1997 WDC World Darts Championship

Red Band World Darts Championship
Tournament information
Dates 29 December 1996–5 January 1997
Venue Circus Tavern
Location Purfleet, Essex
Country England, United Kingdom
Organisation(s) PDC (WDC)
Format Sets
Final – best of 11
Prize fund £98,000
Winners share £45,000
High checkout 170 England Peter Evison (2x)
170 England Steve Raw
170 England Dennis Priestley
Champion(s)
England Phil Taylor
«1996 1998»

The 1997 Red Band World Darts Championship was held between 29 December 1996–5 January 1997 at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet, Essex. It was the fourth World Championship organised by the World Darts Council, which had acrimoniously split from the British Darts Organisation in 1992/93. As a result of an ongoing legal battle, this would be the last time that the WDC name would be used - an out-of-court settlement (Tomlin Order) in the summer of 1997 meant that the organisation had to change its name to the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).

Paul Lim, who famously hit a nine-dart finish at the 1990 Embassy Championship appeared at his first WDC World Championship - he had only managed to qualify once for the Embassy since the split, losing a second round match to John Part in 1994.

The Championship saw two tight semi-finals, the most memorable of which was the clash between mentor and protégé - Eric Bristow and Phil Taylor. Taylor emerged victorious 5-4 in sets to reach the final. Ironically, he managed to equal his mentor's feat of five World Championship titles when he beat Dennis Priestley in the final. They were now level as the most successful players of all-time.

Seeds

Prize money

The prize fund was £98,000.

Champion: £45,000
Runner-Up: £10,000
3rd Place: £1,000
Semi-Finalists (2): £4,000
Quarter-Finalists (4): £3,000
Group RU (8): £1,500
Group 3rd (8): £1,250

Results

1st Round - Group Stages

Knockout Stages

Quarter Finals Semi Finals Final
         
Group 1 Winner England Eric Bristow 83.39 5
Group 2 winner England Alan Warriner (6) 88.67 3
England Eric Bristow 89.62 4
2 England Phil Taylor 94.38 5
Group 3 winner England Keith Deller (7) 91.23 1
Group 4 winner England Phil Taylor (2) 98.51 5
2 England Phil Taylor 100.92 6
1 England Dennis Priestley 96.78 3
Group 5 winner England Peter Evison (4) 96.55 5
Group 6 winner Scotland Jamie Harvey (5) 86.54 3
4 England Peter Evison 92.46 4
1 England Dennis Priestley 97.28 5
Group 7 winner England Rod Harrington (8) 90.89 2
Group 8 winner England Dennis Priestley (1) 97.78 5

Third Place Match

Peter Evison beat Eric Bristow 4 - 2

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