Matt Clark (darts player)
Encyclopedia
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.
county team. At the age of 24 he began moving towards pro darts attending the Dutch Open where he made the quarter finals of the pairs and singles competitions.Clark appeared in the BDO World Darts Championship
eight successive years, reaching the quarter-finals in 1996.
He switched to the PDC in 2004 and quickly reached the top 32 in the world rankings. He made his PDC World Darts Championship
debut in 2007 as the number 31 seed, but lost in the first round to Mick McGowan
. In 2008, Clark lost in the first round to Roland Scholten
. Despite losing, Clark won more legs than Scholten, Clark winning 12 to Scholten's 10. However, he gained revenge on Scholten having qualified for the 2008 World Matchplay
through the Players Championship Order of Merit and defeating him 10-4 in the first round. He continued to defeat veteran Peter Manley
13-6 in an upset and reached the quarter-finals, his best performance in the competition, before being defeated by defending champion James Wade
, despite checking out at 161 which was the highest checkout of that years tournament. Prior to the Matchplay Event Matt lost 3 stone in weight which forced him to change his throwing stance.
Clark suffered a first round exit in the 2009 PDC World Darts Championship
, losing to Kevin Painter
in a sudden leg death which Clark missed one dart at double 12 to win.
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...
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 competes for the 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...
and formerly played for the British Darts Organisation
British Darts Organisation
The British Darts Organisation, or the BDO for short, is a darts organisation founded on 7 January 1973 by Olly Croft, OBE. The BDO is a founder member of the World Darts Federation which was formed in 1976....
. He uses the nickname Superman for his matches.
Darting history
Matt Clark first started playing darts at the age of 19 at his local village pub, and after a few years was playing for the KentKent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
county team. At the age of 24 he began moving towards pro darts attending the Dutch Open where he made the quarter finals of the pairs and singles competitions.Clark appeared in the BDO World Darts Championship
BDO 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...
eight successive years, reaching the quarter-finals in 1996.
He switched to the PDC in 2004 and quickly reached the top 32 in the world rankings. He made his 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...
debut in 2007 as the number 31 seed, but lost in the first round to Mick McGowan
Mick McGowan
Mick McGowan is an Irish darts player. He currently plays in Professional Darts Corporation events, where he is Ireland's top ranked player...
. In 2008, Clark lost in the first round to Roland Scholten
Roland Scholten
Roland Scholten is a Dutch professional darts player who plays for the Professional Darts Corporation and formerly for the British Darts Organisation. He is nicknamed Tripod or The Flying Dutchman and uses Hey Ya by Outkast as his walk-on. He is currently ranked 45th in the PDC...
. Despite losing, Clark won more legs than Scholten, Clark winning 12 to Scholten's 10. However, he gained revenge on Scholten having qualified for the 2008 World Matchplay
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...
through the Players Championship Order of Merit and defeating him 10-4 in the first round. He continued to defeat veteran Peter Manley
Peter Manley
Peter David Manley is an English professional darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation. He is nicknamed One Dart as he is known for hitting doubles with his first dart...
13-6 in an upset and reached the quarter-finals, his best performance in the competition, before being defeated by defending champion 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...
, despite checking out at 161 which was the highest checkout of that years tournament. Prior to the Matchplay Event Matt lost 3 stone in weight which forced him to change his throwing stance.
Clark suffered a first round exit in the 2009 PDC World Darts 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....
, losing to Kevin Painter
Kevin Painter
Kevin Painter is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation tournaments, where he is known as "The Artist"...
in a sudden leg death which Clark missed one dart at double 12 to win.
BDO
- 1996: Quarter Final (lost to Les WallaceLes WallaceLes Wallace is a Scottish, former World Champion darts player. He currently lives in Midanbury Broadway, Southampton, England. He adopted the nickname McDanger - coming out for his matches dressed in a traditional kilt...
1-4) - 1997: 1st round (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...
2-3) - 1998: 1st round (lost to Mervyn King 0-3)
- 1999: 1st round (lost to Paul Williams 2-3)
- 2000: 2nd round (lost to Chris MasonChris Mason (darts player)Christopher John Mason is an English darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation. He uses the nickname Mace the Ace for his matches.- BDO and first PDC spell :...
2-3) - 2001: 2nd round (lost to Kevin PainterKevin PainterKevin Painter is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation tournaments, where he is known as "The Artist"...
1-3) - 2002: 1st round (lost to Marko PusaMarko PusaMarko Pusa is a Finnish darts player.Pusa made his televised debut at the 1999 Winmau World Masters, reaching the semi-finals with wins over Andy Gudgeon, former World Champion Steve Beaton and Andy Jenkins before losing to Wayne Jones. In 2000, Pusa reached the final of the Finnish Open, losing...
1-3) - 2003: 1st 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...
1-3)
PDC
- 2006: 2nd round (lost to Phil Taylor 1-4)
- 2007: 1st round (lost to Mick McGowanMick McGowanMick McGowan is an Irish darts player. He currently plays in Professional Darts Corporation events, where he is Ireland's top ranked player...
1-3) - 2008: 1st round (lost to Roland ScholtenRoland ScholtenRoland Scholten is a Dutch professional darts player who plays for the Professional Darts Corporation and formerly for the British Darts Organisation. He is nicknamed Tripod or The Flying Dutchman and uses Hey Ya by Outkast as his walk-on. He is currently ranked 45th in the PDC...
2-3) - 2009: 1st round (lost to Kevin PainterKevin PainterKevin Painter is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation tournaments, where he is known as "The Artist"...
2-3 (sudden death)) - 2010: 1st round (lost to Mervyn King 0-3)