World Darts Championship nine-darter club: Watch every player to have produced the ‘perfect leg’ at the Alexandra Palace
A nine-dart finish is regularly described as the ‘perfect leg’, but which players are part of the elite club to have managed one during a World Darts Championship at the Alexandra Palace?
Tournament sponsors Paddy Power have launched ‘The Even Bigger 180 campaign’ for the 2025/26 contest, where every nine-dart leg will see a cash prize of £180,000 evenly split between the player who achieved it, Prostate Cancer UK and one lucky fan in the crowd.
John Lowe became the first player in history to hit a televised nine-darter, producing his against Keith Deller at the 1984 World Matchplay, before Paul Lim made one during the 1990 BDO World Championship.
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Ahead of the World Darts Championships, Mark Webster breaks down the ‘nine-darter’ and Michael Smith shows just how it’s done
The first televised nine-darter on the PDC didn’t come until the 2002 World Matchplay, when Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor delivered his magic leg against Chris Mason, although the first at the PDC World Darts Championship didn’t happen until Raymond van Barneveld managed it in 2009.
Van Barneveld’s came against Jelle Klaasen that year and – heading into this year’s showpiece, live from December 11 on Sky Sports Darts – is one of just 16 to be registered in the tournament’s history.
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Watch some of the most unforgettable moments from the World Darts Championship archives
The former world champion and Adrian Lewis are the only players to have made multiple nine-darters at the Alexandra Palace, but who else has done it? Take a closer look at all of those to have delivered the ‘perfect leg’ at the PDC World Darts Championship…
January 2009 – Raymond van Barneveld vs Jelle Klaasen
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Take a look back at when Raymond van Barneveld hit a sensational nine-darter against Jelle Klaasen.
December 2009 – Raymond van Barneveld vs Brendan Dolan
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Take a look back at when Raymond van Barneveld produced an unbelievable nine-darter against Brendan Dolan.
January 2011 – Adrian Lewis vs Gary Anderson
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Take a look back at when Adrian Lewis nailed a nine-darter in 2011 Worlds final against Gary Anderson.
December 2012 – Dean Winstanley vs Vincent van der Voort
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Take a look back at when When Dean Winstanley whipped up a frenzy with classy nine-darter against Vincent van der Voort.
December 2012 – Michael van Gerwen vs James Wade
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Take a look back at when Michael van Gerwen hit unreal nine-darter against James Wade en route to 2013 World Championship final.
December 2013 – Terry Jenkins vs Per Laursen
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Take a look back at when Terry Jenkins unleashed superb nine-darter against Per Laursen back in 2014.
December 2013 – Kyle Anderson vs Ian White
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Kyle Anderson produced a second nine-darter in the same day of play back in the 2014 World Championships against Ian White.
December 2014 – Adrian Lewis vs Raymond van Barneveld
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Take a look back at when Adrian Lewis pulled off fantastic nine-darter against Raymond van Barneveld during the 2015 World Darts Championship.
January 2016 – Gary Anderson vs Jelle Klaasen
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Take a look back at when Gary Anderson hit a phenomenal nine-darter during his 2016 World Darts Championship semi-final against Jelle Klaasen.
December 2020 – James Wade vs Stephen Bunting
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Watch as James Wade hit a nine-darter in his match with Stephen Bunting at the World Darts Championship
December 2021 – William Borland vs Bradley Brooks
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Remember when William Borland stunned Bradley Brooks in the first round of the World Darts Championship with a nine-darter in a last-leg shoot-out
December 2021 – Darius Labanauskas vs Mike De Decker
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Darius Labanauskas hit a nine-darter in the 2022 World Darts Championship
January 2022 – Gerwyn Price vs Michael Smith
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Gerwyn Price gave the Ally Pally crowd something to celebrate, hitting a nine-darter at the 2022 World Darts Championship
January 2023 – Michael Smith vs Michael van Gerwen
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Watch how, in 2023, Wayne Mardle and Stuart Pyke reacted to the sensational leg between Michael van Gerwen and Michael Smith in the World Championship Final that culminated in a nine-darter for Bully Boy
December 2024 – Christian Kist vs Madars Razma
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Christian Kist takes the first perfect leg of darts to take the first set in his first round game against Madars Razma
December 2024 – Damon Heta vs Luke Woodhouse
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Another look at how the Alexandra Palace crowd went wild for Damon Heta’s nine-darter at the World Darts Championship.
What is a nine-darter?
A nine-darter is considered the perfect leg of darts, with nine being the minimum number of darts needed to reach a target of 501 points.
The most frequent way to achieve this is a player hitting treble 20 with each of their first six darts, leaving 141, before checking out with a treble 20, treble 19, double 12 combination or by hitting treble 20, treble 15, double 18.
A 141 checkout can also be achieved by hitting treble 19, treble 16 and double 18 or treble 17, treble 18 and double 18, while there are plenty of other finishes – including 144, 164 and 167 – to complete a ‘perfect leg’.
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch every match exclusively live from December 11 to January 3 on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel (Sky channel 407 from December 10). Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.
