Noel James Kyle Anderson (14 September 1987 â 24 August 2021) was an Australian professional darts player who played within the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) from 2012 to 2021. He won the 2017 Auckland Darts Masters tournament.
He started playing darts at the age of six and had competed in tournaments since he was nine. He first became interested in the game watching his father play. Anderson qualified for the 2013 PDC World Darts Championship by winning the Oceanic Masters. He lost to Steve Beaton 3âÂÂ0 in the first round after he missed two opportunities to take each of the opening two sets. Anderson dominated in the DPA's 2013 Australian Grand Prix season by winning seven events to top the Order of Merit. This secured him a place in the Sydney Darts Masters and the 2014 World Championship. He was drawn to play against 16âÂÂtime world champion Phil Taylor in Sydney, but was defeated 6âÂÂ1. At 2âÂÂ1 down to Ian White in the first round of the World Championship, Anderson became the seventh player to throw a nine-dart finish in the history of the event. It was the second nine darter in less than an hour, after Terry Jenkins had also hit one, meaning the ã30,000 prize money was shared. However, it was the last leg that he won during the match, as he was defeated 3âÂÂ1. Anderson stated after the match that he hoped his performance would help raise the profile of darts in Australia.
Anderson entered the 2014 Q School in an attempt to earn a two-year PDC tour card and succeeded on the first day by winning seven matches, culminating in a 5âÂÂ3 win over Keegan Brown. He stated that if he could get sponsorship he would move to the UK to play the full schedule of events, which he did a few months later by moving to Nottingham. Anderson qualified for his first UK Open but lost 5âÂÂ4 against Kevin McDine in the opening round. He reached the semi-finals of a PDC event for the first time in April at the sixth Players Championship by beating seven-time major winner James Wade 6âÂÂ3 in the quarters. Anderson faced Ian White and lost 6âÂÂ1, with his solitary leg coming via a 140 checkout. In the opening round of the Perth Darts Masters he was whitewashed 6âÂÂ0 by Michael van Gerwen. A week later, Anderson came from 3âÂÂ0 down against Raymond van Barneveld at the Sydney Darts Masters to win 6âÂÂ5 and set up an all Australian quarter-final with Simon Whitlock. Anderson stormed into a 3âÂÂ0 lead, and went on to record the most significant win of his career 8âÂÂ3. His run came to an end when he lost 10âÂÂ4 to Phil Taylor in the semi-finals. A further quarter-final appearance at the 16th Players Championship followed, but Anderson lost 6âÂÂ1 against Stephen Bunting.
Anderson defeated Steve Beaton 3âÂÂ0 in the first round of the 2015 World Championship, a complete reversal of their meeting at the same stage of the event two years prior. Anderson lost three consecutive sets from 2âÂÂ1 ahead in the next round against Andy Hamilton to exit the tournament with a 4âÂÂ2 defeat. He entered the top 64 on the Order of Merit for the first time after the event as he was ranked world number 55. Anderson had a good UK Open as he saw off Terry Temple, as well as recent defectors from the BDO Alan Norris and James Wilson to play Mervyn King in the fifth round. Anderson led 8âÂÂ7, but his scoring power deserted him as he was unable to set up a match winning double in the next two legs to be edged out 9âÂÂ8. One semi-final and two quarter-final showings on the Pro Tour has seen Anderson qualify for the World Matchplay through the Pro Tour Order of Merit. In his debut in the event he was 8âÂÂ7 behind James Wade with all 15 legs going on throw. Anderson missed four darts for the next leg and would lose 10âÂÂ7. He received an invite to the World Series of Darts Finals and exited in the first round 6âÂÂ4 against Dave Chisnall.
A 3âÂÂ0 win over Brendan Dolan saw Anderson whitewash a seeded player in the first round of the World Championship for the second year in a row. He was 2âÂÂ0 ahead of Vincent van der Voort in the second round, but went on to be eliminated 4âÂÂ2. Anderson reached his first major PDC quarter-final at the UK Open by defeating Andy Hamilton, James Wilson and Benito van de Pas. In the quarter-final he was thrashed 10âÂÂ0 by Jelle Klaasen. At the second Players Championship event he came close to playing in his first Pro Tour final, but was edged out in the semi-finals 6âÂÂ5 by Michael van Gerwen after missing one match dart. Anderson and Simon Whitlock knocked out Germany and Denmark at the World Cup to meet the Netherlands in the quarter-finals. After Whitlock lost to Van Gerwen it meant Anderson needed to beat Raymond van Barneveld to keep Australia in the event and he did so 4âÂÂ3. In the deciding doubles match, the Dutch pair threw an 11 dart leg to win 4âÂÂ3.
In the quarter-finals of the Austrian Darts Open, Anderson knocked out Van Gerwen 6âÂÂ4 and then went 4âÂÂ1 up on Phil Taylor and for the second time that year missed one match dart to reach the final as Taylor won 6âÂÂ5. After seeing off Vincent van der Voort 10âÂÂ4, Anderson and Van Gerwen met again, this time in the second round of the World Matchplay, with the world number one winning 11âÂÂ3. He also reached the second round of the World Grand Prix by beating Cristo Reyes 2âÂÂ1 in sets, but lost 3âÂÂ1 to Gary Anderson. In the European Championship, Anderson defeated Dave Chisnall and James Richardson before losing 10âÂÂ5 to Peter Wright in the quarter-finals. Anderson was then forced to withdraw from the Players Championship Finals and the 2017 World Championship due to being unable to obtain a UK Visa.
Anderson returned to the UK in time for the start of the 2017 season. He won his first Players Championship title at the 17 event of the 2017 PDC Pro Tour, beating Kevin Painter in the final. He then went on to win the 2017 Auckland Darts Masters, his first televised title, beating Corey Cadby to win the event.
Anderson made the semi-final of the 2017 European Championship, and hit a nine-dart finish against Michael van Gerwen before losing in a last-leg decider.
Anderson continued playing on the tour through 2018 and 2019, but was unable to win another event. After beginning the 2020 season, he returned to Australia in March following the suspension of events due to the COVID-19 pandemic and did not return to the tour, choosing to resign his card prior to the start of the 2021 tour so that he could stay with his family for the birth of his second child.
Anderson was an Aboriginal man of Noongar origin and was extremely proud of this. This was reflected in his nickname âÂÂThe Originalâ (Short for Aboriginal).
KyleâÂÂs older brother Beau was also a professional darts player, however, Beau left the PDC Tour in 2017.
Anderson moved from Australia to Nottingham, England, when he became a professional darts player. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he returned to Australia. Anderson was a diabetic, and also had COVID-19 in 2020.
His death was announced on 24 August 2021; he was 33 years old. The cause of death was kidney failure, for which he had been in hospital receiving treatment.
Following their victory at the 2022 PDC World Cup of Darts, AustraliaâÂÂs players Simon Whitlock and Damon Heta dedicated their success to Anderson, who had represented his country in the tournament four times.
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Kyle Anderson's performance timeline is as follows:
PDC Players Championships
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