If you’d like a reminder that New Zealand isn’t just about sheep, rugby, and everyone asking if you’re actually Australian, look no further than darts’ Jonny Tata. The 33-year-old from Wellington has booked his place at the Paddy Power World Darts Championship after chucking in a nine-darter and bullying the DartPlayers New Zealand ProTour rankings into submission.
Tata’s 2025 campaign was basically one long mic drop. He won five of the last seven events – which is just showing off really – and pinched top spot off his mate-slash-rival Ben Robb. Sorry, Ben, close but no cigar.
The season’s penultimate event on Friday saw Tata edge past Jamie Hamill 7–5 in the final, but the real damage came earlier when he knocked out Robb in the semis. Before that he’d scraped through Jason Dellow in a deciding leg and sent Mark Cleaver packing. Clearly, Tata was in the mood to clean house.
And just in case anyone thought that was a fluke, he went back-to-back on Saturday. First he casually whitewashed Cleaver in the semi-final, then he dismantled Robb 7–4 in the final of the curtain closing event. Oh, and somewhere in there he threw a nine-darter, just to make the highlight reel. Standard. He even raced into a 4–0 lead in the final before Robb finally remembered he was good at this game, pinching a couple of legs with 11 and 12 dart sprints. Tata, unbothered, simply polished him off on double four and booked his Ally Pally ticket. Job done.
The timing couldn’t be better. Tata had already dipped his toes in the big-time at the World Series of Darts Finals earlier this month, and now he’s about to be busier than a New Zealand baggage carousel at Christmas. Not only is he heading to the World Championship, but he’s also secured a spot in the brand new Dabble Darts Premier League.
Robb hasn’t exactly been left twiddling his thumbs either. He grabbed his own invite by winning the DPNZ Top 16 Play-Off after finishing runner-up in the rankings. So the Kiwi pair will be squaring off again in an ANZ Premier League line-up otherwise stuffed with Aussies. That’s six Australians and two New Zealanders.
The league kicks off October 4th at the John Cain Arena in Melbourne before bouncing around the Antipodes like a rogue dart – Newcastle (not the one Dobey is from), Canberra, Hobart, Adelaide, Wellington, and the Gold Coast – finishing with the play-offs in Brisbane on November 22nd.
So, Jonny Tata: World Champs debutant, nine-dart chucker, serial event winner, and now Premier League recruit. Not bad for a lad whose name sounds like an British aristocrat saying goodbye.
2025 DartPlayers New Zealand ProTour
Event 11
Quarter-Finals
Kayden Milne 5-2 Tom McCulloch
Jamie Hamill 5-3 John Hurring
Jonny Tata 5-2 Tukina Weko
Ben Robb 5-2 Hunter Eyles
Semi-Finals
Jamie Hamill 6-3 Kayden Milne
Jonny Tata 6-2 Ben Robb
Final
Jonny Tata 7-5 Jamie Hamill
Event 12
Quarter-Finals
Mark Cleaver 5-1 Anthony Benitez
Jonny Tata 5-2 Caleb Hope
Ben Robb 5-4 Frank Bush
John Hurring 5-1 Hunter Eyles
Semi-Finals
Jonny Tata 6-0 Mark Cleaver
Ben Robb 6-5 John Hurring
Final
Jonny Tata 7-4 Ben Robb
—–Ends—–
Image: PDC
