Profile

Mick McGowan, the Balbriggan, Co. Fingal, Darts Champion, made history in 2003 when he became only the third Irishman in the 500 year history of Darts in the Republic of Ireland to score a perfect 9 darts 501. His nine dart score was 177, 180, 144 (60, 60, 24 finish). What made it more impressive was that it happened at the All Ireland Open Singles Championship in Kilkenny. He started with two treble 20s, and then a treble 19, before putting up three treble 20s, and finishing on two treble 20s and a double 12. He admitted that it wasn’t until he was going for the double 12 that he had a shot at the 501.

Mick first picked up darts at the age of 12, and had been playing darts for 18 years when the feat occured. It was the individual nature of darts which first attractedhim, you are not dependent on a team he said. He was Irish Youth Darts Champion in 1989, and graduated to the senior ranks, remaining in the top 20 of Irish players for 3 years. He played Darts for Ireland, captaining the squad in Switzerland in the World Darts Championship. His hero and role model was Eric Bristow, who he tried to copy.

McGowan’s other major accolade prior to this was winning player of the tournament at the Home Internationals at Portrush in Northern Ireland in 1996, becoming the only Irishman ever to achieve the accolade in the British Isles (Atlantic Isles). He played at the Milestone Inn in Balbriggan, Horse and Jockey in Inchicore, and at the time of this achievement, Whyte’s Pub in Stamullen. He wasinvolved in the Rush Darts League, Duleek and District Darts League and two Major Dublin Superleagues.

This launched him on a career in Darts, winning the Ireland Autumn Open Classic in 2005 and 2006

He went on to compete professionally in the Professional Darts Corporation, reaching the last 32 of the PDC World Darts Championship in 2007 and 2008, and the last 16 of the PDC World Cup of Darts in 2010, 2012, 2016 and 2017. He earned his Tour Card in 2011 and again from 2016 to 2018, and has ranked in the DDB since 2005.

Factfile

References

Images

[1] Darts Database (2020) MickMcGowan1 [Internet] Available from: https://www.dartsdatabase.co.uk/photos/MickMcGowan1.jpg [Accessed 25 November 2020]

[2] Darts Database (2020) MickMcGowan [Internet] Available from: https://www.dartsdatabase.co.uk/photos/MickMcGowan.jpg [Accessed 25 November 2020]

Websites

[3] Fingal Independent (2003) Mick makes history with a perfect nine dart finish [Internet] Available from: https://www.independent.ie/regionals/fingalindependent/news/mick-makes-history-with-a-perfect-nine-dart-finish-27776841.html [Accessed 25 November 2020]

[4] Darts Database (2020) Mick McGowan [Internet] Available from: https://www.dartsdatabase.co.uk/PlayerDetails.aspx?playerKey=32 [Accessed 25 November 2020]

Acknowledgements

Thanks to John Kane.

About this document

Researched, Compiled and Written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 25 November 2020

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020

You are free to copy this document in whole or part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Resereved.