Championship League Darts

Championship League Darts
Tournament information
Venue Crondon Park GC
Location Stock, Essex
Country England
Established 2008
Organisation(s) PDC
Format Legs
Prize fund £189,000 (2009)
Month(s) Played September/October
Current champion(s)
England Phil Taylor

Championship League Darts was a PDC darts tournament that used a league and legs format similar to the Premier League but offered the top players outside of the top 8 in the PDC Order of Merit a chance to compete for the championship. It was the first ever darts tournament to be solely broadcast on and funded by Internet distribution.[1]

The tournament was first announced on the official PDC website in mid-April under the name 'Championship of Darts'.[1] It takes place throughout September and October and features a field of 29 players. The inaugural championship – the 2008 Championship League Darts – was held at the Crondon Park Golf Club in Essex and featured a prize fund of £189,000 and a place in the Grand Slam of Darts for the winner.[2] Phil Taylor won the inaugural championship.[3]

The tournament retired in 2014. [4]

Internet coverage

As there are no spectators in the playing room, coverage is exclusive to the Internet. The choice to broadcast the tournament over the Internet has been partly inspired by the Championship League snooker event and is also a successor to the live streaming of certain matches from the Blue Square UK Open regional finals from the PDC Pro Tour. The streaming is aided by the company Perform, a digital sports agency.[1] Live streaming of every game is available on the several sports betting websites, and is available internationally except in the United States of America where, for legal reasons, the Championship cannot be shown.[2]

Final results

Year Champion Legs Runner-up Prize Fund Champion Runner-up
2008 England Phil Taylor 7–5 England Mervyn King £189,000 £10,000 £5,000
2009 England Colin Osborne 6–4 England Phil Taylor £189,000 £10,000 £5,000
2010 England James Wade 6–5 England Phil Taylor £189,000 £10,000 £5,000
2011 England Phil Taylor 6–1 Australia Paul Nicholson £189,000 £10,000 £5,000
2012 England Phil Taylor 6–4 Australia Simon Whitlock £176,750 £10,000 £5,000
2013 England Phil Taylor 6–3 Netherlands Michael van Gerwen £200,000 £10,000 £5,000

Finalists

Player Won Runner-up
England Phil Taylor42
England Colin Osborne10
England James Wade10
England Mervyn King01
Australia Paul Nicholson01
Australia Simon Whitlock01
Netherlands Michael van Gerwen01

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 PDC Website report – PDC Launch Championship of Darts from the Professional Darts Corporation, obtained 22-08-2008
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 PDC Website report – Championship League Darts Information & Groups from the Professional Darts Corporation, obtained 22-08-2008
  3. ↑ PDC website report – Taylor Wins Championship League Darts from the Professional Darts Corporation, obtained 28-10-2008
  4. ↑ - 2014 PDC calendar unveiled from the Professional Darts Corporation, obtained 13-11-2014

External links