Charles Losper (born 18 March 1969) is a South African professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events.
| Charles Losper | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Nickname | "The Sensation" | ||||||||
| Born | 18 March 1969 Retreat, Cape Town, South Africa | ||||||||
| Home town | Cape Town, South Africa | ||||||||
| Darts information | |||||||||
| Playing darts since | 1991 | ||||||||
| Darts | 24 Gram | ||||||||
| Laterality | Right-handed | ||||||||
| Walk-on music | "New Sensation" by INXS | ||||||||
| Organisation (see split in darts) | |||||||||
| BDO | 2003–2006 | ||||||||
| PDC | 2006–2015, 2021– | ||||||||
| Current world ranking | NR (28 October 2021) | ||||||||
| PDC premier events – best performances | |||||||||
| World Ch'ship | Last 64: 2008, 2009 | ||||||||
| Grand Slam | Group Stages: 2007 | ||||||||
| Other tournament wins | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Darts career
editHaving started playing darts in 1991, Losper's first major tournament appearance was in the 2003 WDF World Cup with the South African team. Having stayed with them for 3 years, he joined the Professional Darts Corporation in 2006 and made his first PDC tournament appearance in the South African Open. He failed to qualify for the final stages of the tournament but returned in 2007 to come through the 155 player field and win the tournament, beating Lodewyk Marais 4–0 in the final.[1] As one of the top four players in the tournament, he qualified for the televised South African Masters the next day, where those top four met the top four players in the PDC. Losper was drawn against then-World Champion Raymond van Barneveld and despite losing 4-1 was the only South African player to win a leg against the professionals.[2]
The South African Open win also guaranteed Losper a place in the inaugural 2007 Grand Slam of Darts. He lost all three group games however, losing to Andy Hamilton, Terry Jenkins and Vincent van der Voort. He also qualified for the 2008 PDC World Championship but lost 3–1 in the first round to John Part, who went on to win the tournament.
In August 2008, Losper made a trip to the Australian leg of the PDC Pro Tour. There he reached the final of the Shoalhaven Classic and the last 16 of the Australian Players Championship. The next month Losper successfully defended his South African Open title with a 4–1 victory over Mark Jackson, which earned him a place in the 2009 PDC World Championship. On the way to his second title Losper played the best leg of the qualifying phase with a 12-dart finish, the best of the tournament.[3] This title also meant he played in the South African Masters for the second successive year, though he lost 4–1 to Wayne Mardle.
At the 2009 PDC World Championship, Losper beat Guyana's Sudesh Fitzgerald in the preliminary round and but lost to Colin Osborne 3–0 in the first round.
Losper quit the PDC in 2015.
In November 2020, Losper played in the African Qualifier but lost to Cameron Carolissen 4–7 in the Final.
In October 24, 2021, Losper won the 2021 PDC African Qualifier by defeating Carl Gabriel 7–5 in the Final.
Losper won the 2021 Philippines Open by beating Amit Gilitwala of India 5–1 in the Final.
Personal life
editOutside of darts, Losper works as a policeman in an armed response unit, having been a member of the police force for nearly 20 years.[4]
World Championship results
editPDC
edit- 2008: First round (lost to John Part 1–3) (sets)
- 2009: First round (lost to Colin Osborne 0–3)
- 2022: Withdrew
References
edit- ^ PDC website report - Losper Wins Emperors Palace South African Open Archived 15 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine from the Professional Darts Corporation, retrieved 28-09-2008
- ^ PDC website report - Taylor Wins Emperors Palace South African Masters Archived 12 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine from the Professional Darts Corporation, retrieved 28-09-2008
- ^ PDC website report - Losper Retains SA Open Title Archived 1 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine from the Professional Darts Corporation, retrieved 28-09-2008
- ^ 'Battling Charles Cops It' from the Daily Mirror, by Mike Walters, retrieved 28-09-2008