The festive season...
Mervyn King
Lives in: Bradwell, England
Born in: Ipswich, England
Nickname: The King
Darts: 22 g Mervyn King
Walk-on Music: King of Kings (Motörhead)
Mervyn King started to play darts when he was 12 years old after his father had bestowed him an old paper board with plastic partitions. His father insisted to hang it up in the right hight from the start and King had to play as well from an ocheline in the right distance to the board. King's father always had a big impact in King's career and his dead in 2010 left King devastated.
When King was thirteen he already decided to be a darts pro and he played in the local league where he defeated good grown up players. With 14 he won the League final in front of a crowd of over 1500. In the same year he threw his first nine-darter in a practice match against his father. It took him till he was 28 to join the BDO Pro Circuit and reach the Last 32 of the World Masters. 1996 King won his first BDO tournament - the French Open. More titles followed one year later und King qualified for his first BDO World Championship and reached the semi-finals. 2000 he stood in the final of the World Masters and 2002 in the final of the BDO World Championship but lost both. In 2004 he reached the both finals a second time, lost in the BDO World Championship again but won the World Masters - his biggest seccess in the BDO/WDF system. All in all King took part eleven times in the BDO World Championship but never managed to win it.
Already during the BDO World Championship 2007 there were rumours King intended to switch to the PDC which he countered with the assertion "rather would I give up playing darts then switch to the PDC". He even signed a contract with the BDO after he had reached the semi-finals that he would be back in the BDO World Championship 2008, a contract the BDO let sign all players reaching the semi-finals that year to hinder more and more players to leave the BDO for the PDC. Nevertheless King announced in February 2007 his switch to the PDC and the BDO threated to take juristic acts...But nothing happened and King did with what he had justified his step - he advanced his career in the PDC...
In February he gave his PDC debut in the by me already mentioned UK Open qualifiers in London where I did see him play live for the first time. King had quite a good first year in the PDC and qualified for the World Matchplay where he reached the quarterfinals. He as well qualified for the PDC World Championship but lost second round to Roland Scholten. Sixteen times King stood at the oche at the PDC World Championship, once he reached the semifinals - in 2009 - and lost to Phil Taylor. King won in his years in the PDC several Pro Tour Events, but not a single major event though he reached seven finals - the last one was the final of the Masters 2021 where he lost to Jonny Clayton. Several times King had to fight injuries, but he always returned and for many years was a dreaded opponent. But good performances got more and more rare and he slid down the rankings. He couldn't qualify for the PDC World Championship 2023/24 nor for 2024/25 and will lose his Tour Card end 2024.
King was a controversial player throughout his career, he blamed air condition to interfere with his throw, once the oche was measured wrong, often enough the board was hung slanted, sometimes the lighting was too bad. Michael van Gerwen celebrated too loud, his opponents trespassed the oche line or crossed the exclusion zone while he was throwing. King didn't make friends by this - especially as most of his allegations turned out to be unfounded. His behaviour against James Wade in the Premier League final 2009 was fined by the DRA.
King for many years is befriended with Peter Wright and they often practice together. King is known for taking pratice very serious and for practicing long hours. When he takes part in a tournament he always is among the first to arrive at the venue to be able to prepare as good as possible. Less known it ist hat King worked as a roundsman for amazone during the Covid 19 Pandemic...
King is a keen golfer and he has a passion for fast cars - he had a chance to become a race driver when he was young but decided for darts instead. So he probably will be able to keep himself busy even should he now turn his back on darts.