Steve Beaton
Encyclopedia
Steve Beaton is an English professional darts
player for the Professional Darts Corporation
(PDC). He won the British Darts Organisation
(BDO) version of the World Professional Darts Championship
in 1996.
. Also he has been known as the Housewife's Choice for similar reasons regarding his appearance. His entrance music is Stayin Alive by The Bee Gees. Most recently, Beaton has taken part in a number of marathons in order to keep fit and raise money for charity and Beaton has been referred to as The Marathon Man as a result.
, and he also beat another former world champion in Bob Anderson
, before losing in the semi-final to Alan Warriner
. He turned professional later in 1993 at a time after the split
, which saw the WDC
players banned from all BDO
tournaments - and Beaton went on to win the prestigious Winmau World Masters
, beating Les Wallace
in the final.
After the WDC (now PDC) players were expelled from all BDO tournaments in April 1993, it left Beaton as the top seeded player for the 1994 and 1995 BDO world championships, but he lost in the first round both times, to Nick Gedney
and Dave Askew
respectively, both times losing 2-3 after leading 2-0. This left some to wonder if Beaton had begun to rest on his laurels. But in 1996, he finally delivered at the BDO world championships, beating Co Stompé
, John Part
, Martin Adams
, Andy Fordham
and then Richie Burnett
in the final to clinch the BDO World Championship.
When he defended his world title in 1997, Beaton was within the width of the Double 10 wire of reaching the final, but he lost to Marshall James
in a tight semi final match.
Beaton won many Open titles during his career in BDO tournaments including the Dutch, Danish, Belgian and Swedish Opens.
Beaton continued to play in the BDO version of the World Championship until 2001 (reaching the semi-final in 1997 and quarter-final in 1998) before switching to the Professional Darts Corporation
in 2002.
but always maintained a position in the top 32. Beaton recently qualified for the 2009 World Championships, but lost 0-3 to Alan Tabern
in the first round.
On a more positive note, Beaton reached the semi finals in three major PDC tournaments, the 2001 World Matchplay when he lost to Burnett, the 2004 UK Open when he lost to Roland Scholten
, and the 2004 World Grand Prix when he lost to Warriner.
Steve has seen a rise in form in the 2009 season taking him even further up the rankings to 19th in the world. Steve won his first title in almost nine years when he took the Players Championship in Nuland in October. He also finished runner up in the European championship beating the likes of Adrian Lewis
, Mark Walsh and James Wade
en route to the final where he was defeated 11-3 by Phil Taylor. This result however gave Steve a place in the 2009 Grand Slam of Darts
, where he progressed from the round robin stage courtesy of wins over Co Stompe
and Kevin McDine
before being comprehensibly outplayed by Simon Whitlock
.
At the 2010 Grand Slam Of Darts Beaton produced a major upset by beating three-time defending champion Phil Taylor 16-14 in the quarter-finals, having trailed 13-9 and 14-11. Earlier in the week Beaton had needed to defeat Paul Nicholson
5-3 or better at the round robin stage to stay in the tournament (he won 5-1), and followed that up with a 10-6 win over Ted Hankey
who had himself defeated Taylor in his group. Beaton was defeated by eventual champion Scott Waites
16-9 in the semi-final. Despite his good form in 2010 he was narrowly defeated in the first round of the 2011 PDC World Darts Championship
by Mark Hylton
eventually losing by 3 sets to 2.
, Leicestershire
, where he lives with his wife Nanette, whom he married in 1993. They have no children. Away from the oche, Beaton can often be seen at Baden-Baden, his favourite racecourse. Although an extremely gentle man by nature, his favourite film is Rambo: First Blood.
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...
(PDC). He won the British Darts Organisation
British Darts Organisation
The British Darts Organisation, or the BDO for short, is a darts organisation founded on 7 January 1973 by Olly Croft, OBE. The BDO is a founder member of the World Darts Federation which was formed in 1976....
(BDO) version of the World Professional Darts Championship
World Professional Darts Championship
The World Professional Darts Championship is one of the most important tournaments in the darts calendar. Originally held as an annual event between 1978 and 1993, players then broke off into two separate organisations after a controversial split in the game...
in 1996.
Stage persona
Beaton is currently introduced in the PDC as The Bronzed Adonis, a nickname derived from his tanned appearance. However, Beaton prefers to use the nickname Magnum-PI for his matches, in clear reference of his likeness to Tom SelleckTom Selleck
Thomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B....
. Also he has been known as the Housewife's Choice for similar reasons regarding his appearance. His entrance music is Stayin Alive by The Bee Gees. Most recently, Beaton has taken part in a number of marathons in order to keep fit and raise money for charity and Beaton has been referred to as The Marathon Man as a result.
BDO career
Beaton made his World Championship debut in 1992, at a time when the world darts championship was still a unified tournament. He lost in the first round to Chris Johns, but he was encouraged by his performance in the same tournament in 1993 when he achieved a huge upset win over the tournament favourite and former world champion, Dennis PriestleyDennis 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...
, and he also beat another former world champion in Bob Anderson
Bob Anderson (darts player)
Robert Charles "Bob" Anderson is a former world darts champion. He was ranked as world number one for over three years in the late 1980s. Nicknamed The Limestone Cowboy, he lives in Clevedon in Somerset.-Before Darts:Anderson threw his first darts maximum at the age of just five...
, before losing in the semi-final to Alan Warriner
Alan Warriner-Little
Alan Warriner-Little is an English professional darts player. He currently lives in Crosby, Cumbria and plays with the nickname The Iceman...
. He turned professional later in 1993 at a time after the split
Split in darts
The split in darts refers to an acrimonious dispute between top professional darts players and the game's governing body which began in 1992 and resulted in the formation of a new organisation to arrange tournaments - including a second version of the World Professional Darts Championship...
, which saw the WDC
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...
players banned from all BDO
British Darts Organisation
The British Darts Organisation, or the BDO for short, is a darts organisation founded on 7 January 1973 by Olly Croft, OBE. The BDO is a founder member of the World Darts Federation which was formed in 1976....
tournaments - and Beaton went on to win the prestigious 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...
, beating Les Wallace
Les Wallace
Les Wallace is a Scottish, former World Champion darts player. He currently lives in Midanbury Broadway, Southampton, England. He adopted the nickname McDanger - coming out for his matches dressed in a traditional kilt...
in the final.
After the WDC (now PDC) players were expelled from all BDO tournaments in April 1993, it left Beaton as the top seeded player for the 1994 and 1995 BDO world championships, but he lost in the first round both times, to Nick Gedney
Nick Gedney
Nick Gedney is a former English darts player who competed for the British Darts Organisation.Gedney was one of eight qualifiers who took part in the 1994 BDO World Darts Championship and caused a major shock in the first round, coming from two sets down to beat number one seed Steve Beaton 3-2,...
and Dave Askew
Dave Askew
Dave Askew is an English darts player who competes in the Professional Darts Corporation. Askew is a twice semi-finalist in the PDC World Championship, both in 2001 and 2002 and on both occasions losing to eventual winner Phil Taylor.- Overview :Askew began competing in major tournaments in the...
respectively, both times losing 2-3 after leading 2-0. This left some to wonder if Beaton had begun to rest on his laurels. But in 1996, he finally delivered at the BDO world championships, beating 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...
, 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...
, 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...
, Andy Fordham
Andy Fordham
Andy "The Viking" Fordham is an English darts player. He won the 2004 BDO World Darts Championship, beating Mervyn King in the final...
and then Richie Burnett
Richie Burnett
Richie Burnett is a Welsh darts player who was the 1995 Embassy World Darts Champion and currently plays in Professional Darts Corporation events. His nickname is The Prince of Wales.-BDO career:...
in the final to clinch the BDO World Championship.
When he defended his world title in 1997, Beaton was within the width of the Double 10 wire of reaching the final, but he lost to Marshall James
Marshall James
Marshall James is a professional darts player from Wales, whose only high-profile success in the game so far was being runner-up in the 1997 BDO World Championship, in his debut year at the championships. He is also known for his slow, deliberate throwing style....
in a tight semi final match.
Beaton won many Open titles during his career in BDO tournaments including the Dutch, Danish, Belgian and Swedish Opens.
Beaton continued to play in the BDO version of the World Championship until 2001 (reaching the semi-final in 1997 and quarter-final in 1998) before switching to 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...
in 2002.
PDC career
Beaton has never made the same impact in the PDC, having failed to reach the quarter-finals in any of his attempts at the world crown, his best finishes being two Round of 16 losses in 2002 and 2004. His poor form has seen him slip down the world rankingsDarts world rankings
Darts world rankings are a system which should determine a list of the best dart players in the world based on their performances in tournaments...
but always maintained a position in the top 32. Beaton recently qualified for the 2009 World Championships, but lost 0-3 to Alan Tabern
Alan Tabern
Alan Tabern is an English darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation, where he is also known as "The Saint" and "Tabby"...
in the first round.
On a more positive note, Beaton reached the semi finals in three major PDC tournaments, the 2001 World Matchplay when he lost to Burnett, the 2004 UK Open when he lost to Roland Scholten
Roland Scholten
Roland Scholten is a Dutch professional darts player who plays for the Professional Darts Corporation and formerly for the British Darts Organisation. He is nicknamed Tripod or The Flying Dutchman and uses Hey Ya by Outkast as his walk-on. He is currently ranked 45th in the PDC...
, and the 2004 World Grand Prix when he lost to Warriner.
Steve has seen a rise in form in the 2009 season taking him even further up the rankings to 19th in the world. Steve won his first title in almost nine years when he took the Players Championship in Nuland in October. He also finished runner up in the European championship beating the likes of Adrian Lewis
Adrian Lewis
Adrian Lewis is an English professional darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation who is the reigning PDC World Darts Champion...
, Mark Walsh and James Wade
James Wade
James Wade is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation . He became the youngest player ever to win a major PDC title at the World Matchplay in July 2007...
en route to the final where he was defeated 11-3 by Phil Taylor. This result however gave Steve a place in the 2009 Grand Slam of Darts
2009 Grand Slam of Darts
The 2009 Grand Slam of Darts was the third staging of the darts tournament, the Grand Slam of Darts organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. The event took place from 14–22 November 2009 at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall. Television coverage of the tournament was covered by ITV Sport, with...
, where he progressed from the round robin stage courtesy of wins over Co Stompe
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...
and Kevin McDine
Kevin McDine
Kevin McDine is an English darts player, currently residing in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire. He competes in Professional Darts Corporation events and SupaMc is currently ranked 37th on the PDC Order of Merit....
before being comprehensibly outplayed by Simon Whitlock
Simon Whitlock
Simon Whitlock is an Australian professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation tournaments, although he did have a spell playing in the rival organisation, the British Darts Organisation. He uses the nickname The Wizard for his matches...
.
At the 2010 Grand Slam Of Darts Beaton produced a major upset by beating three-time defending champion Phil Taylor 16-14 in the quarter-finals, having trailed 13-9 and 14-11. Earlier in the week Beaton had needed to defeat Paul Nicholson
Paul Nicholson (darts player)
Paul Nicholson is a British born darts player, who holds Australian nationality. He aims to project the image of the 'bad boy of darts'- 2008-2009 :...
5-3 or better at the round robin stage to stay in the tournament (he won 5-1), and followed that up with a 10-6 win over Ted Hankey
Ted Hankey
Edward "Ted" Hankey is an English darts player who is a two-time BDO World Professional Darts Champion. His nickname is The Count and his walk on music is Be On Your Way by DJ Zany. Hankey built up a large following due to his obsession with and resemblance to Dracula...
who had himself defeated Taylor in his group. Beaton was defeated by eventual champion Scott Waites
Scott Waites
Scott Waites is an English professional darts player who plays in tournaments organised by the British Darts Organisation.-Darts career:...
16-9 in the semi-final. Despite his good form in 2010 he was narrowly defeated in the first round of the 2011 PDC World Darts Championship
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...
by Mark Hylton
Mark Hylton (darts player)
Mark Hylton is an English darts player currently playing in Professional Darts Corporation events.Hylton has played darts for over 30 years. He has played super league for many years and earned over 80 caps for Staffordshire....
eventually losing by 3 sets to 2.
Personal life and interests
Beaton currently resides in Earl ShiltonEarl Shilton
Earl Shilton is a small town in Leicestershire, England, some from Hinckley and about 10 miles from Leicester, with a population of around 9,000 .-History:...
, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, where he lives with his wife Nanette, whom he married in 1993. They have no children. Away from the oche, Beaton can often be seen at Baden-Baden, his favourite racecourse. Although an extremely gentle man by nature, his favourite film is Rambo: First Blood.
World Championship record
- 1992 Last 32 lost to Chris JohnsChris Johns (darts player)Chris Johns is a former Welsh darts player. He played county darts for Glamorgan and played in the BDO World Darts Championship on five occasions, but will be best remembered as a controversial figure in an acrimonious split in the game between 1992 and 1994....
1-3 - 1993 Semi Finals lost to Alan WarrinerAlan Warriner-LittleAlan Warriner-Little is an English professional darts player. He currently lives in Crosby, Cumbria and plays with the nickname The Iceman...
2-5 - 1994 (BDO) Last 32 lost to Nick GedneyNick GedneyNick Gedney is a former English darts player who competed for the British Darts Organisation.Gedney was one of eight qualifiers who took part in the 1994 BDO World Darts Championship and caused a major shock in the first round, coming from two sets down to beat number one seed Steve Beaton 3-2,...
2-3 - 1995 (BDO) Last 32 lost to Dave AskewDave AskewDave Askew is an English darts player who competes in the Professional Darts Corporation. Askew is a twice semi-finalist in the PDC World Championship, both in 2001 and 2002 and on both occasions losing to eventual winner Phil Taylor.- Overview :Askew began competing in major tournaments in the...
2-3 - 1996 (BDO) CHAMPION beat Richie BurnettRichie BurnettRichie Burnett is a Welsh darts player who was the 1995 Embassy World Darts Champion and currently plays in Professional Darts Corporation events. His nickname is The Prince of Wales.-BDO career:...
6-3 - 1997 (BDO) Semi Finals lost to Marshall JamesMarshall JamesMarshall James is a professional darts player from Wales, whose only high-profile success in the game so far was being runner-up in the 1997 BDO World Championship, in his debut year at the championships. He is also known for his slow, deliberate throwing style....
4-5 - 1998 (BDO) Quarter Finals lost to Raymond van BarneveldRaymond van BarneveldRaymond 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...
0-5 - 1999 (BDO) Last 16 lost to Steve Duke 0-3
- 2000 (BDO) Last 16 lost to Andy FordhamAndy FordhamAndy "The Viking" Fordham is an English darts player. He won the 2004 BDO World Darts Championship, beating Mervyn King in the final...
0-3 - 2001 (BDO) Last 16 lost to Raymond van Barneveld 2-3
- 2002 (PDC) Last 16 lost to John PartJohn PartJohn 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...
0-6 - 2003 (PDC) Last 32 lost to Dave Askew 3-4
- 2004 (PDC) Last 16 lost to Mark DudbridgeMark DudbridgeMark 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...
1-4 - 2005 (PDC) Last 32 lost to Andy HamiltonAndy 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....
2-4 - 2006 (PDC) Last 64 lost to Jan van der RasselJan van der RasselJan van der Rassel is a Dutch darts player who competes in British Darts Organisation events. He uses the nickname The Project for his matches. His former nickname was Tweety Pie....
0-3 - 2007 (PDC) Last 32 lost to Terry JenkinsTerry JenkinsTerry Jenkins is an English professional darts player who is nicknamed The Bull, having previously used the nickname "Tucker" for his matches...
3-4 - 2008 (PDC) Last 32 lost to James WadeJames WadeJames Wade is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation . He became the youngest player ever to win a major PDC title at the World Matchplay in July 2007...
3-4 - 2009 (PDC) Last 64 lost to Alan TabernAlan TabernAlan Tabern is an English darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation, where he is also known as "The Saint" and "Tabby"...
0-3 - 2010 (PDC) Last 32 lost to Andy HamiltonAndy 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....
4-1 - 2011 (PDC) Last 64 lost to Mark HyltonMark Hylton (darts player)Mark Hylton is an English darts player currently playing in Professional Darts Corporation events.Hylton has played darts for over 30 years. He has played super league for many years and earned over 80 caps for Staffordshire....
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