Kirk Shepherd facts for kids

Kirk Shepherd (born October 5, 1986) is an English former professional darts player. He played in tournaments organized by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Kirk is most famous for his incredible journey in the 2008 PDC World Darts Championship. He started the tournament as a huge underdog, with very low odds of winning, but he surprised everyone by reaching the final!

Kirk Shepherd's Darts Career

Early Years and BDO Success

Kirk Shepherd started playing darts at a young age. He quickly showed great talent. In 2003, he won the Winmau World Youth Masters. He also became the British Teenage Singles Champion in both 2004 and 2006. Because of his strong performances, he was voted the British Darts Organisation (BDO) Young Player of the Year twice, in 2005 and 2006. When he was just 18, Kirk 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 switch from the BDO to join the PDC.

Joining the PDC and the Big Surprise of 2008

Kirk's first year in the PDC was a bit tough. He didn't have many big wins and his world ranking was quite low. However, everything changed at the 2008 PDC World Darts Championship. Kirk had to qualify for the tournament at the very last chance event.

Once he was in the main tournament, Kirk started to cause major upsets. He beat several top players, even when his average score was lower than theirs. He defeated players like Terry Jenkins, Mick McGowan, Barrie Bates, and even the three-time finalist Peter Manley. Each of these opponents missed chances to win against him, but Kirk kept going! In the semi-finals, he faced Wayne Mardle, who was a favorite to win the tournament. Kirk won that match 6–4.

This amazing run led him to the final on New Year's Day, where he played against John Part. Kirk lost the final 2–7. Even though he didn't win, reaching the final was a huge achievement. He became the only player in PDC history to reach the World Championship final without scoring an average of over 90 points per three darts in any round. Kirk earned £50,000 as the runner-up, which was much more than his previous career earnings. After this success, his world ranking jumped from 173rd to 22nd, and he was able to quit his job at a factory.

Life After the 2008 Final

After his incredible 2008 performance, Kirk found it hard to keep up that same level of play. He didn't qualify for some major tournaments like the Las Vegas Desert Classic. He did play in the 2008 Grand Slam of Darts in November 2008, but he lost all his group games.

In the 2009 PDC World Darts Championship, Kirk was ranked 23rd. However, he lost in the first round. In August 2009, he showed signs of his old form by reaching the quarter-finals of the US Open. He also did well in the 2009 Grand Slam of Darts, reaching the second round before losing to Kevin Painter.

Kirk continued to compete in various PDC events. He reached the quarter-finals of a Players Championship event in Wigan in 2010 and another in Derby in 2011. In 2015, he played on the PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour, which is for players who didn't win a Tour Card. He reached two finals on this tour, winning one of them.

In 2017, Kirk earned his Tour Card again, allowing him to play in more professional events. He had some good moments, like hitting a perfect 170 checkout against Simon Whitlock in a Euro Tour event. However, he struggled to win close matches and lost his Tour Card at the end of 2018. He went back to Qualifying School in 2019 and managed to win on the final day, getting his Tour Card back for the 2019–2020 seasons. This also guaranteed him a spot in the next two UK Open tournaments.

On February 14, 2021, Kirk regained his Tour Card once more by winning the first day of the 2021 PDC UK Qualifying School. However, on January 5, 2022, he decided to give up his Tour Card. He stopped playing professionally due to a condition called dartitis, which affects a player's ability to release the dart smoothly.

Personal Life

Kirk Shepherd is a father to three sons: Callum (born in 2009), Jack (born in 2011), and Alfie (born in 2017).

Beyond darts, Kirk is also a very skilled martial artist. He holds a Second Dan black belt in karate. This is where two of his famous nicknames come from: "The Karate Kid" and "The Martial Dartist"!

World Championship Results

PDC World Darts Championship

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

Career Finals

PDC Premier Event Finals: 1 (1 Runner-up)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score
Runner-up	1.	2008	World Darts Championship	John Part	2–7 (s)

Tournament Performance Timeline