Special features
Player Profiles
(1) Phil Taylor
| Date of birth | 13.08.60 |
| Home town | Stoke-on-Trent |
| Nickname | The Power |
| Major titles | World Championship (13 times), World Masters (once), World Matchplay (nine times), World Grand Prix (eight times), Grand Slam (twice), Premier League (four times), Las Vegas Desert Classic (four times), European Championship (once), UK Open (twice), US Open (three times) |
| World Championship best | Winner (13 times) |
| Walk-on music | The Power |
Since the second half of the Premier League, 'The Power' has been awesome (with the occasional glitch), winning no fewer than 18 tour titles this year.
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(2) Raymond van Barneveld
| Date of birth | 20.04.67 |
| Home town | Den Haag (Holland) |
| Nickname | Barney |
| Major titles | World Championship (five times), World Masters (twice), Las Vegas Desert Classic (once), UK Open (twice) |
| World Championship best | Winner (five times) |
| Walk-on music | Eye of the Tiger |
Van Barneveld arrived in the PDC in a blaze of glory and tournament wins, but he now rolls up at Alexandra Palace on the back of the most unproductive of his three seasons on the tour.
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(3) James Wade
| Date of birth | 06.04.83 |
| Home town | Aldershot |
| Nickname | The Machine |
| Major titles | World Matchplay (once), World Grand Prix (once), UK Open (once) |
| World Championship best | Quarter-Finals (2008) |
| Walk-on music | Two Tribes |
'The Machine' has emerged as the main challenger to Phil Taylor's dominance of darts.
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(4) John Part
| Date of birth | 29.06.66 |
| Home town | Oshawa (Canada) |
| Nickname | Darth Maple |
| Major titles | World Championship (three times), Las Vegas Desert Classic (once) |
| World Championship best | Winner (three times) |
| Walk-on music | The Imperial March |
The record books will always show that 2008 was the year 'Darth Maple' struck back and won a third World Championship, yet in terms of titles it was his most barren for nearly a decade.
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(5) Terry Jenkins
| Date of birth | 26.09.63 |
| Home town | Ledbury |
| Nickname | The Bull |
| Major titles | None |
| World Championship best | Quarter-Finals (2007) |
| Walk-on music | Wooly Bully |
After a first round loss to Kirk Shepherd last year, Jenkins went off the boil somewhat.
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(6) Adrian Lewis
| Date of birth | 21.01.85 |
| Home town | Stoke-on-Trent |
| Nickname | Jackpot |
| Major titles | None |
| World Championship best | Quarter-Finals (twice) |
| Walk-on music | Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag |
Perhaps the most naturally talented thrower in the game today, Lewis has long been touted by many as a future world champion, but he is still waiting to win his first major title.
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(7) Andy Hamilton
| Date of birth | 16.03.67 |
| Home town | Stoke-on-Trent |
| Nickname | The Hammer |
| Major titles | None |
| World Championship best | Semi-Finals (2007) |
| Walk-on music | Can't Touch This |
Hamilton is now the third of the Stokies in the upper echelons of the PDC rankings.
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(8) Wayne Mardle
| Date of birth | 10.05.73 |
| Home town | Romford |
| Nickname | Hawaii 501 |
| Major titles | None |
| World Championship best | Semi-Finals (five times) |
| Walk-on music | Theme from Hawaii 5-0 |
Last year's World Championship encapsulated perfectly the excitement and frustration that Mardle can cause in equal measure, with his brilliant win over Taylor still not giving him the title.
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(9) Alan Tabern
| Date of birth | 29.09.66 |
| Home town | St Helens |
| Nickname | The Saint |
| Major titles | None |
| World Championship best | Quarter-Finals (2007) |
| Walk-on music | The Saints Are Coming |
The highest-ranked of three newcomers into the elite seeds this year, Tabern is a real 'Steady Eddie'.
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(10) Colin Lloyd
| Date of birth | 07.08.73 |
| Home town | Chelmsford |
| Nickname | Jaws |
| Major titles | World Matchplay (once), World Grand Prix (once) |
| World Championship best | Semi-Finals (2002) |
| Walk-on music | Monster |
Former world number one Lloyd has finally found some upward momentum this season after a dramatic fall down the rankings.
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(11) Dennis Priestley
| Date of birth | 16.07.50 |
| Home town | Mexborough |
| Nickname | The Menace |
| Major titles | World Championship (twice), World Masters (once) |
| World Championship best | Winner (twice) |
| Walk-on music | Hell Raiser |
Priestley's trademark tenacity has seen him drop just one place in the rankings while battling prostate cancer.
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(12) Mervyn King
| Date of birth | 15.03.66 |
| Home town | Great Yarmouth |
| Nickname | The King |
| Major titles | World Masters (once) |
| World Championship best | Runner-up (twice) |
| Walk-on music | King of Kings - Motorhead |
Joining the PDC in February 2007, the 42-year-old was so impressive in his opening season on tour he was crowned Newcomer of the Year.
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(13) Peter Manley
| Date of birth | 07.03.62 |
| Home town | Carlisle |
| Nickname | One Dart |
| Major titles | Las Vegas Desert Classic (once) |
| World Championship best | Runner-up (three times) |
| Walk-on music | Amarillo |
Manley may well have won just shy of £100,000 in the last 12 months on the circuit, yet in ranking terms this has been a year to forget.
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(14) Colin Osborne
| Date of birth | 19.06.75 |
| Home town | Derby |
| Nickname | The Wizard |
| Major titles | None |
| World Championship best | Quarter-finals (2007) |
| Walk-on music | Unbelievable |
The third of the trio of newcomers in the top 16 in the Order of Merit, Osborne has consistently climbed the rankings since bursting onto the PDC scene in 2005.
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(15) Ronnie Baxter
| Date of birth | 02.05.61 |
| Home town | Blackpool |
| Nickname | Rocket |
| Major titles | None |
| World Championship best | Runner-up (twice) |
| Walk-on music | Don't Stop Me Now |
'The Rocket' and the PDC World Championship have been very unhappy bedfellows in recent years, a sad state of affairs given the Lancastrian's undoubted talent.
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(16) Roland Scholten
| Date of birth | 11.11.65 |
| Home town | Den Haag (Holland) |
| Nickname | Tripod |
| Major titles | UK Open (once) |
| World Championship best | Semi-finals (1998) |
| Walk-on music | Chelsea Dagger |
Scholten entered the 2007 PDC World Championship as the World No 4 but just 24 months later finds himself struggling for form and down in 16th in the Order of Merit.
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(17) Kevin Painter
| Date of birth | 12.07.67 |
| Home town | Daventry |
| Nickname | The Artist |
| Major titles | None |
| World Championship best | Runner-up 2004 |
| Walk-on music | I Predict A Riot - Kaiser Chiefs |
Kevin Painter is most well-known for being involved in one of the most epic World Championship finals ever.
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(18) Denis Ovens
| Date of birth | 01.07.57 |
| Home town | Enfield |
| Nickname | The Heat |
| Major titles | None |
| World Championship best | Quarter-finals 2005 |
| Walk-on music | The Heat Is On - Glenn Frey |
Another great floor player, Denis Ovens is one of the most consistent throwers on the circuit.
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(19) Vincent van der Voort
| Date of birth | 18.12.75 |
| Home town | Purmerend |
| Nickname | Greased Lightning |
| Major titles | None |
| World Championship best | Last 32 |
| Walk-on music | Greased Lightning |
Officially the fastest thrower on the circuit, blink and you might miss Vincent van der Voort.
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(20) Mark Dudbridge
| Date of birth | 11.1.73 |
| Home town | Bristol |
| Nickname | Flash |
| Major titles | World Masters (2002) |
| World Championship best | Final (2005) |
| Walk-on music | Flash Gordon - Queen |
A surprise finalist in 2005, Mark Dudbridge has not been the same since and is hoping to rediscover that kind of form this time around.
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(21) Mark Walsh
| Date of birth | 01.02.65 |
| Home town | Watford |
| Nickname | Walshie |
| Major titles | UK Open Runner-up 05 |
| World Championship best | Second round |
| Walk-on music | Rock N Roll Star |
Mark Walsh is just happy to be competing in a World Championship after suffering from the dreaded 'dartitis'.
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(22) Chris Mason
| Date of birth | 17.12.69 |
| Home town | Stoke-on-Trent |
| Nickname | Mace the Ace |
| Major titles | None |
| World Championship best | Quarter-finals 2003 |
| Walk-on music | Ace Of Spades - Motorhead |
If ever there was a controversial wild-child figure on the darts circuit, then the colourful and outspoken Chris Mason is the man.
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(23) Kirk Shepherd
| Date of birth | 05.10.86 |
| Home town | Ramsgate |
| Nickname | Karate Kid/Young Gun |
| Major titles | None |
| World Championship best | Runner-up (2008) |
| Walk-on music | 20th Century Boy - T-Rex |
Talented youngster Kirk Shepherd nearly produced the fairytale of all fairytales last year.
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(24) Andy Jenkins
| Date of birth | 11.03.71 |
| Home town | Portsmouth |
| Nickname | Rocky |
| Major titles | None |
| World Championship best | Semi-finals (2007) |
| Walk-on music | Rocky Film Theme |
'Rocky' has gone toe-to-toe with many of the big names in the PDC, and he will again be looking for the knockout blow.
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(25) Wayne Jones
| Date of birth | 24.4.65 |
| Home town | Wolverhampton |
| Nickname | Woody |
| Major titles | None |
| World Championship best | Semi-final |
| Walk-on music | Enter Sandman - Metallica |
'Woody' travels to Alexandra Palace hoping rather than expecting to pose any sort of challenge.
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(26) Andy Smith
| Date of birth | 22.06.67 |
| Home town | Studley |
| Nickname | Pie Man |
| Major titles | None |
| World Championship best | Last 16 2006 |
| Walk-on music | N/A |
The likeable Andy Smith is one of the most charismatic players on the PDC circuit, with an infectious laugh and unquenchable appetite.
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(27) Adrian Gray
| Date of birth | 28.2.81 |
| Home town | St Leonards |
| Nickname | The Conqueror |
| Major titles | None |
| World Championship best | Last 32 |
| Walk-on music | Bomfunk MCs - Freestyler |
They call him 'The Conqueror' but whether or not Adrian Gray will rule Alexandra Palace is very much up for debate.
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(28) Alex Roy
| Date of birth | 04.09.74 |
| Home town | Watford |
| Nickname | Ace Of Herts |
| Major titles | None |
| World Championship best | Last 16 |
| Walk-on music | Let Me Entertain You - Robbie Williams |
Alex Roy has been a member of the PDC since 1998 and is a regular at the World Championship despite not yet being full time.
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(29) Barrie Bates
| Date of birth | 17.10.69 |
| Home town | Belinog |
| Nickname | Batesy |
| Major titles | None |
| World Championship best | Last 16 |
| Walk-on music | House of fun - Madness |
Barrie Bates is one of the great characters of today's game and is well capable of causing an upset or two.
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(30) Tony Eccles
| Date of birth | 08.01.70 |
| Home town | Hartlepool |
| Nickname | The Viper |
| Major titles | None |
| World Championship best | Third round 2008 |
| Walk-on music | N/A |
Tony Eccles switched to the PDC after a successful BDO career in April 2007, and is now climbing up the rankings making steady progress.
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(31) Wes Newton
| Date of birth | 27.8.77 |
| Home town | Fleetwood |
| Nickname | Av it |
| Major titles | None |
| World Championship best | Last 32 |
| Walk-on music | Crazy Crazy Nights - Kiss |
Wes Newton heads into his fifth World Championship on the back of some encouraging form throughout the 2008 season.
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(32) Michael van Gerwen
| Date of birth | 25.04.89 |
| Home town | Boxtel, Netherlands |
| Nickname | Mighty Mike |
| Major titles | World Masters 2006 |
| World Championship best | First Round |
| Walk-on music | Tribal Dance - DJ Glenn B |
Mighty Mike is a Dutch darting starlet who could be one of the dominant forces of the sport in years to come.
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Loading Videos
Experts & Blogs
World at their feet?
If Phil Taylor doesn't win it then who will? Sid Waddell names some players to watch at Ally Pally.
Taylor made?
Sid Waddell starts the countdown to the World Championship by examining Phil Taylor's chances.
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