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Kirk Shepherd
09 Sep 2009
KIRK joined the PDC circuit in 2006 having been a successful junior star, winning the World Youth Masters aged 17 and also two British Teenage Championships.
He made steady progress on the professional scene in the next 18 months, although a number of last 16 finishes would prove his best until November 2007, when he won through the World Championship qualifiers.
Shepherd - a black belt second dan in karate - showed all his fighting spirit to win five qualifying games, overcoming veteran John MaGowan 5-4 in his deciding match to win a place at Alexandra Palace.
A dream debut on the televised stage followed, as Shepherd, rated a 500/1 outsider going into the tournament, came from the brink of defeat to see off Terry Jenkins in round one.
He also defeated Mick McGowan and Barrie Bates to reach the quarter-finals, where he saw off Peter Manley 5-4 and then overcame Wayne Mardle 6-4 to reach the final.
Although John Part ended his dreams with a 7-2 victory in the final, the £50,000 prize money propelled Shepherd into the world's top 32.
He qualified for a UK Open debut during the first half of 2008, defeating Jan van der Rassel but then losing to Wayne Jones in the last 64.
His development continued with a place in the internet-streamed Championship League Darts and the Grand Slam of Darts, where he was a group stage loser.
However, a best-ever run on the PDC Pro Tour came in November, as he won through to the semi-finals of the John McEvoy Gold Dart Classic in Killarney, losing eventually to Terry Jenkins.
Van der Rassel took victory in the first round on Shepherd's return to Alexandra Palace at the 2009 World Championship, while he was a second round victim in the UK Open to Steve Brown.
The summer saw a return to form with two further quarter-finals, at the PDC US Open in Atlanta and then in a Players Championship in Austria.
He made steady progress on the professional scene in the next 18 months, although a number of last 16 finishes would prove his best until November 2007, when he won through the World Championship qualifiers.
Shepherd - a black belt second dan in karate - showed all his fighting spirit to win five qualifying games, overcoming veteran John MaGowan 5-4 in his deciding match to win a place at Alexandra Palace.
A dream debut on the televised stage followed, as Shepherd, rated a 500/1 outsider going into the tournament, came from the brink of defeat to see off Terry Jenkins in round one.
He also defeated Mick McGowan and Barrie Bates to reach the quarter-finals, where he saw off Peter Manley 5-4 and then overcame Wayne Mardle 6-4 to reach the final.
Although John Part ended his dreams with a 7-2 victory in the final, the £50,000 prize money propelled Shepherd into the world's top 32.
He qualified for a UK Open debut during the first half of 2008, defeating Jan van der Rassel but then losing to Wayne Jones in the last 64.
His development continued with a place in the internet-streamed Championship League Darts and the Grand Slam of Darts, where he was a group stage loser.
However, a best-ever run on the PDC Pro Tour came in November, as he won through to the semi-finals of the John McEvoy Gold Dart Classic in Killarney, losing eventually to Terry Jenkins.
Van der Rassel took victory in the first round on Shepherd's return to Alexandra Palace at the 2009 World Championship, while he was a second round victim in the UK Open to Steve Brown.
The summer saw a return to form with two further quarter-finals, at the PDC US Open in Atlanta and then in a Players Championship in Austria.
| Name: | Kirk Shepherd |
| Nickname: | The Karate Kid |
| DoB: | 5/10/1986 |
| Place of Birth: | Ramsgate |
| Home Town: | Birmingham |
| Darts Used: | 21g Unicorn Kirk Shepherd |
| Website: | Click here |
