Four Amazing Darts Upsets

Everyone has probably played darts at one time or another. It is a competitive sport that is also a casual social activity that has become super popular in bars. It is often called a traditional pub game and is one that enjoys massive establishment in the British Isles, which is why most top pro dart competitors hail from this part of the world.

Something that most people are unaware of is that in 1908, this sport, which has been around in the UK since the Middle Ages, got allowed at pubs, as it was at the start of the 20th century that it got deemed a game of skill and not of chance. That much should have been obvious from the get-go, we think. It was devised as an indoor version of archery, and at the start of the 1900s, the sport began to attain the form we know it in today. Meaning its darts, boards, and rules began to get standardized. According to some, the numbered point system in play was devised originally in 1896 by Brian Gamlin, a Lancashire carpenter. The common board used today is referred to as the Traditional Yorkshire one, and it has twenty number sections, scoring between one and twenty points.

The Professional Darts Corporation is the premier UK darts organization, holding multiple high-end competitions, and the World Darts Federation is this sport’s governing body and tournament organizer.

So, after providing this quick summation of darts, let us get to what many consider the four upsets in the sport, wins that have astonished those into it, and have left a lasting impression.

Andy Callaby – 2004 World Grand Prix

In 2004, at Dublin’s World Grand Prix, one of the most jaw-dropping upsets in darts history happened, as unheralded debutant Andy Callaby defeated Phil Taylor, a legend of the sport, in the opening round of this competition. Taylor, who had won five of the previous six editions of the double-in, double-out tournament, considered by many a legend, got expected to cruise past Callaby, a walk-in-the-park opponent according to pundits. Yet, Callaby had other plans in what many think is the most massive upset in World Grand Prix history, as he pulled off a stunning 2-0 victory.

Dubbed The Power, Taylor entered the 2004 World Grand Prix as the overwhelming favorite. Callaby, was a relative unknown, making his televised debut on one of the sport’s biggest stages. Hence, many thought the stage itself would put added pressure on the underdog, whose fairytale run, consisting also of a win over Dennis Priestley in the second round, ended in the quarter-finals at the hands of eventual champion Alan Warriner. Still, Callaby already etched his name into history with his remarkable win in what we would probably put as a fifty-to-one stunner.

Fallon Sherrock – 2020 World Championship

Fallon Sherrock is now one of the more well-known competitors in the darts world, famous for her nickname “The Queen of the Palace.” This Buckinghamshire native began playing darts when she was seventeen in 2011 and attained the title “Girls World Masters” champion a year later. She appeared at the BDO World Championship in 2014 and reached the final of the ladies side of the event the following year.

In 2019, Sherrock became the first female to beat a male at the PDC World Championship. She bested Ted Evetts, who would become the PDC World Youth Champion two years after and then took care of Mensur Suljovic, the 11th seed, in the next round before losing to Chris Dobey, the 22nd seed, in the third.

Until her Evetts win, no one had ever won a match against a man at the World Championship, with bookies giving her ten-to-one odds of pulling off this feat, which she did to a stunned auditorium. Sherrock beating Suljovic got listed at eight-to-one odds at many sites, and she built on her amazing December 2019 showing in 2021 by reaching the final of the Nordic Darts Masters.

Aden Kirk – 2014 UK Open

We hate to put Phil Taylor as a loser again in this article, as the man is thought of as being the most excellent darts player of all time, which is why when he has lost to people not at his level, it is such a big deal. Taylor has claimed eight World Championships in a row, from 1995 to 2002, and while in 2014 he was well past his prime, few expected him to lose against a factory worker named Aden Kirk, a twenty-two-year-old pulled from obscurity.

Kirk not only shocked the global darts community but likely himself with his unexpected 9-7 victory over Taylor, the then UK Open champion, who many expected to go on another deep run and defend his title. Yet, the debutant showed incredible composure and later admitted that beating Taylor was a dream come true. However, it must be said that Phil had a bad start to 2014, and he lost four of his five PLD (Premier League Darts) contests that year, so he was not in top form. Still, nothing should get taken away from Kirk, who served up a true shocker to everyone.

Jim Williams – 2024 PDC World Championship

Peter Wright, known as Snakebite, is one of the most recognizable figures in darts ever, renowned for his Mohawk, which comes in different colors at different events. Without question, this Shropshire-born Scotsman is one of the legit stars of the sport, if there are any, as he not only has the charisma and look but also the skills to back them up, proven by his two PDC World titles earned in 2020 and 2022.

Hence, it is easy to understand why he was heavily favored against Jim Williams, a Welsh competitor with more than decent experience. So, this was not as massive of an upset as the others listed, but the stunning element here was the ease with which he beat Wright in the second round at Alexandra Palace, defeating him 3-0. Wright had dressed as the Grinch and painted his hair green for the event, and he looked as miserable as the Grinch when he got knocked off. There seemed to be no festive cheer in his body on this occasion..

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