Justin Pipe

Justin Pipe

Pipe in 2011
Personal information
Nickname	"The Force"
Born	(1971-11-09) 9 November 1971 Taunton, Somerset, England
Sport
Sport	Darts
Playing since	2007
Darts	24g Bull's NL Signature
Laterality	Right-handed
Walk-on music	"Back in Black" by AC/DC
Organisation (see split in darts)
PDC	2008–2021 (Tour Card: 2011–2021)
PDC premier events – best performances
World Championship	Last 16: 2012
World Matchplay	Quarter-final: 2012, 2013
World Grand Prix	Semi-final: 2013
UK Open	Last 32: 2012, 2016
Grand Slam	Group Stage: 2010, 2011, 2013, 2020
European Championship	Last 16: 2013, 2015
PC Finals	Semi-final: 2012, 2013, 2017
Masters	Quarter-final: 2014
Other tournament wins
Years
Kingswood Darts Open 2009 European Tour Events Austrian Darts Open 2012 Players Championships (x5) 2011 (x3), 2012, 2014
Other achievements
2012 PDPA Players' Player of the Year.

Justin Pipe (born 9 November 1971) is an English former professional darts player who competed in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events from 2008 to 2021. Nicknamed "The Force", he won six PDC ranking titles, comprising five Players Championships and the inaugural Austrian Darts Open on the PDC European Tour. His best televised results included a semi-final appearance at the 2013 World Grand Prix and three semi-finals at the Players Championship Finals (2012, 2013 and 2017).

Playing career

Early career (2008–2010)

Pipe played darts when he was younger but concentrated on his work as a tree surgeon for many years. A former amateur boxer, he avoided playing in smoke-filled pubs because cigarette smoke irritated his eyes. Following the introduction of the smoking ban in England in 2007, he returned to competitive darts.

Pipe made his first appearance at a televised PDC major as a pub qualifier at the 2008 UK Open, where he defeated Geoff Wylie and Lionel Sams before losing 9–3 to James Wade. He reached the third round again in 2009, losing 9–5 to Andy Jenkins. In 2010, he qualified for the Grand Slam of Darts through the ITV Wildcard qualifier, but was eliminated in the group stage after defeats to Wade, Vincent van der Voort and Tony O'Shea.

Breakthrough and major success (2011–2013)

Pipe made his World Championship debut at the 2011 event, losing 3–1 to Mark Walsh. He made his World Matchplay debut later that year, defeating Mervyn King in the opening round. In June, he achieved a nine-dart finish against Colin Osborne at a Players Championship in Nuland. His first PDC ranking title came in October, when he defeated Phil Taylor 6–5 in a Players Championship final in Dublin. He won a further two Players Championship titles that year and finished top of the 2011 Players Championship Order of Merit.

At the 2012 World Championship, Pipe defeated Sean Reed and came from two sets down to beat Wes Newton 4–3, reaching the last 16 for the first time. He then lost 4–1 to Terry Jenkins. In January 2012, Pipe received the PDPA Players' Player of the Year award for his performances during the previous season.

Pipe opened the 2012 Players Championship season with a 6–0 final victory over Paul Nicholson. In April, he won the first tournament in PDC European Tour history, the 2012 Austrian Darts Open, beating Raymond van Barneveld in the semi-finals and Wade 6–3 in the final. The victory took him into the top 16 of the PDC Order of Merit for the first time. He reached the quarter-finals of the 2012 World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix. At the 2012 Players Championship Finals, Pipe advanced to his first televised major semi-final, losing 11–6 to Kim Huybrechts.

In 2013, Pipe reached a second consecutive World Matchplay quarter-final, defeating Mark Webster and Van Barneveld before losing 16–10 to Taylor. At the World Grand Prix, victories over Andy Smith, Adrian Lewis and Andy Hamilton took him to the semi-finals, where he lost 5–2 to Dave Chisnall. He also reached the semi-finals of the 2013 Players Championship Finals, losing 10–4 to Taylor.

Later tour career (2014–2017)

Pipe reached the final of the 2014 German Darts Championship, but lost 6–5 to Gary Anderson despite having led 5–3 and missed six match darts. Later that year, he claimed his fifth Players Championship title at the 15th event of the season, defeating Lewis in the semi-finals and reigning world champion Michael van Gerwen in the final, both in deciding legs. He also reached the quarter-finals of the Masters.

In June 2015, Pipe reached the final of the 2015 Dutch Darts Masters, where he lost 6–0 to Van Gerwen. He lost in the first round of the 2015 World Championship to Laurence Ryder and of the 2016 edition to Christian Kist. In 2016, he reached the fourth round of the 2016 UK Open and the semi-finals of the final Players Championship event of the season, where he lost a deciding leg to Benito van de Pas.

At the 2017 Players Championship Finals, Pipe defeated Daryl Gurney 10–9 in the quarter-finals to reach his third semi-final at the event, where he lost 11–3 to Van Gerwen.

Final years and loss of Tour Card (2018–2022)

During the 2018 PDC World Darts Championship, Pipe defeated Bernie Smith 3–2 in the first round after Smith missed match darts. The match attracted controversy when Pipe was seen coughing while Smith was attempting to finish the deciding leg. Pipe denied deliberately attempting to distract his opponent. The Darts Regulation Authority subsequently fined him £3,000 for gamesmanship and bringing the sport into disrepute. He lost 4–0 to Taylor in the second round.

Pipe's results declined in the following seasons, although he reached the final of Players Championship 19 in July 2019, losing 8–5 to Peter Wright. He returned to the World Championship at the 2020 edition, defeating Benjamin Pratnemer 3–2 in the first round before losing 3–0 to Gurney. Later in 2020, he qualified for the 2020 Grand Slam of Darts, where he lost all three group matches against Rob Cross, Luke Humphries and Chisnall.

Pipe withdrew from the 2021 UK Open after testing positive for COVID-19 before the tournament. He lost his PDC Tour Card at the end of the 2021 season and did not enter the PDC Qualifying School in January 2022 while recovering from an arm injury. He did not subsequently return to the professional PDC circuit.

Playing style

Pipe was known for his deliberate and unusually slow throwing action, which he partly attributed to a serious road accident in 1993 that left his right arm paralysed for three months. During his recovery, he had to relearn how to move his arm and shoulder, developing a methodical throwing technique.

Management and sponsorship

Pipe signed a sponsorship agreement with Cosmo Darts in October 2011. From January 2015, he was managed by his own group, "Team Pipe", which included members of his family and his friend Krispy Brown.

Personal life

Pipe is from Taunton, Somerset. Before becoming a professional darts player, he worked as a tree surgeon. He is married to Claire, and they have two sons and a daughter. His brother Mark died in June 2013; Pipe subsequently dedicated a victory at the European Championship to him.

World Championship results

PDC

• 2011: First round (lost to Mark Walsh 1–3)
• 2012: Third round (lost to Terry Jenkins 1–4)
• 2013: Second round (lost to Mark Walsh 2–4)
• 2014: Second round (lost to Devon Petersen 1–4)
• 2015: First round (lost to Laurence Ryder 2–3)
• 2016: First round (lost to Christian Kist 0–3)
• 2017: First round (lost to Chris Dobey 1–3)
• 2018: Second round (lost to Phil Taylor 0–4)
• 2020: Second round (lost to Daryl Gurney 0–3)

Performance timeline

Sources:

PDC

Tournament	2008	2009	2010	2011		2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
PDC Ranked televised events
World Championship	DNQ			1R		3R	2R	2R	1R	1R	1R	2R	DNQ	2R	DNQ
UK Open	3R	3R	2R	3R		4R	1R	3R	3R	4R	3R	3R	3R	3R	WD
World Matchplay	DNQ			2R		QF	QF	1R	1R	1R	2R	DNQ	1R	DNQ
World Grand Prix	DNQ			1R		QF	SF	1R	2R	DNQ	1R	Did not qualify
European Championship	DNQ			1R		1R	2R	1R	2R	1R	Did not qualify
Grand Slam of Darts	DNQ		RR	RR		DNQ	RR	Did not qualify						RR	DNQ
Players Championship Finals	Not held	DNQ		2R		SF	SF	1R	1R	3R	SF	DNQ	1R	DNQ
PDC Non-ranked televised events
The Masters	Not held						1R	QF	Did not qualify
Championship League Darts	Did not participate					RR	RR	Not held
Career statistics
Year-end ranking	325	93	48	22		10	12	16	21	26	26	42	55	49	89

PDC European Tour

Season	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13
2012	ADO W	GDC QF	EDO 1R	GDM 1R	DDM 1R
2013	UKM 1R	EDT QF	EDO QF	ADO 1R	GDT 2R	GDC 3R	GDM 2R	DDM 1R
2014	GDC F	DNQ	GDM 2R	ADO 2R	GDT 3R	EDO 3R	EDG 2R	EDT QF
2015	GDC QF	GDT 3R	GDM 2R	DDM F	IDO QF	EDO 3R	EDT 3R	EDM 3R	EDG 2R
2016	DDM 3R	GDM 2R	GDT 2R	DNQ	ADO 1R	DNQ		EDT 2R	DNQ	GDC 3R
2017	DNQ	GDM 1R	DNQ		GDT 1R	EDM 2R	ADO 1R	EDO 1R	DDM 1R	DNQ	IDO 1R	DNQ
2018	EDO 3R	Did not qualify							EDM QF	GDC 1R	DNQ
2019	EDO QF	Did not qualify							CDO 2R	ADC 1R	DNQ	IDO 2R	GDT 1R
2020	BDC 1R	DNQ
2021	DNQ

PDC Players Championships

Season	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37
2008	Did not participate													BLA 1R	Did not participate							NEW 1R	NEW 1R	DNP		IRV 3R	DNP			LEI 2R	LEI 2R
2009	DON 2R	DNP		GLA 1R	GLA 1R	DNP	WIG 3R	BRE 4R	Did not participate					NEW QF	BAR 1R	BAR 4R	DIN 2R	DIN 4R	Did not participate					SAL 4R	SAL 1R	DUB 3R	DUB 2R	KIL 3R	NUL 2R	NUL 1R	IRV 2R	IRV 1R
2010	GIB 1R	GIB 2R	SWI 1R	DER 2R	GLA 2R	GLA 2R	WIG 1R	CRA 3R	BAR 3R	DER 1R	WIG 2R	DNP	SAL 2R	SAL 2R	BAR SF	BAR 4R	HAA 3R	HAA QF	LVE 3R	LVE 1R	LVE 3R	DNP	ONT 4R	ONT 3R	CRA 1R	CRA 2R	NUL 4R	NUL QF	DUB SF	DUB 2R	KIL 4R	BAD 3R	BAD 3R	BAR 4R	BAR 2R	DER SF	DER 1R
2011	HAL 3R	HAL 3R	DER 3R	DER 2R	CRA 3R	CRA SF	VIE 3R	VIE SF	CRA 2R	CRA 3R	BAR QF	BAR 2R	NUL 3R	NUL 3R	ONT QF	ONT QF	DER 4R	DER 3R	NUL 4R	NUL 4R	DUB 4R	DUB W	KIL W	GLA F	GLA 2R	ALI 2R	ALI 4R	CRA W	CRA SF	WIG 3R	WIG SF
2012	ALI W	ALI F	REA 2R	REA 1R	CRA QF	CRA F	BIR 3R	BIR QF	CRA 3R	CRA QF	BAR QF	BAR QF	DUB 3R	DUB 2R	KIL 2R	KIL 2R	CRA QF	CRA 4R	BAR 1R	BAR 1R
2013	WIG 1R	WIG 3R	WIG SF	WIG 4R	CRA 3R	CRA 3R	BAR 3R	BAR 1R	DUB SF	DUB 3R	KIL 4R	KIL 4R	DNP		BAR QF	BAR 3R
2014	BAR 4R	BAR 1R	CRA 4R	CRA 3R	WIG 1R	WIG 3R	WIG 4R	WIG 4R	CRA F	CRA SF	COV 1R	COV 3R	CRA 3R	CRA 1R	DUB W	DUB QF	CRA 3R	CRA 4R	COV 1R	COV 3R
2015	BAR 3R	BAR 3R	BAR 4R	BAR 3R	BAR 1R	COV 1R	COV 4R	COV 2R	CRA 3R	CRA 1R	BAR 3R	BAR 1R	WIG 3R	WIG 1R	BAR 2R	BAR 1R	DUB 1R	DUB 4R	COV 4R	COV 1R
2016	BAR 4R	BAR 1R	BAR 3R	BAR 2R	BAR 2R	BAR 1R	BAR 1R	COV 4R	COV QF	BAR 1R	BAR 2R	BAR 1R	BAR 1R	BAR QF	BAR 3R	BAR 1R	DUB QF	DUB QF	BAR 1R	BAR SF
2017	BAR 2R	BAR 1R	BAR 4R	BAR 1R	MIL 3R	MIL 1R	BAR 3R	BAR 2R	WIG 3R	WIG 4R	MIL 1R	MIL 4R	WIG 2R	WIG 3R	BAR SF	BAR 2R	BAR QF	BAR 3R	DUB 3R	DUB 3R	BAR 3R	BAR 3R
2018	BAR 1R	BAR 1R	BAR 1R	BAR 1R	MIL 2R	MIL 2R	BAR 2R	BAR 3R	WIG 1R	WIG 3R	MIL 2R	MIL 1R	WIG 1R	WIG 1R	BAR 2R	BAR 2R	BAR 1R	BAR 1R	DUB 1R	DUB 1R	BAR 2R	BAR 1R
2019	WIG 1R	WIG 1R	WIG 2R	WIG 1R	BAR 1R	BAR 1R	WIG 1R	WIG 1R	BAR 3R	BAR 4R	BAR 1R	BAR 4R	BAR QF	BAR 2R	BAR 4R	BAR 2R	WIG 3R	WIG 2R	BAR F	BAR 3R	HIL 3R	HIL 1R	BAR 3R	BAR QF	BAR QF	BAR 2R	DUB 3R	DUB 2R	BAR 1R	BAR 1R
2020	BAR 1R	BAR 2R	WIG 1R	WIG 1R	WIG 2R	WIG 2R	BAR 1R	BAR 4R	MIL 2R	MIL 1R	MIL 1R	DNP		NIE 1R	NIE 1R	NIE 2R	NIE 2R	NIE 1R	COV 1R	COV 4R	COV 3R	COV 2R	COV 1R
2021	BOL 1R	BOL 3R	BOL 3R	BOL 2R	MIL 1R	MIL 1R	MIL 1R	MIL 1R	NIE 2R	NIE 1R	NIE 1R	NIE 1R	MIL 3R	MIL 2R	MIL 1R	MIL 1R	COV 1R	COV 1R	COV 1R	COV 1R	BAR 1R	BAR 1R	Did not participate

Performance Table Legend
W	Won the tournament	F	Finalist	SF	Semifinalist	QF	Quarterfinalist	#R RR Prel.	Lost in # round Round-robin Preliminary round	DQ	Disqualified
DNQ	Did not qualify	DNP	Did not participate	WD	Withdrew	NH	Tournament not held			NYF	Not yet founded

External links

• Justin Pipe player profile at Darts Orakel