Graham Hunt
Encyclopedia
Graham Hunt is an Australia
n darts
player who won the 1997 Winmau World Masters
.
Hunt played in the 1997 BDO World Darts Championship, losing in the first round to Mervyn King. He then produced an amazing run just months later in the Winmau World Masters. He beat former Masters champion Erik Clarys
in the first round and then extracted revenge on Mervyn King in the second round. He then beat fellow countryman Peter Hinkley and Les Delderfield before beating Ronnie Baxter
in the final to clinch the title. At age 43, Hunt was also the oldest man to win the Masters title, until Martin Adams
won the title in 2008 aged 52.
Despite his Masters win, Hunt never managed to fulfill his potential. He didn't play in the World Championship or the Masters in 1998, but did win the Australian Masters. He did play in the 1999 World Championship though, beating Andy Jenkins
in the first round before losing to England
captain Adams in the second round. He returned a year later, losing in round one to 1996 World Champion Steve Beaton
. It was his last appearance at the Lakeside.
He finally returned to the World Masters in 2002, losing in the last 64 stage to Simon Whatley
. Since then he has played in Australia and New Zealand
as well as the WDF World Cup in 2005. His last appearance was at the 2006 Pacific Masters, losing at the last 16 before quietly disappearing from the sport.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n 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 who won the 1997 Winmau World Masters
Winmau World Masters
The Winmau World Masters is one of the longest running and most prestigious professional darts tournaments, which began in 1974 - even before the current World Professional Championship...
.
Hunt played in the 1997 BDO World Darts Championship, losing in the first round to Mervyn King. He then produced an amazing run just months later in the Winmau World Masters. He beat former Masters champion Erik Clarys
Erik Clarys
Erik Clarys is a Belgian former darts player. He competed for the British Darts Organisation and the Professional Darts Corporation. He is nicknamed "The Sheriff". Clarys was known for his unorthodox way of scoring and finishing which made him popular with fans.-BDO career:Clarys caused a major...
in the first round and then extracted revenge on Mervyn King in the second round. He then beat fellow countryman Peter Hinkley and Les Delderfield before beating Ronnie Baxter
Ronnie Baxter
Ronnie Baxter is an English darts player. He uses the nickname The Rocket for his matches. Baxter is known for his fast, robotic throwing action...
in the final to clinch the title. At age 43, Hunt was also the oldest man to win the Masters title, until Martin Adams
Martin Adams
Martin Adams is an English international darts player. Nicknamed Wolfie or Mr BDO, he is BDO world ranked number one, three-time and reigning BDO World Champion and three-time World Masters champion...
won the title in 2008 aged 52.
Despite his Masters win, Hunt never managed to fulfill his potential. He didn't play in the World Championship or the Masters in 1998, but did win the Australian Masters. He did play in the 1999 World Championship though, beating 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:...
in the first round before losing to England
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...
captain Adams in the second round. He returned a year later, losing in round one to 1996 World Champion Steve Beaton
Steve Beaton
Steve Beaton is an English professional darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation...
. It was his last appearance at the Lakeside.
He finally returned to the World Masters in 2002, losing in the last 64 stage to Simon Whatley
Simon Whatley
Simon Whatley is an English darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation. He began with a very good 2002 campaign, reaching the quarter-finals of the Las Vegas Desert Classic, beating Dennis Smith in the last 16, losing to Lee Palfreyman...
. Since then he has played in Australia and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
as well as the WDF World Cup in 2005. His last appearance was at the 2006 Pacific Masters, losing at the last 16 before quietly disappearing from the sport.