Since the establishment of the WDC (later re-named the PDC) in 1992, darts has experienced a considerable surge in popularity. This trend has further accelerated in recent years, with more people than ever tuning in to Sky Sports’ coverage of premier events. A handful of memorable matches have significantly contributed to the realisation of such astronomical viewing figures, many of which were contested during the climactic stages of major tournaments.
However, the sport’s early pioneers were the first ones to successfully engage a mainstream audience, with the likes of Eric Bristow, John Lowe, and Jocky Wilson all playing an instrumental role in boosting darts’ credibility following its professionalisation just over five decades ago. At that stage, the BDO – a founding member of the still-active WDF – was the leading governing body of darts, and was accountable for securing broadcasting contracts.
In 1978, the inaugural BDO World Championships were shown on the BBC, with revered commentator Sid Waddell describing the action at Nottingham’s Heart of Midlands Club. From that maiden televised event until the aforementioned creation of the World Darts Council, a series of exhilarating contests helped to catapult darts into the public consciousness. Although the aforementioned creation of the PDC – which occurred when 16 ‘rebel’ players decided to target higher prize funds and superior broadcasting coverage – would pre-empt the slow but steady demise of the British Darts Organisation, the world’s first darts regulator provided a platform for some of the greatest individual battles in the sport’s history.
We’ve trawled through the archives – reviewing events from the BDO’s golden era and the subsequent reign of the PDC – to help us decide the three best darts matches of all time. Which of the following epic encounters features in your top three list?
Adrian Lewis v Phil Taylor (November 2013)
After Adrian Lewis edged past compatriot James Wade and Phil Taylor defeated Belgian ace Kim Huybrechts during the quarter-final stage of the 2013 Grand Slam of Darts, the two victors clashed in what turned out to be an iconic semi-final tie.
When Taylor hit consecutive treble 20’s with his first three darts of the contest, it seemed like something special was brewing. A further 31 maximums were thrown throughout the ensuing 25 legs – the most 180s ever hit in a PDC match – as two insanely-talented players produced their very best in front of a boisterous audience at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall.
The match swung one way then the other before Taylor built up an unassailable lead over his homegrown protégé, although neither competitor deserved to be eliminated. Lewis had racked up an eye-watering average of 110.99 points by the conclusion of the contest, breaking the record for the highest losing tally in PDC history.
The episode was strangely reminiscent of the pair’s meeting in the last four of the same event two years prior, when Taylor also got the better of the two-time world champion by a 16-9 scoreline. As was the case in 2011, the Power overcame a Scotsman – on this occasion Rob Thornton after previously beating Gary Anderson – to claim the Grand Slam of Darts title.
However, Lewis wouldn’t have to wait too long for his revenge. Less than three months later, the man affectionately nicknamed ‘Jackpot’ would thrash Taylor on the second night of the 2014 Premier League season in Bournemouth.
Michael van Gerwen v Raymond van Barneveld (December 2015)
Michael van Gerwen was at the peak of his powers in the lead-up to the 2016 World Championships, having emerged triumphant in no less than six premier PDC events throughout the preceding eleven months. By the time he faced Raymond van Barneveld in the last sixteen of darts’ showpiece competition, the Green Machine had pieced together a 25-match winning streak.
In stark contrast to his Dutch compatriot, Barney endured an underwhelming 2025, having fallen at the first hurdle in the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, European Championships, and Players Championship Finals. To further dampen his spirits heading into the Alexandra Palace clash, van Barneveld suffered a heartbreaking loss to ‘Mighty Mike’ in the Premier League play-off semi-final despite delivering a three-dart average of close to 106 points.
However, the underdog would spring a surprise. After the World Cup partners remained neck-and-neck throughout the opening exchanges, a crucial moment in the fifth set swung the momentum towards van Barneveld. With MvG having just hit a maximum to edge within touching distance of a finish in the deciding leg, his opponent pondered how quickly he could reach zero from a 304 starting point. As it turned out, the two-time UK Open winner needed just six darts to close out and save the set. After hitting a 180 with his first three arrows and landing double eleven to complete a glorious 124 combination, he celebrated alongside the delighted ‘Barney Army’
The final scoreline read 4-3 to van Barneveld following two further sets of nail-biting action, as the pre-tournament favourite crashed out in dramatic fashion.
Phil Taylor v Raymond van Barneveld (January 2007)
Having been crowned WDF world champion on four occasions throughout the formative stage of his career, Raymond van Barneveld opted to switch codes in February 2006. This decision was motivated by a desire to test himself against the very best in the business, such as legendary archer Phil ‘the Power’ Taylor.
When van Barneveld and Taylor clashed in the 2007 World Championship final just eleven months after the Dutchman’s migration to the PDC, many believed it was a meeting between the two most gifted darts players on the planet. While Taylor cruised through the earlier rounds to extend his extraordinary record of appearing in every single final following the tournament’s inception in 1994, van Barneveld almost suffered a premature exit at the hands of number one seed Colin Lloyd. However, after labouring past ‘Jaws’ in the second round, Barney recorded whitewash victories over compatriot Rico Vonck, qualifier Alan Tabern, and two-time World Matchplay quarter-finalist Andy Jenkins to ensure the showdown every darts fan craved became a reality.
In what is universally considered to be the greatest match in the sport’s history, the two finalists traded blows across 13 thrilling sets before a nerve-shredding sudden-death leg determined the champion.
Taylor surged into a 3-0 advantage before van Barneveld registered the first maximum checkout of the tournament to spark an early comeback, taking the next two sets in impressive fashion. The defending champion kept his nose in front until the start of the eighth set, when Barney’s miraculous powers of recovery once again came to the fore. After winning six out of the next seven legs to bring the scoreline level, the dynamic Dutchman clinched the eleventh set – having fought back from 2-0 down – to move ahead for the first time in the match. However, the Power would narrowly claim the next set to take the final to a decider, the third time this had occurred at a World Championships in the space of five years.
With no player able to establish a two-leg lead throughout the thirteenth set despite van Barneveld engineering three match dart opportunities, a sudden-death shootout was required. The debutant earned the right to throw first when his effort deflected off Taylor’s dart, who had struck 25 moments earlier, to land within the inner bull. After moving his score down to 40 following four solid visits to the oche, Barney held us nerve to hit double-top with the final dart of an extraordinary contest.
The result not only announced van Barneveld’s arrival as a serious title challenger on the PDC circuit, but also brought an abrupt end to Taylor’s staggering 21-match winning streak at the Circus Tavern. The Stoke-born hero was denied the chance to build up another run of consecutive victories in Purfleet, as the championships moved to the Alexandra Palace the following year.