A brief history of the PDC European Tour's Gibraltar Darts Trophy

Gibraltar isn't known by many as a sporting hotbed.

The British overseas territory (or fledgling nation state, depending on your politics) has floundered in the football. Its athletics record won't catch the eye. But the tiny headland hanging off the Spanish southern coast has some darting prestige. They've been represented at every PDC World Cup of Darts. Dyson Parody, the Gibraltan poster boy, has appeared at every edition. The PDC European Tour visits Gibraltar once a year. Having the Gibraltar Darts Trophy makes the European minnows something that many large countries aren't; a PDC host nation. The sixth edition kicks off tomorrow at the Victoria Stadium. Here's a quick recap of the previous five outings.

2013

Phil Taylor utterly dominated the inaugural event, as was the style at the time. The Power dropped just seven legs in his six matches. Starting with a 115.31 average in a 6-2 battering of Gino Vos, Taylor also notched up a 112.73 against Steve Beaton. Further wins over Dean Winstanley, Leon de Geus and Dave Chisnall confirmed his spot in the final.
His opponent was wholly unexpected, even by the man himself. Jamie Lewis had booked his flight home before arriving and was due to set off back to Wales before the last day of play. After beating Colin Osbourne, Robert Thornton, Steve Brown and Kevin Painter, he had to change his plans. Despite averaging just 84.05, Rasta edged past the Michael van Gerwen-conquering Adrian Lewis in a thriller to make his first senior final.
In ruthless Taylor style, the Stoke thrower quashed Lewis' dreams of glory with a 6-1 rout. It remains the Welshman's only PDC European Tour final.

2014

The second round in 2014 was rife with shocks. Mervyn King was dumped out by Adam Hunt. Peter Wright was stunned by 'The Punk', Johnny Haines. Taylor and van Gerwen both departed, beaten by Michael Smith and Benito van de Pas. The other seed to drop was the 16th seed, Andy Hamilton. James Wade sealed the Hammer's exit, and never looked back. Van de Pas couldn't stop the Machine. Neither could Kim Huybrechts or Smith.
In the final, Wade met Steve Beaton, who'd seen off second seed Gary Anderson en route. The Bronzed Adonis had victory firmly in his sights after taking a 4-1 lead. But Wade gained a pivotal break with a 10-darter, which set in motion a stirring fightback. Five legs won on the trot meant a 6-4 win and the title.

2015

Can a European Tour event be legitimate if Michael van Gerwen hasn't won it? At the time of entering the 2015 Gibraltar Darts Trophy, he only had three PDC European Tour titles to his name. Mighty Mike took full advantage of Taylor's absence to claim the crown. Two Welsh qualifiers almost stole the show. Gerwyn Price powered into his second European Tour quarter-final. There, he was seen off by Jamie Lewis, who was beginning to get a liking for Gibraltar.
Welsh hopes were dashed in the semi-finals as van Gerwen cruised past Lewis. His reward was a meeting with Terry Jenkins, who averaged 101 in the semi-finals to deny James Wade a shot at successive tournament victories. A dominant display saw the Dutch ace take the crown with a 107.04 average.

2016

Van Gerwen was back at it in 2016, and successfully defended his title at the Victoria Stadium. It was a special moment for the home fans, as Dyson Parody smashed records. In the first round, he became the first Gibraltan to beat a non-Gibraltan on the European Tour, beating Dirk van Duijvenbode. Further wins over Jelle Klaasen and Max Hopp made him the territory's first quarter-finalist. Parody even had three match darts to stun van Gerwen, but missed his chance and allowed the Green Machine to progress.
Once again the top seeds struggled, apart from van Gerwen. That said, the fifth, sixth and seventh seeds were all in the semi-finals with the Dutchman. Of those it was number six, Dave Chisnall, who claimed a meeting with the defending champion. The St Helens man earlier averaged 110.58 and 108.47 in successive games, Robert Thornton and Mensur Suljovic the victims. A 100 average was enough to whitewash Ian White, but it wasn't to be in the final. Finishes of 106, 107 and 124 helped Mighty Mike to a 6-2 win, though both players averaged 103.

2017

Last year's Gibraltar Darts Trophy was the first to feature neither van Gerwen nor Taylor. That left the door wide open for the rest of the pack. Five seeds failed to grasp the opportunity, falling at the first hurdle. Of the top ten seeds, only two reached the quarter-finals. They both won them, Peter Wright surviving a scare against Darren Johnson and Mensur Suljovic picking off Magnus Caris. While the Austrian overcame Daryl Gurney in a nail-biting tie to reach the final, Wright couldn't do the same. Michael Smith won every game 6-5 on his way to the final. Christian Kist and Dimitri van den Bergh were the first to take him all the way. Bully Boy then rode his luck to defeat Rob Cross, before Snakebite was on the wrong end of a final leg triumph. It was a see-saw final; first Smith piled in a 108 checkout and established a 3-0 lead, then Suljovic turned it around. Leading 4-3, the Gentle lacked a ruthless streak needed to see off his rival. Smith recovered, making it 4-4, then nailed a vital 132 checkout to break. Suljovic had a dart to force yet another deciding leg but double 15 for a 110 narrowly missed its mark. Smith made no mistake, and claimed his fourth PDC European Tour success. begins on Friday afternoon, and is live on PDC TV.