Alan Tabern
Encyclopedia
Alan Tabern is an English
darts
player for the Professional Darts Corporation
, where he is also known as "The Saint" and "Tabby". Widely respected as a 'floor' player on the PDC Pro Tour
, his recent performances in televised events have pushed him to a career high ranking of 9 in the PDC Order of Merit
, although he has fallen down recently.
debut in 2005 with a surprising win over Alex Roy
. He was beaten in the second round by Mark Dudbridge
. Tabern reached the quarter finals of the 2007 PDC World Darts Championship
, where he was beaten 5-0 by eventual winner Raymond van Barneveld
. In the 2008 World Championship
, he defeated Denmark
's Per Laursen
and Andy Jenkins
before losing 4-3 in the third round to Phil Taylor, having led 3-2. Tabern caused a major shock in the 2008 Las Vegas Desert Classic
by beating No.2 Seed and reigning champion van Barneveld 8-4 in the 2nd round. In the 2008 World Matchplay
Tabern reached the quarter-finals, knocking out current World Champion John Part
before losing to Dennis Priestley
.
Following this great run of form Alan attracted a new sponsor in Target Darts http://www.target-darts.co.uk and has just spent 2 months developing his own set of darts that he used for the very first time at the 2008 World Matchplay. In August 2008 Alan claimed his second PDC Pro Tour
victory in the Peach Tree Open in Atlanta by defeating Andy Hamilton
3-1 in the final and the next month he claimed another Players Championship win in Wales
. This put him in the top 10 in the PDC Order of Merit for the first time in his career. Tabern played in the 2008 Grand Slam of Darts
, where he was involved in the first televised nine-dart shootout after he and Hamilton had finished level on points and leg difference in their group. Tabern lost 265-169 in it, with only one of his 9 darts hitting treble 20, with three others in either five or one beds, contrasting with Hamilton's four treble 20s from six darts.
Tabern suffered a second round exit in the 2009 PDC World Championship
, losing to Co Stompé
.
The following year
, Tabern suffered another second round defeat, this time losing 4-3 to Mark Dudbridge having missed six darts to win. Tabern once again missed six match darts in the second round of the 2011 tournament
against Mark Walsh.
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 for the Professional Darts Corporation
Professional Darts Corporation
The Professional Darts Corporation is a professional darts organization, established in the United Kingdom during 1992, when a group of leading professional players split from the British Darts Organisation to form what was initially called the World Darts Council...
, where he is also known as "The Saint" and "Tabby". Widely respected as a 'floor' player on the PDC Pro Tour
PDC Pro Tour
The PDC Pro Tour is a series of non-televised darts tournaments organised by the Professional Darts Corporation . They comprise Professional Dart Players Association Players Championships and UK Open Regional Finals.-Players Championships:...
, his recent performances in televised events have pushed him to a career high ranking of 9 in the PDC Order of Merit
PDC order of merit
The PDC Order of Merit is a world ranking system used by one of the darts organisations, the Professional Darts Corporation . Following the 2007 PDC World Darts Championship it superseded a world ranking system based on points being awarded for performances in ranking tournaments.-Previous world...
, although he has fallen down recently.
Darts career
A left-hander, he made his PDC WorldChampionshipPDC World Darts Championship
The PDC World Darts Championship is a world championship competition for the sport of darts, organised by the Professional Darts Corporation . It was introduced following a dispute in 1994 with the British Darts Organisation, which has run its own world championship since 1978...
debut in 2005 with a surprising win over Alex Roy
Alex Roy (darts player)
Alex Roy is a darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation events. He uses the nickname Ace of Herts for this matches and is with Dave Holland Management....
. He was beaten in the second round by Mark Dudbridge
Mark Dudbridge
Mark Daniel Dudbridge is an English professional darts player.-Darts career:He started playing in his very early teens, citing Dennis Priestley as one of his heroes...
. Tabern reached the quarter finals of the 2007 PDC World Darts Championship
2007 PDC World Darts Championship
The 2007 Ladbrokes.com PDC World Darts Championship was the 14th World Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it separated from the British Darts Organisation. The tournament began on Monday 18 December 2006 and the final was played on Monday 1 January 2007...
, where he was beaten 5-0 by eventual winner Raymond van Barneveld
Raymond van Barneveld
Raymond van Barneveld , nickname Barney is a professional darts player. He is a five time World Darts Champion, and two time UK Open Champion. From January to June 2008, he was the PDC world number one ranked player...
. In the 2008 World Championship
2008 PDC World Darts Championship
The 2008 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship, sponsored by Ladbrokes, was the 15th World Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it separated from the British Darts Organisation...
, he defeated Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
's Per Laursen
Per Laursen
Per Laursen is a Danish darts player. He reached the final of the WDF World Cup in 2005 and won the Welsh Open earlier that year - performances which enabled him to qualify for the BDO World Darts Championship for the first time in 2006....
and Andy Jenkins
Andy Jenkins
Andy Jenkins is an English darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation events. Jenkins had trials for Southampton Football Club while at school.-BDO career:...
before losing 4-3 in the third round to Phil Taylor, having led 3-2. Tabern caused a major shock in the 2008 Las Vegas Desert Classic
2008 Las Vegas Desert Classic
The 2008 Las Vegas Desert Classic was the seventh installment of the Las Vegas Desert Classic, a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. It was held in the evenings between June 30 and July 6....
by beating No.2 Seed and reigning champion van Barneveld 8-4 in the 2nd round. In the 2008 World Matchplay
2008 World Matchplay Darts
The 2008 Stan James World Matchplay was the 15th annual staging of the tournament by the Professional Darts Corporation. The tournament took place from Sunday July 20 to Saturday July 26. It was staged at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool...
Tabern reached the quarter-finals, knocking out current World Champion John Part
John Part
John Part is a Canadian professional darts player, who is nicknamed Darth Maple.Part is one of only five players in darts history to be a three time World Champion...
before losing to Dennis Priestley
Dennis Priestley
Dennis Priestley is an English professional darts player. He has won two world championships, and was the first player to win both the BDO and WDC world championships, in 1991 and 1994 respectively...
.
Following this great run of form Alan attracted a new sponsor in Target Darts http://www.target-darts.co.uk and has just spent 2 months developing his own set of darts that he used for the very first time at the 2008 World Matchplay. In August 2008 Alan claimed his second PDC Pro Tour
PDC Pro Tour
The PDC Pro Tour is a series of non-televised darts tournaments organised by the Professional Darts Corporation . They comprise Professional Dart Players Association Players Championships and UK Open Regional Finals.-Players Championships:...
victory in the Peach Tree Open in Atlanta by defeating Andy Hamilton
Andy Hamilton (darts player)
Andy Hamilton is a full time professional English darts player widely known for his "aggressive" style of play. He is nicknamed The Hammer and is currently ranked 12th on the PDC Order of Merit....
3-1 in the final and the next month he claimed another Players Championship win in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. This put him in the top 10 in the PDC Order of Merit for the first time in his career. Tabern played in the 2008 Grand Slam of Darts
2008 Grand Slam of Darts
The 2008 Grand Slam of Darts was the second staging of the darts tournament, the Grand Slam of Darts organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. The event took place from 15–23 November 2008 at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall...
, where he was involved in the first televised nine-dart shootout after he and Hamilton had finished level on points and leg difference in their group. Tabern lost 265-169 in it, with only one of his 9 darts hitting treble 20, with three others in either five or one beds, contrasting with Hamilton's four treble 20s from six darts.
Tabern suffered a second round exit in the 2009 PDC World Championship
2009 PDC World Darts Championship
The 2009 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship was the 16th World Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it separated from the British Darts Organisation....
, losing to Co Stompé
Co Stompé
Jacobus Wilhelm "Co" Stompé , is a Dutch professional darts player who currently plays in the Professional Darts Corporation. Stompé is nicknamed The Matchstick because of his almost bald head and very thin appearance making him look like a matchstick...
.
The following year
2010 PDC World Darts Championship
The 2010 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship was the 17th World Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it separated from the British Darts Organisation....
, Tabern suffered another second round defeat, this time losing 4-3 to Mark Dudbridge having missed six darts to win. Tabern once again missed six match darts in the second round of the 2011 tournament
2011 PDC World Darts Championship
The 2011 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship was the 18th World Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it separated from the British Darts Organisation.Phil Taylor was the defending champion, having won the 2010 tournament...
against Mark Walsh.