches. Baxter is known for his fast, robotic throwing action...
. Despite a victory in the 2002 Bob Anderson Classic he failed to make any real headway in the televised PDC events until he reached his first world championship semi-final in the 2003 PDC World Championship
2003 PDC World Darts Championship
The 2003 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship was the tenth World Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it split from the British Darts Organisation in 1993. Ladbrokes took over sponsorship of the event from Skol.The field at the televised stages expanded for the...
, where he lost 6-4 to eventual champion, John Part
John Part
John Part is a Canadian professional darts player, who is nicknamed Darth Maple.Part is one of only five players in darts history to be a three time World Champion...
.
Painter's finest hour came in the 2004 World Championship
2004 PDC World Darts Championship
The 2004 Ladbrokes.com World Championship was the 10th anniversary of the PDC version of the World Darts Championship. An extra preliminary round was introduced bringing the total players at the televised stages to 48. Ladbrokes, who sponsored the event initially for one year in 2003, decided to...
. As the 10th seed, he defeated 7th seed Baxter in the fourth round, and a whitewash of former world champion Bob Anderson
Bob Anderson (darts player)
Robert Charles "Bob" Anderson is a former world darts champion. He was ranked as world number one for over three years in the late 1980s. Nicknamed The Limestone Cowboy, he lives in Clevedon in Somerset.-Before Darts:Anderson threw his first darts maximum at the age of just five...
followed later on in the semi-finals. Painter then met top seed Taylor in the final. What followed was the longest televised darts match ever and for a time the most watched PDC darts match (820,000 viewers) until the 2007 final. Despite Painter leading 4-1 at one point, the match went to 6-6 in sets and 5-5 in legs in the final set, so a sudden death leg was needed to decide a winner. Taylor won it and became the champion, but Painter gained fame for his participation in such an epic final.
The following year was a strong one for Painter where he reached the quarter-finals in the UK Open and the semi-finals in the Las Vegas Desert Classic
Las Vegas Desert Classic
The Las Vegas Desert Classic was a darts tournament, organised by the Professional Darts Corporation and was held each year in July from 2002 until 2010...
, his best performance in these tournaments to date. He reached the quarter-finals of the 2005 Las Vegas Desert Classic and the 2005 World Championship
2005 PDC World Darts Championship
The 2005 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship, sponsored by Ladbrokes, was held at the Circus Tavern, Purfleet and started on Boxing Day, 2004...
despite falling victim to a leg injury which damaged his form and kept him out of many tournaments.
2006-2007: Decline
Painter's form dropped substantially in 2006. Despite opening strongly with a victory in the North West UK Open final and a second successive appearance in the quarter finals of the 2006 World Championship2006 PDC World Darts Championship
The 2006 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship was held from 19 December 2005 to 2 January 2006 at the Circus Tavern. It was the 13th staging of the Professional Darts Corporation's version of the World Championship....
his form began to stagnate around the middle of the year. Painter suffered first or early round defeats in most of the major tournaments and his ranking
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 . Following the 2007 PDC World Darts Championship it superseded a world ranking system based on points being awarded for performances in ranking tournaments.-Previous world...
had dropped to 18 by the beginning of 2007. This was exacerbated by a defeat in the first round of that year's World Championship
2007 PDC World Darts Championship
The 2007 Ladbrokes.com PDC World Darts Championship was the 14th World Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it separated from the British Darts Organisation. The tournament began on Monday 18 December 2006 and the final was played on Monday 1 January 2007...
, to once practice partner Colin Osborne
Colin Osborne
Colin Osborne is an English darts player currently playing in Professional Darts Corporation events.-Darts career:Osborne has won two PDC Pro Tour events and he also managed to hit two perfect nine dart finishes in 2005...
.
The first half of 2007 saw the early round defeats in televised majors continue, though many of them were to Taylor and then-World Champion Raymond van Barneveld
Raymond van Barneveld
Raymond van Barneveld , nickname Barney is a professional darts player. He is a five time World Darts Champion, and two time UK Open Champion. From January to June 2008, he was the PDC world number one ranked player...
. In the autumn darts season, Painter suffered another first round loss in the 2007 World Grand Prix
2007 World Grand Prix Darts
The 2007 SkyBet World Grand Prix was the tenth staging of a PDC darts tournament which took place between October 8 and October 14. It was the seventh year that the event was being staged at the Citywest Hotel, Saggart, Dublin...
, but this would prove to be the turning point. Sky Sports pundit and friend Rod Harrington
Rod Harrington
Rod Harrington is a former English darts player. He used the nickname The Prince of Style for his matches, often wearing a suit and waistcoast for his games...
warned that Painter could 'slip into anonymity' if he did not recover his form. Painter attributed the 'perception that he was finished' to a renewed determination and subsequent rise in form.
2007-Present: Resurgence
The next month saw a strong return to form for Painter, where he reached the quarter-finals of the first Grand Slam of DartsGrand Slam of Darts
The Grand Slam of Darts is a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation and is known as the William Hill Grand Slam of Darts for sponsorship purposes. The PDC also invites the best performing players from its rival the British Darts Organisation...
despite being entered as a wild card
Wild card (sports)
The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...
. The 2008 World Championship
2008 PDC World Darts Championship
The 2008 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship, sponsored by Ladbrokes, was the 15th World Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it separated from the British Darts Organisation...
proved to be a monumental success for Painter, where he was responsible for knocking out defending champion Raymond van Barneveld
Raymond van Barneveld
Raymond van Barneveld , nickname Barney is a professional darts player. He is a five time World Darts Champion, and two time UK Open Champion. From January to June 2008, he was the PDC world number one ranked player...
in the last 16. Painter was knocked out in the semi finals by, again, the eventual champion Part, his best performance since when he was the runner-up in 2004. Painter considers the win over van Barneveld as the greatest of his career.
Painter's results in the televised majors in 2008 were not as might have been expected from the World Championship - he was once again defeated by Osborne in the third round of the 2008 UK Open
2008 UK Open Darts
The 2008 Blue Square UK Open was the sixth year of the PDC darts tournament where, following numerous regional qualifying heats throughout Britain, players competed in a single elimination tournament to be crowned champion...
and lost in the first round of the 2008 Las Vegas Desert Classic
2008 Las Vegas Desert Classic
The 2008 Las Vegas Desert Classic was the seventh installment of the Las Vegas Desert Classic, a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. It was held in the evenings between June 30 and July 6....
despite a spirited performance against the eventual champion Taylor. Painter averaged 104 (the third highest average of the tournament) and didn't miss a double in the match, but was still defeated 6-4. His poor record at the World Matchplay continued as he suffered a first round loss in the 2008 event
2008 World Matchplay Darts
The 2008 Stan James World Matchplay was the 15th annual staging of the tournament by the Professional Darts Corporation. The tournament took place from Sunday July 20 to Saturday July 26. It was staged at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool...
to Tony Eccles
Tony Eccles
Tony Eccles is a Winmau sponsored darts player currently residing in Hartlepool. He uses the nickname The Viper.-BDO career:...
. He lost in a deciding leg to Colin Lloyd
Colin Lloyd
Colin Lloyd , nicknamed Jaws, is an English professional darts player on the Professional Darts Corporation circuit. He is a former world number one ranked player and he has won two major television titles in the PDC - the 2004 World Grand Prix and 2005 World Matchplay...
in the second round of the 2008 World Grand Prix
2008 World Grand Prix Darts
The 2008 Sky Poker World Grand Prix was the eleventh instance of the darts tournament held by the Professional Darts Corporation, the World Grand Prix. It was held from October 6 to October 12. As usual it was staged at the Citywest Hotel in Saggart, Dublin...
(having missed three darts for the match) and finished bottom of his group in the 2008 Grand Slam of Darts
2008 Grand Slam of Darts
The 2008 Grand Slam of Darts was the second staging of the darts tournament, the Grand Slam of Darts organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. The event took place from 15–23 November 2008 at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall...
. However, his success in non-televised events was considerably better including an appearance in the Bristol Players Championship final - losing 3-2 to Dennis Priestley
Dennis Priestley
Dennis Priestley is an English professional darts player. He has won two world championships, and was the first player to win both the BDO and WDC world championships, in 1991 and 1994 respectively...
- this was his first PDC final since September 2006.
Painter entered the 2009 PDC World Championship
2009 PDC World Darts Championship
The 2009 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship was the 16th World Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it separated from the British Darts Organisation....
as the number 17 seed. He defeated Matt Clark
Matt Clark (darts player)
Matt Clark is an English darts player who competes for the Professional Darts Corporation and formerly played for the British Darts Organisation. He uses the nickname Superman for his matches.-Darting history:...
in the first round, winning in a sudden death leg to become the first seeded player to progress to the second round. However in the third round he lost 4-1 to top seed and eventual champion Phil Taylor. In the inaugural Players Championship Finals
2009 Players Championship Finals
The 2009 Players Championship Finals was the inaugural edition of the PDC tournament, the Players Championship Finals, which saw the top 32 players from the 2008 PDC Players Championship Order of Merit taking part...
at the end of January, Painter looked to be heading for another first round exit as he went 5-2 down to Alex Roy
Alex Roy (darts player)
Alex Roy is a darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation events. He uses the nickname Ace of Herts for this matches and is with Dave Holland Management....
, but he won four consecutive legs to progress to the second round, where he met second seed James Wade
James Wade
James Wade is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation . He became the youngest player ever to win a major PDC title at the World Matchplay in July 2007...
. This match also went to a deciding leg; Painter missed one dart at the bull and Wade took his chance to go through at Painter's expense. However, this performance saw Painter re-establish his place in the top 16, and his good form in floor events from 2008 has continued - he has reached two semi-finals on the PDC Pro Tour
PDC Pro Tour
The PDC Pro Tour is a series of non-televised darts tournaments organised by the Professional Darts Corporation . They comprise Professional Dart Players Association Players Championships and UK Open Regional Finals.-Players Championships:...
so far, notably in Gladbeck
Gladbeck
Gladbeck is a city in the district of Recklinghausen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.The name ´Gladbeck´ evolves from Low German, originally spoken in the area around Gladbeck. ´Glad´ means something like gleamy and ´beck´ means about brook. However, the brook Gladbeck flows under the ground...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where on March 1 he led Taylor 5-4 before losing 6-5.
In June 2009, Painter made a good start to the summer darts season with a run to the semi-finals of the 2009 UK Open
2009 UK Open Darts
The 2009 Blue Square UK Open was the seventh year of the PDC darts tournament where, following numerous regional qualifying heats throughout Britain, players competed in a single elimination tournament to be crowned champion...
, his best ever performance in the tournament. After dispatching Dennis Priestley
Dennis Priestley
Dennis Priestley is an English professional darts player. He has won two world championships, and was the first player to win both the BDO and WDC world championships, in 1991 and 1994 respectively...
9-3 and Alan Tabern
Alan Tabern
Alan Tabern is an English darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation, where he is also known as "The Saint" and "Tabby"...
10-8, Painter eventually lost to Colin Osborne
Colin Osborne
Colin Osborne is an English darts player currently playing in Professional Darts Corporation events.-Darts career:Osborne has won two PDC Pro Tour events and he also managed to hit two perfect nine dart finishes in 2005...
10-7. His World Matchplay woes continued with a 13-3 defeat to Taylor in the second round of the 2009 event
2009 World Matchplay Darts
The 2009 Stan James World Matchplay was the 16th annual staging of the tournament by the Professional Darts Corporation. The tournament took place from Sunday 19 July to Sunday 26 July...
, though he reached the quarter-finals of the 2009 World Grand Prix
2009 World Grand Prix Darts
The 2009 Skybet World Grand Prix was the twelfth instance of the darts tournament held by the Professional Darts Corporation, the World Grand Prix. It was held from October 5 to October 11. It was staged at the Citywest International Event & Convention Centre in Dublin...
and the 2009 Grand Slam of Darts
2009 Grand Slam of Darts
The 2009 Grand Slam of Darts was the third staging of the darts tournament, the Grand Slam of Darts organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. The event took place from 14–22 November 2009 at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall. Television coverage of the tournament was covered by ITV Sport, with...
, in the latter topping the 'group of death' that included Raymond van Barneveld
Raymond van Barneveld
Raymond van Barneveld , nickname Barney is a professional darts player. He is a five time World Darts Champion, and two time UK Open Champion. From January to June 2008, he was the PDC world number one ranked player...
and John Part
John Part
John Part is a Canadian professional darts player, who is nicknamed Darth Maple.Part is one of only five players in darts history to be a three time World Champion...
. Another third round exit followed in the 2010 World Championship
2010 PDC World Darts Championship
The 2010 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship was the 17th World Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it separated from the British Darts Organisation....
, 4-1 to van Barneveld this time.
Painter's first televised appearance in 2010 was an unfortunate one; in the third round of the 2010 UK Open
2010 UK Open Darts
The 2010 Rileys Darts Zones UK Open was the eighth year of the PDC darts tournament where, following numerous regional qualifying heats throughout Britain, players competed in a single elimination tournament to be crowned champion...
he was on the end of a 9-0 whitewash by Taylor, who recorded the current world record average at 118.66. But success was to follow in the 2010 World Matchplay
2010 World Matchplay Darts
The 2010 Stan James World Matchplay was the 17th annual staging of the World Matchplay, organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. The tournament took place from 17–25 July....
; after making 'one of the finest comebacks ever seen' to come from 8-2 down in defeating Essex rival Colin Lloyd 11-9 in the first round, he overcame Mark Walsh 14-12 to reach the quarter-finals of the World Matchplay at the tenth time of asking. Once again however, eternal rival Taylor brought his run to an end.
In the 2011 World Matchplay Darts Painter revealed that he had received laser eye surgery before the tournament to improve his game, he also stated that he had hit a nine dart finish
Nine dart finish
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...
after 10 minutes of practise with his improved vision. In the opening night of the tournament he proved that he had upped his game by seriously challenging the world champ Adrian Lewis. He lead Lewis for most of the match but missed 6 doubles that would have won him the match. He subsequently lost a resounding 14 legs to 12.
World Championship results
While the quarter-finals was the furthest stage that Painter reached in the BDO World Darts ChampionshipBDO World Darts Championship
The BDO World Darts Championship is a world championship competition in darts, organised by the British Darts Organisation . It began in 1978, and was the only world championship tournament until 1994...
, his record in the PDC World Darts Championship
PDC World Darts Championship
The PDC World Darts Championship is a world championship competition for the sport of darts, organised by the Professional Darts Corporation . It was introduced following a dispute in 1994 with the British Darts Organisation, which has run its own world championship since 1978...
is far more impressive, having reached the quarter-finals twice (2005, 2006), the semi-finals twice (2003, 2008), and he was the runner-up in 2004. This record is reflected in him being the player with the sixth highest amount of money won in the PDC World Championship, behind the four champions and three-time runner up Manley. Remarkably, in nine attempts at the PDC World Championship, he has been defeated by the eventual champion six times (Taylor four times and Part twice).
BDO
- 1994 - First Round (lost to Kevin KennyKevin KennyKevin Kenny is a former darts player who played for England and Merseyside. Kenny received 12 caps for England, winning 11 times, and 116 caps for Merseyside, winning 92. He was also a two time semi-finalist at the BDO World Darts Championships and a semi-finalist at the News of the World Darts...
2-3) - 1995 - Second Round (lost to Martin AdamsMartin AdamsMartin Adams is an English international darts player. Nicknamed Wolfie or Mr BDO, he is BDO world ranked number one, three-time and reigning BDO World Champion and three-time World Masters champion...
0-4) - 1996 - First Round (lost to Ronnie BaxterRonnie BaxterRonnie Baxter is an English darts player. He uses the nickname The Rocket for his matches. Baxter is known for his fast, robotic throwing action...
2-3) - 1998 - Second Round (lost to Richie BurnettRichie BurnettRichie Burnett is a Welsh darts player who was the 1995 Embassy World Darts Champion and currently plays in Professional Darts Corporation events. His nickname is The Prince of Wales.-BDO career:...
1-3) - 1999 - Second Round (lost to Ronnie Baxter 0-3)
- 2000 - Quarter-finals (lost to Ted HankeyTed HankeyEdward "Ted" Hankey is an English darts player who is a two-time BDO World Professional Darts Champion. His nickname is The Count and his walk on music is Be On Your Way by DJ Zany. Hankey built up a large following due to his obsession with and resemblance to Dracula...
2-5) - 2001 - Quarter-finals (lost to Andy FordhamAndy FordhamAndy "The Viking" Fordham is an English darts player. He won the 2004 BDO World Darts Championship, beating Mervyn King in the final...
2-5)
PDC
- 2002 - First Round (lost to Ronnie Baxter 2-4)
- 2003 - Semi-finals (lost to John PartJohn PartJohn Part is a Canadian professional darts player, who is nicknamed Darth Maple.Part is one of only five players in darts history to be a three time World Champion...
4-6) - 2004 - Runner-up (lost to Phil Taylor 6-7)
- 2005 - Quarter-finals (lost to Phil Taylor 1-5)
- 2006 - Quarter-finals (lost to Phil Taylor 1-5)
- 2007 - First Round (lost to Colin OsborneColin OsborneColin Osborne is an English darts player currently playing in Professional Darts Corporation events.-Darts career:Osborne has won two PDC Pro Tour events and he also managed to hit two perfect nine dart finishes in 2005...
1-3) - 2008 - Semi-finals (lost to John Part 2-6)
- 2009 - Third Round (lost to Phil Taylor 1-4)
- 2010 - Third Round (lost to Raymond van BarneveldRaymond van BarneveldRaymond van Barneveld , nickname Barney is a professional darts player. He is a five time World Darts Champion, and two time UK Open Champion. From January to June 2008, he was the PDC world number one ranked player...
4-1) - 2011 - First Round (lost to Brendan DolanBrendan DolanBrendan Dolan is a Irish darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation events.After two early exits in the 2003 and 2004 UK Open, his first major run came in the 2004 World Grand Prix where he qualified through the All Ireland qualifiers, winning one of four places...
3-0)
Outside of darts
Painter lives in Daventry, Northamptonshire with Janine Gough, originally from SwanseaSwansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, who also used to play darts, and they have a daughter, Madison Elise. He plays darts professionally now, but used to be a builder
Construction worker
A construction worker or builder is a professional, tradesman, or labourer who directly participates in the physical construction of infrastructure.-Construction trades:...
.. He spends his training sessions with Matthew 'The Edgar' Edgar
Matthew Edgar
Matthew Edgar is an English professional darts player currently competing in Professional Darts Corporation events.Edgar joined the PDC in 2011, and qualified for the UK Open. He defeated Nigel Heydon, Andy Pearce and Martyn Turner on the way to the last 32, where he lost 5-9 to Andy Boulton.Edgar...
, a young up and coming UK darts player. . He is also a season ticket and share holder of Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
. He often plays wearing a blue shirt in reference to his favourite team.
Painter has also been featured in two darts videogames; PDC World Championship Darts 2008
PDC World Championship Darts 2008
PDC World Championship Darts 2008 is a sports video game, published by Oxygen Interactive and developed and designed by Mere Mortals. It was released for the PlayStation 2, PC, and has seen releases for the Wii, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360 and the PlayStation Portable. The game features sixteen...
and 2009
PDC World Championship Darts 2009
PDC World Championship Darts 2009 is a sports video game, published by Oxygen and developed and designed by Rebellion Developments. It was released for the Nintendo DS and Wii on May 29, 2009. The game features eighteen professionals from the Professional Darts Corporation...
.
Controversy
Kevin is probably also famous for a notorious rivalry with Taylor. Perhaps stemming from his shock victory over Taylor in the 2001 World Grand Prix, and the epic 2004 World Championship final, he has had many run-ins with 'The Power' including a memorable match, the quarter finals of the 2005 World Championship2005 PDC World Darts Championship
The 2005 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship, sponsored by Ladbrokes, was held at the Circus Tavern, Purfleet and started on Boxing Day, 2004...
, where he often tried to check out by hitting the Bullseye, but failed many times. Taylor won the last leg of the match by deliberately leaving 50, then checking out on the bull, which Painter took as a taunt and argued viciously with Taylor for a few minutes after the match. Since then the two have had numerous matches and the incident appears to have been put behind them.
In April 2008, Painter was involved in another incident at the Holland Masters, a non-televised tournament. In a quarter-final match with Taylor's protégé, Adrian Lewis
Adrian Lewis
Adrian Lewis is an English professional darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation who is the reigning PDC World Darts Champion...
, an argument between the two took place in the deciding set. They were both disqualified from the tournament. In July, the Darts Regulation Authority decided upon an appropriate punishment; Painter was fined £200 and banned for three months with two months suspended while Lewis was fined £400 with a six month ban, four months suspended.