# British Pentathlon

The British Pentathlon is a professional darts event consisting of five different disciplines. It was first established in 1975, run by the British Darts Organisation and subsequently the World Darts Federation. A women's event was established in 2004.
The event is invitational and has twenty competitors. Martin Adams has won it 13 times and John Lowe won it ten times. The women's event has been won eight times by Trina Gulliver. Other multiple winners include Eric Bristow, Phil Taylor, John Walton and Andy Fordham.

## Format

The Pentathlon has a unique format among darts events. Competitors play 24 games of darts over the course of the day: a two-legged 501 match against each of the other players (a total of 19 matches), single legs from 1001 and 2001, then games of halve-it, Shanghai and round the board on doubles. Points are awarded based on performances in each of the events. The champion is the player who accumulates the highest number of points.
The Pentathlon has been described as "the toughest and most gruelling darts event on the calendar," whose aim is "to reduce luck to a minimum and ensure that talent, skill and determination are rewarded with success." Trina Gulliver called it "probably the most difficult darts competition ever." Bobby George described it as "like darts' version of Superstars without any cycling, shooting or swimming." He also thought it a "ridiculous event", which "had no appeal to me whatsoever", and "one long, hard, boring slog". John Lowe, on the other hand, enjoyed the event, but eventually stopped playing in it because the prizemoney hadn't increased in years.

## Gameplay

The exact rules can vary across events. In the British pentathlon, the rules are as follows:
* Each invited player plays each other over two legs from the standard 501 start. Points are awarded for high scoring visits, for completing the leg within a set number of darts, and for winning the leg.
* Each player plays a single leg of darts starting from both 1001 and 2001. Points are awarded for high scoring visits and there are bonus points for completing the leg within a set number of darts.
* Shanghai - The player throws three darts at each segment from 1 through 9. One point is awarded for hitting the correct single number, two for the double and three for the treble. Bonus points are awarded for hitting one single, one double and one treble of the target number ("Shanghai").
* Halve it - Players have three darts at each of the designated numbers in turn: 20s, 16s, double 7, 14s, treble 10, 17s, bullseye. Scoring is standard, but as the game progresses, missing a target number results in the player's score being halved. For pentathlon points, players are awarded one point for hitting each correct single, two for a double, three for a treble and two for a bullseye.
* Round the board on doubles - Players have 42 darts to hit every double on the board starting on 1 and continuing sequentially until 20. Two points are awarded for each double hit and bonus points are awarded for completing the challenge with darts to spare.

## British Pentathlon winners
### Men

| Year | 1st place | 2nd place | Round the board on doubles | Shanghai | Halve-it |
| 2021 | Neil Duff | Luke Littler | Neil Duff | Neil Duff | Dean Winstanley/James Richardson |
| 2020 | Not held due to COVID-19 pandemic | Not held due to COVID-19 pandemic | Not held due to COVID-19 pandemic | Not held due to COVID-19 pandemic | Not held due to COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2019 | Martin Adams | Kyle McKinstry | Dave Parletti | Jim Withers/Keith Montgomery | Martin Adams |
| 2018 | Kyle McKinstry | Andy Baetens | Sven Verdonck | Dave Parletti | Jim McEwan |
| 2017 | Martin Adams | Willem Mandigers | Jay Foreman | Andy Baetens | Paul Dawkins |
| 2016 | Martin Adams | Jamie Hughes | Jamie Hughes | Ted Hankey | Tatu Pehkonen |
| 2015 | Jamie Hughes | John Walton | John Walton | Jamie Hughes | Jamie Hughes |
| 2014 | Martin Adams | John Walton | Pip Blackwell/Sven Verdonck | John Walton | Garry Thompson |
| 2013 | James Hurrell | Jay Foreman/Paul Dawkins | Rune David/Joe Lacey | Jay Foreman/Dirk Hespeels | Jay Foreman |
| 2012 | Robert Wagner | Martin Adams | Martin Adams/Steve Douglas/James Hurrell/Jim Withers | Paul Snowsill | Jani Haavisto/Joe Lacey |
| 2011 | Martin Adams | Dean Winstanley | Dirk Hespeels | Martin Adams | Danny Russell |
| 2010 | John Walton | Martin Adams | John Walton | John Walton | Pip Blackwell |
| 2009 | Martin Adams | Scott Mitchell | Martin Adams | Martin Adams | Scott Mitchell |
| 2008 | Martin Adams | John Walton | Marko Kantele | Martin Adams | Ross Smith |
| 2007 | Co Stompe | Marko Kantele | Phil Wanstall | Dirk Hespeels/Co Stompe | Paul Dawkins |
| 2006 | John Walton | Tony Eccles | Robert Wagner | Tony Eccles/John Walton | Jim Withers |
| 2005 | Tony Eccles | Ulf Ceder | Pascal Rabau | Pascal Rabau | Ulf Ceder |
| 2004 | Martin Adams | Ted Hankey | Marko Kantele | Martin Adams | Phill Nixon |
| 2003 | Andy Fordham | Ted Hankey | Martin Adams/Andy Fordham | Jarkko Komula | Vijay Kumar |
| 2002 | John Walton | Martin Adams | Martin Adams/Robert Wagner | Andy Fordham | Chris Bowring |
| 2001 | Martin Adams | Ronnie Baxter | Jarkko Komula | Colin Monk/Phill Nixon | Martin Adams |
| 2000 | Martin Adams | Peter Manley | Ronnie Baxter | Martin Adams | Ronnie Baxter |
| 1999 | Martin Adams | Colin Monk | John Walton | Martin Adams | John Walton |
| 1998 | Andy Fordham | Ronnie Baxter | Colin Monk | Andy Fordham | Ronnie Baxter |
| 1997 | Ronnie Baxter | Mervyn King | Martin Adams | Ronnie Baxter | Andy Fordham |
| 1996 | Martin Adams | Ronnie Baxter | Andy Jenkins | Thor Johansen | Colin Monk |
| 1995 | Richie Burnett | Steve Beaton | Richie Burnett | Richie Burnett | Martin Adams |
| 1994 | Martin Adams | Les Wallace | Steve Beaton | Andy Fordham | Colin Monk |
| 1993 | Steve Beaton | Andy Fordham | Steve Beaton | Kevin Painter | Steve Beaton |
| 1992 | Dennis Priestley | Alan Warriner | Dennis Priestley | Andy Fordham | Rod Harrington |
| 1991 | Phil Taylor | Ronnie Baxter | Peter Evison | Phil Taylor | Ritchie Gardner |
| 1990 | Phil Taylor | Alan Warriner | Paul Reynolds | Alan Warriner | Ronnie Baxter |
| 1989 | Eric Bristow | Bob Sinnaeve | Eric Bristow/Martin Hurley | Eric Bristow | Shayne Burgess |
| 1988 | Alan Warriner | John Lowe | Alan Warriner | Eric Bristow/Reg Harding/Alan Warriner | John Lowe |
| 1987 | John Lowe | Ritchie Gardner | Paul Lim/Gene Raymond | Graham Scowcroft | Don Dillon |
| 1986 | John Lowe | Robert MacKenzie | John Lowe | Robert MacKenzie | John Lowe |
| 1985 | John Lowe | Ritchie Gardner | John Lowe | Tony Littlewood | John Lowe |
| 1984 | John Lowe | Jocky Wilson | Ken Summers | Steve Brennan/John Lowe | Ritchie Gardner |
| 1983 | John Lowe | Keith Deller | Steve Brennan/Alan Glazier | Alan Glazier/John Lowe | Trevor Nurse |
| 1982 | John Lowe | Jocky Wilson | Brian Langworth | Steve Brennan | John Lowe |
| 1981 | Eric Bristow | John Lowe | Cliff Lazarenko | John Lowe | Eric Bristow |
| 1980 | John Lowe | Eric Bristow | Brian Langworth | Brian Langworth | Dave Whitcombe |
| 1979 | John Lowe | Eric Bristow | Bobby George/Cliff Lazarenko | Eric Bristow | Mick Banyard |
| 1978 | John Lowe | Dave Whitcombe | Cliff Lazarenko | Dave Whitcombe | John Lowe |
| 1977 | Rab Smith | Alan Glazier | George Simmons | Alan Glazier | Ken Brown |
| 1976 | John Lowe | Leighton Rees | George Simmons | Cliff Lazarenko | Leighton Rees |
| 1975 | Conrad Daniels | Cliff Inglis | Harry Heenan/Phil Obbard/Tommy O'Regan/Noel Fowley/Phil Wakeman/Terry James | George Foster/Kevin White/Jim McQuillan/Jack McKenna/Cyril Hayes/Boerge Madsen | George Cottle/Javier Gopar/John Kelly/Glyn Greenway/Douglas Melander/Bjørn Enqvist/John Riding |

### Women

| Year | 1st place | 2nd place | Round the board on doubles | Shanghai | Halve-it |
| 2021 | Not held | Not held | Not held | Not held | Not held |
| 2020 | Not held due to COVID-19 pandemic | Not held due to COVID-19 pandemic | Not held due to COVID-19 pandemic | Not held due to COVID-19 pandemic | Not held due to COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2019 | Beau Greaves | Laura Turner | Laura Stockings | Laura Turner | Vicky Pruim |
| 2018 | Aileen de Graaf | Lorraine Winstanley | Deta Hedman/Sharon Prins | Casey Gallagher | Lorraine Winstanley |
| 2017 | Deta Hedman | Lorraine Winstanley | Rachna David | Anca Zijlstra | Lorraine Winstanley |
| 2016 | Trina Gulliver | Deta Hedman | Claire Brookin | Sarah Roberts | Rhian Griffiths |
| 2015 | Fallon Sherrock | Lorraine Winstanley/Deta Hedman | Deta Hedman | Fallon Sherrock | Claire Brookin |
| 2014 | Deta Hedman | Claire Brookin | Elin Assestrand | Trina Gulliver | Wendy Reinstadtler |
| 2013 | Deta Hedman | Trina Gulliver | Deta Hedman | Trina Gulliver | Donna Rainsley |
| 2012 | Trina Gulliver | Rachna David | Trina Gulliver/Donna Rainsley | Anna Forsmark | Anna Forsmark |
| 2011 | Trina Gulliver | Zoe Jones | Marlene Badger | Zoe Jones | Lorraine Winstanley |
| 2010 | Deta Hedman | Lorraine Winstanley | Deta Hedman/Sue Gulliver/Tricia Wright | Deta Hedman | Sue Gulliver |
| 2009 | Trina Gulliver | Apylee Jones | Donna Rainsley | Karen Lawman | Viv Dundon |
| 2008 | Lisa Ashton | Trina Gulliver | Lisa Ashton | Lisa Ashton | Lisa Ashton |
| 2007 | Trina Gulliver | Julie Gore | Irina Armstrong | Julie Gore | Sandra Pollett |
| 2006 | Trina Gulliver | Karen Lawman | Karen Lawman | Karen Lawman | Trina Gulliver |
| 2005 | Trina Gulliver | Apylee Jones | Inita Bite/Tricia Wright | Hege Lokken | Trina Gulliver |
| 2004 | Trina Gulliver | Karen Lawman | Karen Lawman | Trina Gulliver | Trina Gulliver |