Kirk Shepherd facts for kids

Kirk Shepherd, born on October 5, 1986, is a former professional darts player from England. He played in tournaments organized by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). He is famous for being the runner-up in the 2008 PDC World Darts Championship. What made this special was that he was a huge underdog, with very low odds of winning.

Kirk Shepherd's Darts Career

Kirk Shepherd started his darts journey at a young age. He quickly showed great talent in the sport.

Early Success in Darts

Shepherd won the Winmau World Youth Masters in 2003. This was a big win for young players. He also became the British Teenage Singles Champion twice, in 2004 and 2006. The British Darts Organisation (BDO) recognized his skills. They voted him Young Player of the Year in both 2005 and 2006.

At just 18 years old, he reached the final of the BDO Gold Cup in 2005. In 2006, he made it to the quarter-finals of the England Open. Later that year, in November 2006, he decided to join the PDC. This meant he would compete in different tournaments.

Playing in the PDC

Kirk's first year in the PDC was a bit tough. He didn't have many big wins. He only reached the last 32 in a few smaller events. His world ranking was 142 by the end of 2007. This was just before the qualifying rounds for the 2008 World Championship.

The 2008 World Championship Surprise

Shepherd managed to qualify for the 2008 World Championship. He got in through a "last chance" qualifier. What happened next was a huge surprise to everyone. He caused many upsets in the tournament. He beat several top players, even when his scores were not always the highest.

• He beat Terry Jenkins in the first round.
• Then he defeated Mick McGowan and Barrie Bates.
• He also won against Peter Manley, who had been in the final three times before.

His opponents often missed chances to win against him. This allowed Kirk to keep going. In the semi-finals, he faced Wayne Mardle. Mardle was a favorite to win after beating Phil Taylor. But Kirk won 6–4, reaching the final!

On New Year's Day, he played against John Part in the final. Kirk lost 2–7. Even though he lost, it was an amazing achievement. He became the only player in PDC history to reach the final without scoring a very high average in any match. He earned £50,000 as the runner-up. Before this, his total career earnings were much lower, around £16,970. After this big success, his world ranking jumped to 22nd. He even quit his factory job.

After the Big Final

After his amazing run, Kirk found it hard to keep up that form. In 2008, he didn't qualify for some major events. He played in the 2008 Grand Slam but lost all his group games.

In the 2009 World Championship, he lost in the first round. However, in August 2009, he showed signs of his old form. He reached the quarter-finals in the US Open. In November 2009, he did well in the 2009 Grand Slam of Darts. He won two group games to reach the second round.

Kirk continued to play in various tournaments. In 2015, he competed in the PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour. He reached two finals in this tour. In 2017, he earned a "tour card" again. This allowed him to play in more professional events. He reached a quarter-final in one of these events.

He lost his tour card at the end of 2018. But he worked hard to get it back. In 2019, he won the final day of the Qualifying School. This meant he got his tour card back for two more seasons. He also secured a spot in the UK Open for two years. On February 14, 2021, he regained his tour card once more.

However, on January 5, 2022, Kirk Shepherd decided to give up his tour card. He did this because he was having problems with dartitis. This is a condition where a darts player struggles to release the dart properly.

Kirk Shepherd's Life Outside Darts

Kirk Shepherd has a family. He became a father to his first son, Callum, in early 2009. In June 2011, he had another son named Jack. His third son, Alfie, was born in February 2017.

Kirk is also skilled in martial arts. He holds a Second Dan black belt in karate. This is why he has two of his nicknames: "The Karate Kid" and "The Martial Dartist."

World Championship Results

Here are Kirk Shepherd's results in the PDC World Darts Championship:

• 2008: He was the Runner-up, losing to John Part (2–7).
• 2009: He lost in the 1st round to Jan van der Rassel (2–3).
• 2010: He reached the 3rd round, losing to Mark Webster (1–4).
• 2011: He lost in the 1st round to Wayne Jones (1–3).