Andrew Gilding – professional darts player from England

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Andrew Gilding, an English professional darts player who competes in PDC competitions, was born on December 7, 1970. In 2011, he made his television debut. In 2023 at the UK Open, he won his first televised victory and made history by becoming the oldest man to win a major televised tournament in his maiden PDC final.

Beginning of Career

Gilding, a former butcher and factory worker, qualified for the 2011 UK Open at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton by playing at a local bar. He then made his television debut. Before falling 9-2 to Mark Hylton in the round of 32, he overcame Brendan Dolan, Matt Clark, and Andy Hamilton, earning himself £2,000 in the process.

The UK Open Qualifier 7 at the NIA Community Hall in Birmingham was Gilding’s greatest performance of the year. He beat Joe Cullen, Scott Rand, Mark Hylton, and Simon Whitlock on route there before falling to Kevin Painter 6-3 in the quarterfinals. He was ranked 73rd in the world going into 2013. Andrew G. placed 142nd on the Order of Merit, outside of the top 96 who secured their spots, and therefore was unable to qualify for the 2013 UK Open.

At the tenth Players Championship of the year in October, he made it to the semifinals for the first time in a PDC ranking event. Gilding defeated players like Dave Chisnall and Mark Webster, who won the 2008 BDO World Championship, before falling to five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld 6-2. Andrew G. was outside the top 64 dartboarder who were still on the tour at the end of the year, with the validity period of the card status, and he was rated 78th in the world. By defeating Jamie Bain 5-0 in his final match, he won his first match at Q School in an effort to reclaim his position.

World Matchplay debut

At the second UK Open Qualifier, Gilding defeated players like Raymond van Barneveld, James Wade, and Phil Taylor to get to the PDC final, where he would meet reigning BDO World Champion Stephen Bunting. Although the ending was exciting, he lost 6-5 but still earned £5,000 and qualified for the British Open. He joined the competition in the third round, had a bye due to Wes Newton’s withdrawal, and lost against Kevin Painter 9-4. Just one month later, at the first Players Championship in Barnsley, he made it to his second PDC final. He won over James Wade, Darren Webster, Michael Smith, Jelle Klaasen, and Jamie Caven before falling to Gary Anderson 6-5 despite a stellar 107.70 average.

Andrew G. made his World Matchplay debut in 2014 thanks to his Pro Tour results, where he was defeated 10-0 by Adrian Lewis. He also took part in the World Grand Prix for the first time, beating Darren Webster 2-0 (sets) in the opening round.. In the next lap, Gilding faced Phil Taylor, an 11-time tournament champion, took the first set but eventually lost 3-1. In the opening round of the Players Championship Finals, Mervyn King defeated him 6-3.

First World Championship

Andrew G. was the highest non-qualified player for the 2015 World Championship with earnings of £25,000 on the Pro Tour Order of Merit in 2014. He competed in the competition for the first time against Robert Thornton, losing the match 3-0 despite only being able to win two legs. Due to his successful year, he began 2015 ranked 38th in the world, an improvement of 40 places from the previous month. Gilding entered the UK Open in the third round, when he easily defeated Kevin Painter 9-0 after losing in the semifinals of the fourth qualifier. He continued to beat Jelle Klaasen (9-5) and James Wade (9-6) before making his first-ever appearance in the quarterfinals of a major competition. Gilding defeated Austria’s Mensur Suljovi 10-8 to go to the semifinals against world No. 1 Michael van Gerwen.

Andrew G. had the best game of his career so far, posting a 108.37 average with 10 180s and 10 darters, but a 10-8 loss ended his tournament, preventing him from advancing to the finals. With the £17,000 in prize money, he was able to surpass his annual objective and place in the top 32 on the Order of Merit.

Gilding defeated Mervyn King 10-8 after holding on from a 7-2 deficit to win his first match at the World Matchplay. Peter Wright beat him 13-7 in the next lap.

Andrew G. lost against Simon Whitlock in a 2-0 set in the opening round of the World Grand Prix, winning just one leg in the process.

Players Championship Final

Gilding lost to Adrian Lewis 4-0 after blanking Gerwyn Price 3-0 in the first round of the 2016 World Championship, only picking up two legs in the process. In the UK Open’s second circle, Ryan de Vreede defeated him 6-5. Entering the semifinals of the 10th Players Championship tournament, Gilding beat Jelle Klaasen 6-0, but also lost 6-0 to Dave Chisnall. He made it to the Finals where Vincent van der Voort defeated him 6-5.

World Championships 2017

In the first round of the 2017 World Championship, Gilding trailed John Henderson 2-0 in sets but fought back to tie the match at 2-2. Henderson threw one match dart at him in the decisive set, but he managed to survive, forcing a sudden-death leg. Gilding defeated a 75 finish to advance after winning the bull toss. In the second round against the defending champion Gary Anderson, he dropped all four sets by a score of three to one.

Loss of Tour Card

Gilding fell in the rankings as a result of missing out on the 2018 PDC World Darts Championship. He was seeded to advance to the second round of the 2018 UK Open, however, he was unable to defeat Tour newcomer Gabriel Clemens, losing every leg. Andrew G. had trouble with Players Championship tournaments during the year and was dropping out of the top 64.

In the PDC German Darts Championship, where he advanced to the second circle, and the PDC European Darts Trophy, where he lost in the opening round, he earned spots in two European Tour events.

He qualified for the 2018 Grand Slam of Darts in November. After losing to Gerwyn Price and Simon Whitlock, he came in last in his round-robin group. His lone victory came against Glen Durrant in the end game.

Gilding, who was the 43rd seed, qualified for the 2018 Players Championship Finals after failing to do so for the 2017 event. Once more, Gabriel Clemens eliminated him in the opening round. Andrew G. competed in two significant tournaments at the end of the year, but he was unable to advance to the 2019 PDC World Darts Championship since he dropped out of the top 64 and lost his Tour card.

European Tournaments

Gilding promptly enrolled in UK Q-school in an effort to regain his Tour card. On the third day, he advanced to the round of 16, but he lost the remaining three matches and was unable to keep his card. He had a strong start on the PDC Challenge Tour and rose quickly in the standings after reaching the quarterfinals and semifinals. He was given the opportunity to fill in for the first two PDPA Players Championship tournaments as a result. Gilding made an appearance there and finished the inaugural event in the round of 16.

Andrew G. took use of his opportunity to qualify for the European Tour and did so for three events:

1. the PDC German Darts Championship,
2. PDC Austrian Darts Open,
3. and the PDC Czech Open (where he finished in the bottom 16).

He participated in numerous PDPA Players Championship events during the year in addition to three European Tour competitions, but he was unable to advance above the top 64 on the PDC Order of Merit or the top two on the Challenge Tour.

Returning to the PDPA Players Championship

Gilding failed the UK Q-school for a second time; his best placement was last 32 on day two. In the second tournament of the PDC Challenge Tour, he played in the final, continuing his strong start. This offered him a second opportunity at the PDC Summer Series and the PDPA Players Championship.

Top-16 PDC Challenge Tour Rankings

Gilding’s third effort to reclaim the Tour card through the Q-school Order of Merit was successful. He finished in the Top 16 in the 2020 PDC Challenge Tour Order of Merit, earning an automatic entry, and finished in second place overall after posting consistent results over the course of all four days of the Final Stage. Gilding made an appearance in the UK Open for the first time since 2018, but she was knocked out in the third round.

Belgian Darts Open 2022

In the 2022 Belgian Darts Open final, Andrew Gilding lost against Dave Chisnall (6-8). For him, this signalled a significant shift for the better.

The first PDC World Grand Prix

Gilding defeated Michael van Gerwen 11-10 at the 2023 UK Open after surviving a match dart to reach his first televised final. He was ranked 41st before the weekend and moved up to 25th after winning £110,000 in prize money. Andrew advanced to the quarterfinals of his first PDC World Grand Prix in 2023. He started a successful streak by winning the initial two bouts, but then lost 3-0 to Michael Smith.