12-Mervyn King

Last updated: 14th December 2011  

12-Mervyn King

King: tough times

Date of birth: 15.03.66
Home town: Ipswich
Nickname: The King
Major titles: World Masters (once)
World Championship best: Runner-up (twice)
Walk-on music: Bad

The last 15 months have been tough for Mervyn King both on and off the oche.

Since his father - who was regularly pictured at tournaments wearing his trademark gold crown - died in September 2010, King's form has dipped dramatically; an ongoing bout of tennis elbow has certainly not helped.

After exiting the World Championship in round two 12 months ago, King reached the semi-finals of January's Players' Championship final but then struggled badly in the majors, failing to get past the third round in the UK Open, Matchplay, European Championship and Grand Prix.

But while cortisone injections in both arms have helped - on bad days, King says he "can't even pick up a cup of coffee let alone hit double top" and he may yet need surgery - this year has been something of a slog.

That said, he has won a couple of tour titles - the most recent of those came in late October, just weeks before he exited the Grand Slam early.

Twice a beaten finalist in the World Championship at the Lakeside, King won the Winmau World Masters and International Darts League before switching to the PDC and is a man who seems born to play in front of the TV cameras.

Click Here for Your Free Bet