Mark Salmon (darts player)
Mark Salmon (born 23 February 1963 in Pontypridd) is a former Welsh professional darts player who competes in the British Darts Organisation events. Salmon was inspired to play darts by Leighton Rees, the very first World Champion and plays with flights bearing Leighton's face in his honour.
| Mark Salmon | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Mark Salmon |
| Born | 23 February 1963 Newport, Wales |
| Home town | Pontypridd |
| Darts information | |
| Playing darts since | 1983 |
| Darts | 23 Gram Richie Burnett |
| Laterality | Right-handed |
| Walk-on music | Livin' on a Prayer by Bon Jovi |
| Organisation (see split in darts) | |
| BDO | 1994–2005, 2007–2017 |
| PDC | 2005–2006 |
| BDO majors – best performances | |
| World Ch'ship | Last 32: 1996, 2009 |
| World Masters | Last 16: 1994 |
| PDC premier events – best performances | |
| World Ch'ship | Last 64: 2006 |
| Other tournament wins | |
| Tournament | Years |
| Scottish Open | 1996 |
Career
Salmon played in the 1996 BDO World Darts Championship, losing in the first round 3–0 to Roland Scholten. Just a month later, Salmon won the Scottish Open, beating fellow Welshman Sean Palfrey in the final. Salmon though never progressed further in the BDO and in 2005 he began playing in PDC where he qualified for the 2006 PDC World Darts Championship, beating Rod Harrington in the earlier round before beating Owen Caffrey to qualify. He was beaten in the first round 3–2 by Dennis Smith. Salmon struggled on the PDC circuit, failing to qualify for the UK Open and the World Matchplay.
After failing to qualify for the 2007 World Championship, Salmon moved back to the BDO and qualified for the 2009 BDO World Darts Championship, taking one of the non-seeded places. He was drawn against crowd favourite Darryl Fitton in the first round and never got going, losing all nine legs in a 3–0 defeat and averaged a very disappointing 65.46.
World Championship Results
BDO
- 1996: 1st Round (lost to Roland Scholten 0–3)
- 2009: 1st Round (lost to Darryl Fitton 0–3)
PDC
- 2006: 1st Round (lost to Dennis Smith 2–3)