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Martin Adams

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Martin Adams
Personal information
NicknameWolfie
Born
Home townDeeping St James, Lincolnshire
Darts information
Playing darts since1981
DartsEngraved 22 Gram Datadart M3
LateralityRight-handed
Walk-on music"Hungry Like the Wolf" (Duran Duran)
Organisation (see split in darts)
BDO1982 to present
PDCn/a
Current world ranking2 (WDF)
3 (BDO)
WDF major events – best performances
World Ch'shipWinner 2007, 2010
World MastersWinner 2008, 2009, 2010
World TrophyFinalist 2004, 2006
Int. Darts LeagueQuarter Finalist 2006
PDC premier events – best performances
World MatchplaySemi Final 2001
World Grand PrixQuarter Final 2001
Other tournament wins
TournamentYears
WDF World Cup Singles

Europe Cup Singles
British Pentathlon
British Open
Jersey Open
Finland Open
Swiss Open
British Matchplay
European Grand Masters
Belgium Open
Portland Open
Scania Open
Primus Masters
German Gold Cup
Schiedam Open
Denmark Open
German Open
Antwerp Open
Granite City Open
Scottish Open

Dutch Open
1995, 2001

1996
1994, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004
1994, 2004
1995
1996, 2002
1996, 1999
1996
1996, 2000
1997, 1998
1999
1999
1999, 2000
2000, 2001, 2002
2000
2000
2001, 2007
2001
2005, 2007
2005

2010
Other achievements
WDF World Cup Champions Team 1995, 1999, 2001, 2003

World Cup Pairs Champion 1995, 2003
Europe Cup Team Champions 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000

Europe Cup Pairs Champion 1996, 2002, 2010
Updated on 7 December 2008.

Martin Adams (born 4 June 1956) is an English international darts player.[1] Nicknamed Wolfie, he is formerly BDO world ranked number one, two-time and reigning BDO World Champion and three-time and reigning World Masters champion. He represents Cambridgeshire at county darts level and has been captain of England since 1993/94 - the longest any individual player has held that role.

Darts career

Adams was born in Sutton, London and started his darts career in pubs. He still plays pub darts, currently playing for Rigby's in Market Deeping, Lincolnshire.[2] He turned professional in 1982.

Following the formation of the World Darts Council in 1993, all the players that left the British Darts Organisation were banned from playing county darts, leaving England searching for a new team and a new captain. Adams took over the role in 1993 and has remained captain since, becoming the longest reigning England captain ever.

Adams has won many BDO Open events and twice won the WDF World Cup singles, but often missed out on winning the biggest tournaments. He was sometimes the victim of great comebacks and also great collapses himself when he found himself in winning positions. In particular, his 5–4 defeat to Chris Mason in the 1999 World Championship quarter-finals, having led 4–1 and seen nine match-darts pass him by in the match, is always mentioned among the greatest matches in the history of the event.

In the Grand Slam BDO events, other than the World Championship, Adams was runner-up on three occasions. He was beaten 6-4 in the 2004 Bavaria World Darts Trophy final by Raymond van Barneveld and lost the 2006 Bavaria World Darts Trophy final to Phil Taylor 7-2. He also lost to 17-year-old Dutch youngster Michael van Gerwen 7–5 in the 2006 Winmau World Masters final, having led 5-2.

Having made his Lakeside debut in 1994 at the age of 37, Adams failed to progress beyond the semi finals of the World Championship until 2005 when he reached the final at the 12th attempt. He beat Davy Richardson 3-2, John Henderson 3-2, Ted Hankey 5-3 and Simon Whitlock 5-0 before losing 6-2 against van Barneveld in the final.

Adams reached his second world final in 2007. He was number one seed for the second time in his career and put out Tony O'Shea, Co Stompé, Ted Hankey and Mervyn King in his run to the final where he faced qualifier Phill Nixon. The two oldest players in the tournament (they were both 50 years old) reached the final. Adams stormed into a 6-0 lead, before Nixon produced an incredible comeback to level the match. Just when it looked like Adams was heading for another dramatic defeat, he went off the stage to compose himself. When he did that he finally justified why he'd started as strong favourite when he won all three legs in the final set to win through 7–6 and finally claim the world title that he said he had been chasing for 14 years.

In the draw for the 2008 BDO World Championships, Adams was again paired with Nixon in the first round. In the match, Adams beat Nixon 3–0. After the game, Adams was clearly emotional in an interview following his victory, citing the memories of the 2007 final as the reason (the first time he had won comfortably).[3] In the second round he came up against Martin Phillips. It was easy pickings for Adams, who cruised to a 4–0 victory with Phillips paying the price for many missed doubles. In the quarter-finals he played a fiercely fought match against Masters champion Robert Thornton, whom he led at one time 4–2. Thornton fought back to make it 4-4 but Adams eventually took control of his visible nerves to win 5–4. Adams went on to lose in the semi-finals to number-one seed Mark Webster, who eventually won the tournament.

Adams defeated Scott Waites in the World Masters final of 2008 to record his first Masters victory and his second major (after the 2007 Worlds), in another epic 7–6 encounter. A month later, at the 2009 World Championship, he reached the semifinal for the fifth successive year, where he was narrowly defeated by eventual champion Ted Hankey. Later that year, he won his second successive Masters title, once again by a 7-6 scoreline in the final, over Robbie Green after Green led by 6–3 and had a dart for the title. This win made Adams the first man to retain the Masters title since Bob Anderson in 1988. Adams joined Eric Bristow, Richie Burnett, Bob Anderson and John Walton as the fifth player to win them in the same season.[4]

In the 2010 World Championship he beat a visibly nervous Anthony Fleet in the first round without losing a leg, followed by further comfortable victories over Daryl Gurney and Garry Thompson. In the semi-final he let a 5-1 lead slip over Welshman Martin Phillips before finally winning 6-4. He then defeated unseeded Dave Chisnall 7–5 in the final to win a second World Championship in a rematch of their first round match a year earlier. In February 2010 he won the Dutch Open title for the first time in his long career. The England captain triumphed 3–1 over international team-mate Scott Waites in the men's singles final in Veldhoven.[5]

Stance on the PDC

After the 1997 Tomlin Order, some BDO players took the opportunity to play in some PDC events and Adams competed in the 2000 and 2001 World Matchplays and the World Grand Prix and reached one semi-final and a quarter-final, but when eligibilty rules changed he was unable to compete as a BDO player.

When the Grand Slam of Darts began in 2007, Adams turned down the invitation to compete in the PDC event and continued to decline the offer to compete in subsequent years. The PDC's Board of Directors ruled that Adams will no longer be eligible for invitations into the tournament in future.[6] Adams brushed off their decision, saying that it would simply save him the time in having to refuse them.[7] Despite this, commentators at the 2009 Grand Slam of Darts confirmed that they had once again unsuccessfully invited him to that year's event.

Outside darts

Adams lives in Deeping St James, near Market Deeping, Lincolnshire with his wife Sharon who is a swimming instructor.[8] They met at her 18th birthday party when Martin was helping his brother who was the disc jockey and got married the following year in 1979.[9] They have two sons – Warren, 42 and Darren, 40.[10]

Professional record

BDO World Championship record

Year Seed Reached Opponent Score Notes
1994 unseeded Quarter Final Magnus Caris 2-4
1995 4 Semi Final Raymond van Barneveld 4-5
1996 3 Quarter Final Steve Beaton 1-4 Beaton was eventual winner
1997 1 1st Round Roger Carter 1-3
1998 4 1st Round Robbie Widdows 2-3
1999 3 Quarter Final Chris Mason 4-5
2000 6 1st Round Steve Coote 2-3
2001 unseeded 2nd Round Ronnie Baxter 1-3
2002 2 Semi Final Tony David 4-5 David was eventual winner
2003 4 2nd Round Bob Taylor 1-3
2004 6 1st Round Richie Davies 2-3
2005 7 Final Raymond van Barneveld 2-6 Runner Up
2006 2 Semi Final Raymond van Barneveld 2-6
2007 1 Won Phill Nixon 7-6 Winner
2008 4 Semi Final Mark Webster 4-6 Webster was eventual winner
2009 3 Semi Final Ted Hankey 4-6 Hankey was eventual winner
2010 3 Won Dave Chisnall 7-5 Winner

BDO Majors (5)

World Championship

Winner (2)

Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
2007 BDO World Darts Championship England Phill Nixon 7-6
2010 BDO World Darts Championship England Dave Chisnall 7-5

World Masters

Winner (3)

Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
2008 Winmau World Masters England Scott Waites 7-6
2009 Winmau World Masters England Robbie Green 7-6
2010 Winmau World Masters England Stuart Kellett 7-3

References

  1. ^ Lamont, Tom (4 January 2009). "How I got my body". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
  2. ^ The Publican - Home - What I love about pubs: Martin Adams
  3. ^ Jacob, Gary (7 January 2008). "Water gates open after Martin Adams swiftly topples Phil Nixon". The Times. London. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  4. ^ "Other Sport... - Darts - Darts results". BBC Sport. BBC. 12 October 2000. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
  5. ^ BBC - Martin Adams adds 2010 Dutch Open title to honours
  6. ^ PDC ruling
  7. ^ "Adams bites back at the other half". Peterborough Evening Telegraph. 12 February 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
  8. ^ Martin Adams wife Sharon is no darts WAG mirror.co.uk
  9. ^ Husband and wife team Martin and Sharon Adams excel at hitting the doubles but only Mrs Wolfie howls The Times
  10. ^ The Oche Team Sharon Adams thesun.co.uk

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