Some of the longest-serving players in darts have achieved brilliance at the Players Championship in Leicester this week.
On Monday, James Wade became the first player to win 1,000 matches in the Players Championship during his 6-1 thrashing of Lukas Wenig.
Mervyn King then followed Wade with an excellent achievement of his own on Tuesday.
The 60-year-old, who only regained his PDC Tour card in January, thrashed Michael van Gerwen 6-2 to advance to round four of the tournament.
Mervyn King beats Michael van Gerwen for the first time since 2020
King broke down in tears after regaining his tour card in Milton Keynes two months ago.
It was a huge moment for the darting veteran, who was declared bankrupt last year after owing £500,000 to the HMRC in unpaid taxes.
The darting icon didn’t know he had to pay tax on his winnings from his darts career, but after being released from bankruptcy earlier in March, he just produced arguably one of his best performances in years.
THE KING MARCHES ON! 👑
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) March 31, 2026
Mervyn King beats Michael van Gerwen for the first time in over half a decade, producing an average of 101.78 in the process!
📺 https://t.co/YyBPPwoMK8#PC8 pic.twitter.com/68GHUnqUaD
King averaged 101.78 during a huge victory over Van Gerwen, his first against the Dutchman since a 6-1 triumph at the German Darts Championship in September 2020.
The world No. 129 is finding his feet once more since returning to the ProTour, and a win over the three-time world champion will have done wonders for his confidence.
King knocked out by Dave Chisnall
King booked his place in the last 16 after beating Adam Warner, Steve Lennon, and, of course, Van Gerwen.
But Ipswich-born arrowsmith threw away a 5-3 lead to lose 6-5 against Dave Chisnall, as he was narrowly denied a quarter-final place.
A disappointing end to a productive day for King, who will want to carry his performances from Leicester into future events and prove he can still compete against the very best.
