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Ronnie Baxter
26 Oct 2011
RONNIE has been competing at the sport's highest level for two decades since emerging during the 1980s.
Consistently one of the leading players during the past ten years, Ronnie has suffered disappointment in two Embassy finals, as well as the 1998 World Matchplay final and 2002 Las Vegas Desert Classic showpiece.
Capable of beating the very best in the business on his day, Ronnie's quick-fire style earned him the nickname 'The Rocket'.
Originally from Lancashire, Ronnie found fame on the North American circuit during the mid-1980's before establishing himself on the UK scene.
Victories in events such as the British Matchplay, British Pentathlon and Opens in Wales, Germany, Denmark and Finland helped Ronnie to become the number one in the BDO and WDF rankings before he joined the PDC in 2002.
Ronnie followed up his 1998 World Matchplay success by reaching the semi-finals of the 2004 and 2005 events, and his rise up the World Rankings has earned him a place in the 2006 Premier League Darts.
There, he enjoyed a successful campaign but missed out on the play-offs on a dramatic final league night, with Colin Lloyd's victory in the last game seeing him deny Baxter.
The year continued with runs to the semi-finals of both the World Series of Darts and World Darts Trophy, and a further quarter-final at the World Matchplay.
Baxter did, though, suffer a first round loss in the 2007 World Championship, losing 3-2 to Adrian Gray, and early good form on the circuit was followed by a first-game defeat to Mark Dudbridge in the UK Open and failure to qualify for the Las Vegas Desert Classic.
He again reached the last eight in the World Matchplay, losing to Terry Jenkins, and won the Windy City Open before suffering a first round loss in the World Grand Prix to Andy Smith.
Dudbridge ended his 2008 World Championship hopes in round two, but a Players Championship win over Phil Taylor boosted Baxter's confidence and was followed by a quarter-final appearance in the US Open and a run to the last 16 at the UK Open.
Although he was runner-up in the Las Vegas Players Championship, Baxter lost out in the qualifiers for the Desert Classic again, but bounced back to reach the final of the Bobby Bourn Memorial Players Championship in Blackpool.
James Wade ended his World Matchplay hopes in round two, but he won the Welsh Players Championship and reached the quarter-finals of the first European Championship.
Another improved display in the World Championship saw Baxter lose narrowly to Raymond van Barneveld in the third round of the 2009 tournament, but would be the springboard for a surge back into the world's top ten.
He reached the semi-finals of the Players Championship finals in January 2009, losing to Taylor, and picked up five PDC Pro Tour quarter-finals before also making the last four in the UK Open.
Baxter then defeated Taylor to claim victory in the Las Vegas Players Championship, and bounced back from a Desert Classic exit to Jelle Klaasen to overcome the Dutchman and Wade on his way to another World Matchplay semi-final, where Jenkins proved too strong.
Consistently one of the leading players during the past ten years, Ronnie has suffered disappointment in two Embassy finals, as well as the 1998 World Matchplay final and 2002 Las Vegas Desert Classic showpiece.
Capable of beating the very best in the business on his day, Ronnie's quick-fire style earned him the nickname 'The Rocket'.
Originally from Lancashire, Ronnie found fame on the North American circuit during the mid-1980's before establishing himself on the UK scene.
Victories in events such as the British Matchplay, British Pentathlon and Opens in Wales, Germany, Denmark and Finland helped Ronnie to become the number one in the BDO and WDF rankings before he joined the PDC in 2002.
Ronnie followed up his 1998 World Matchplay success by reaching the semi-finals of the 2004 and 2005 events, and his rise up the World Rankings has earned him a place in the 2006 Premier League Darts.
There, he enjoyed a successful campaign but missed out on the play-offs on a dramatic final league night, with Colin Lloyd's victory in the last game seeing him deny Baxter.
The year continued with runs to the semi-finals of both the World Series of Darts and World Darts Trophy, and a further quarter-final at the World Matchplay.
Baxter did, though, suffer a first round loss in the 2007 World Championship, losing 3-2 to Adrian Gray, and early good form on the circuit was followed by a first-game defeat to Mark Dudbridge in the UK Open and failure to qualify for the Las Vegas Desert Classic.
He again reached the last eight in the World Matchplay, losing to Terry Jenkins, and won the Windy City Open before suffering a first round loss in the World Grand Prix to Andy Smith.
Dudbridge ended his 2008 World Championship hopes in round two, but a Players Championship win over Phil Taylor boosted Baxter's confidence and was followed by a quarter-final appearance in the US Open and a run to the last 16 at the UK Open.
Although he was runner-up in the Las Vegas Players Championship, Baxter lost out in the qualifiers for the Desert Classic again, but bounced back to reach the final of the Bobby Bourn Memorial Players Championship in Blackpool.
James Wade ended his World Matchplay hopes in round two, but he won the Welsh Players Championship and reached the quarter-finals of the first European Championship.
Another improved display in the World Championship saw Baxter lose narrowly to Raymond van Barneveld in the third round of the 2009 tournament, but would be the springboard for a surge back into the world's top ten.
He reached the semi-finals of the Players Championship finals in January 2009, losing to Taylor, and picked up five PDC Pro Tour quarter-finals before also making the last four in the UK Open.
Baxter then defeated Taylor to claim victory in the Las Vegas Players Championship, and bounced back from a Desert Classic exit to Jelle Klaasen to overcome the Dutchman and Wade on his way to another World Matchplay semi-final, where Jenkins proved too strong.
| Name: | Ronnie Baxter |
| Nickname: | The Rocket |
| Date of Birth: | 05/02/1961 |
| Place of Birth: | Blackpool |
| Current Home Town: | Blackpool |
| Darts Used: | 22g Nickel Tungsten |
| Height: | 6' 00" |
PDC Non-Televised Wins Since 2005:
Eastbourne Open 2005, 2006
Players Championship (Isle of Wight) 2005
Windy City Open 2007
Players Championship (Wales) 2008
Las Vegas Players Championship 2009
Players Championship (Barnsley) 2010
Players Championship (Germany) 2011
Players Championship (Canada) 2011
Nine-Dart Finishes in PDC Tournaments
Antwerp Open 1999
Las Vegas Desert Classic Qualifiers 2008
