Jonny Tata has qualified for the PDC World Darts Championship. Photo / Photosport
When New Zealand darts player Jonny Tata set out his goals for 2025, topping the list was qualifying for the prestigious Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) World Darts Championship.
Little did the 33-year-old know that on the very day he secured his spot at London’s Alexandra Palace, 45 seconds of darting perfection would steal the headlines.
Tata became just the second known Kiwi to throw a nine-darter in a New Zealand ranking event, producing the feat in the deciding match of the final DartPlayers New Zealand (DPNZ) tournament of the season against Ben Robb.
A nine-darter occurs when you throw nine perfect darts in the requisite trebles and double to check out from 501.
In the fourth leg, he hit back-to-back 180s before finishing with a 141 checkout to complete the perfect leg, joining Craig Caldwell, who managed the milestone about a decade ago. Cody Harris also hit one in 2019, though that was in an Australian-run event.
The achievement capped off a dream weekend for Tata, who finished top of the DPNZ standings to become the 14th New Zealander to qualify for the World Darts Championship. The 2026 tournament features an expanded 128-player field, with the eventual champion to collect a record $2.3m prize.
Having missed double 12 twice earlier this year to complete a nine-darter, Tata said finally pulling it off was a moment made even more special because it was live-streamed worldwide.
Here is is again the JONNY 9 TATA Jonny "JT" Tata
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“I’m still buzzing,” said Tata, a truck driver from Wainuiomata. “It was a massive goal I set at the beginning of the year, and everything just fell into place.
“The nine-darter really blew up online. Every time I checked Facebook, I kept seeing the video everywhere.
“I think that even surpassed the Ally Pally spot. To hit it in the very last game of the last Pro Tour was amazing. I’m over the moon.”
Finishing top of the standings also earned Tata a place in the inaugural Australia-New Zealand (ANZ) Premier League, where he will test himself against the best players on both sides of the Tasman and gain invaluable stage time.
Tata and Robb are the only Kiwis in the eight-week competition, which starts this weekend in Melbourne, with $30,000 on offer for the overall winner.
He believes the league will be ideal preparation ahead of the World Championships.
“It’s going to be good practice and stage time,” Tata said. “Though exhausting with all the travel back and forth between New Zealand and Australia for six or seven weeks, plus one in Wellington.
“I’m looking forward to playing the best in the Oceanic region. I reckon it’ll be beneficial for all of us.”
Tata’s rise in the sport has been steady, but darts runs in his family. He claimed multiple youth titles, and his father Ra was a national champion.
Although he put the darts away in his late teens, the Covid lockdown reignited his passion. With time at home, he dusted off his sisal board and tungsten arrows and hasn’t looked back since.
He announced himself as one to watch when he stunned two-time world champion Peter Wright on his televised debut at the 2023 NZ Darts Masters. Later that year, he competed at the World Darts Federation (WDF) Championship, reaching the quarter-finals - the best-ever result for a Kiwi male.
Despite not winning another New Zealand title since, Tata has tested himself against the sport’s elite, including world champions Luke Littler and Luke Humphries. At this year’s NZ Darts Masters, he impressed again in defeat against Gerwyn Price, who came close to hitting a nine-darter against him.
“A lot of practice and sacrifices went into this, and it feels great to be here,” Tata said. “New Zealand has so many great players, you have to give it your best.
“A couple of years ago, I wasn’t practising as much as I should have, but now I put the work in every day, and the results are showing.”
What looked like a quiet end to the year has quickly become a whirlwind, with flights and accommodation to sort for the Premier League before the big trip to London at Christmas.
That left little time to celebrate, though Tata was content with a low-key toast to his success.
“On Sunday night, I was in Christchurch with my dad, we went out for a burger and a drink, then back to the motel,” Tata said. “When I got home [to Wellington], my partner wanted to take me out for a nice dinner with the kids. It was a nice, low-key celebration.”
The ANZ Premier League runs from October 4 – November 22, followed by the world champs which goes from December 12 – January 4.
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.