Shaun Greatbatch
Encyclopedia
Shaun Greatbatch is an English
darts
player. He lives in Suffolk and works in the construction industry. His nickname is 9 Dart, having been the first player to hit a perfect nine dart finish
on live television, in the final of the 2002 Dutch Open against Steve Coote
.
in his first four occasions, 2001 against then reigning champion Ted Hankey
, in 2003 against Colin Monk
, 2004 against James Wade
and 2005 against Mike Veitch
. This dubious honour ended in the 2006 World Championship, where Shaun finally won in five sets against Niels de Ruiter
. He went on to reach the semi-finals, losing to eventual champion Jelle Klaasen
. The result means he did not need to qualify for the 2007 championship where he lost in the second round to Tony Eccles
. In 2008 the first round jinx came back to haunt him as he was beaten by Martin Phillips
.
, and as a result of his treatment, he has lost all of his hair, weighs two stones lighter and is four inches shorter from 6'5" to 6'1".
Despite his illness, he still managed to play in the 2009 BDO World Darts Championship
, having earned enough ranking points to claim one of the automatic spots for the events. He was soundly beaten in the first round 3-0 by John Walton
, but his mere presence under such difficult circumstances showed great bravery and generated praise from fellow players and fans. He emotionally left the Lakeside stage to a guard of honour made up of the rest of the players in the tournament male and female, as well as officials, referees and former finalist Dave Whitcombe
who had come to the event solely for Shaun.
During the 2010 World Championship, Shaun was interviewed having seen his cancer go into remission, and confirmed that he had won four qualifying matches in his pursuit of the tournament that year before being defeated.
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. He lives in Suffolk and works in the construction industry. His nickname is 9 Dart, having been the first player to hit a perfect 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...
on live television, in the final of the 2002 Dutch Open against Steve Coote
Steve Coote
Steve Coote is an English darts player. He is not a full-time professional and works as a fireman.-BDO career:...
.
Darts career
Shaun's family is said by commentators to have a rich darting pedigree. His mother Sandra reached the semi-finals in the Women's World Championship in 2002 and was a Women's World Masters finalist in 1992 and 1997. Shaun lost in the first round of 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...
in his first four occasions, 2001 against then reigning 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...
, in 2003 against Colin Monk
Colin Monk
Colin Monk is an English darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation events and formerly played in British Darts Organisation events. He is turning full time professional in January 2010....
, 2004 against 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...
and 2005 against Mike Veitch
Mike Veitch
Michael "Mike" Veitch is a Scottish darts player who competes in events staged by the British Darts Organisation.-Playing career:...
. This dubious honour ended in the 2006 World Championship, where Shaun finally won in five sets against Niels de Ruiter
Niels de Ruiter
Niels de Ruiter is a Dutch darts player. On the darts circuit his nickname is The Excellent Dude, which is a reference from the film Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure...
. He went on to reach the semi-finals, losing to eventual champion Jelle Klaasen
Jelle Klaasen
Jelle Klaasen is a Dutch professional darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation and is the youngest darts player to win the World Darts Championship. His nickname is The Matador. He lives in Breda, North Brabant, Netherlands...
. The result means he did not need to qualify for the 2007 championship where he lost in the second round 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:...
. In 2008 the first round jinx came back to haunt him as he was beaten by Martin Phillips
Martin Phillips (darts player)
Martin Phillips is a Welsh darts player who competes in the British Darts Organisation and is currently the captain of Wales.-1988 to 1994:...
.
Cancer diagnosis
On June 14, 2008 it was announced that Shaun was diagnosed with bone marrow cancerMultiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma , also known as plasma cell myeloma or Kahler's disease , is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell normally responsible for the production of antibodies...
, and as a result of his treatment, he has lost all of his hair, weighs two stones lighter and is four inches shorter from 6'5" to 6'1".
Despite his illness, he still managed to play in the 2009 BDO World Darts Championship
2009 BDO World Darts Championship
The 2009 Lakeside World Professional Darts Championship was the 32nd World Championship organised by the British Darts Organisation. Mark Webster was the defending men's champion having won the title for the first time in last year's final against Simon Whitlock, but he was eliminated convincingly...
, having earned enough ranking points to claim one of the automatic spots for the events. He was soundly beaten in the first round 3-0 by John Walton
John Walton (darts player)
John Michael Walton is an English darts player who is a former World Champion. He has adopted the nickname The Boy and uses the song Cotton Eye Joe by Rednex as his walk-on theme.-Darts career:...
, but his mere presence under such difficult circumstances showed great bravery and generated praise from fellow players and fans. He emotionally left the Lakeside stage to a guard of honour made up of the rest of the players in the tournament male and female, as well as officials, referees and former finalist Dave Whitcombe
Dave Whitcombe
Dave Whitcombe is an English professional darts player who won several major tournaments and reached two World Championship Finals. He had a long professional career between 1980 and 1992.-Biography:...
who had come to the event solely for Shaun.
During the 2010 World Championship, Shaun was interviewed having seen his cancer go into remission, and confirmed that he had won four qualifying matches in his pursuit of the tournament that year before being defeated.
World Championship Results
- 2001: 1st round (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...
0-3) - 2003: 1st round (lost to Colin MonkColin MonkColin Monk is an English darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation events and formerly played in British Darts Organisation events. He is turning full time professional in January 2010....
0-3) - 2004: 1st round (lost to James WadeJames WadeJames 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...
1-3) - 2005: 1st round (lost to Mike VeitchMike VeitchMichael "Mike" Veitch is a Scottish darts player who competes in events staged by the British Darts Organisation.-Playing career:...
2-3) - 2006: Semi-Final (lost to Jelle KlaasenJelle KlaasenJelle Klaasen is a Dutch professional darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation and is the youngest darts player to win the World Darts Championship. His nickname is The Matador. He lives in Breda, North Brabant, Netherlands...
3-6) - 2007: 2nd round (lost to Tony EcclesTony EcclesTony Eccles is a Winmau sponsored darts player currently residing in Hartlepool. He uses the nickname The Viper.-BDO career:...
0-4) - 2008: 1st round (lost to Martin PhillipsMartin Phillips (darts player)Martin Phillips is a Welsh darts player who competes in the British Darts Organisation and is currently the captain of Wales.-1988 to 1994:...
1-3) - 2009: 1st round (lost to John WaltonJohn Walton (darts player)John Michael Walton is an English darts player who is a former World Champion. He has adopted the nickname The Boy and uses the song Cotton Eye Joe by Rednex as his walk-on theme.-Darts career:...
0-3)