| Andrew Gilding | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Gilding at the2025 World Matchplay | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Andrew John Gilding[1] | ||
| Nickname | "Goldfinger" | ||
| Born | (1970-12-07)7 December 1970 (age 54) Earsham,Norfolk, England | ||
| Darts information | |||
| Playing darts since | 1990 | ||
| Darts | 25g Cosmo Goldfinger | ||
| Laterality | Right-handed | ||
| Walk-on music | "Gold" bySpandau Ballet | ||
| Organisation (seesplit in darts) | |||
| BDO | 2010–2012 | ||
| PDC | 2012– (Tour Card: 2012–2018, 2021–) | ||
| Current world ranking | (PDC) 34 (23 November 2025)[2] | ||
| WDF major events – best performances | |||
| World Masters | Last 16:2011 | ||
| PDC premier events – best performances | |||
| World Championship | Last 32:2016,2017,2025 | ||
| World Matchplay | Quarter-final:2024,2025 | ||
| World Grand Prix | Quarter-final:2023 | ||
| UK Open | Winner (1):2023 | ||
| Grand Slam | Last 16:2023 | ||
| European Championship | Last 16:2024 | ||
| PC Finals | Last 16:2024,2025 | ||
| Masters | Last 24:2024 | ||
| World Series Finals | Last 32:2024 | ||
| Other tournament wins | |||
| |||
Andrew John Gilding (born 7 December 1970) is an English professionaldarts player who competes inProfessional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. Nicknamed "Goldfinger", Gilding won his maiden PDC title at the2023 UK Open, becoming the oldest man to win a major event title in his debut PDC final appearance. He also made the semi-finals at the2015 UK Open and is a two-timeWorld Matchplay quarter-finalist. Gilding has finished as the runner-up at five ranking events on thePDC Pro Tour.
A former butcher and factory worker, Gilding was a relative latecomer to darts; he started playing in his 30s as part of a pub team.[3] He made his television debut at the2011 UK Open at theReebok Stadium inBolton as a pub qualifier. He defeatedBrendan Dolan,Matt Clark andAndy Hamilton before losing 9–2 toMark Hylton in the last 32 earning himself £2,000 in the process.
Gilding's best result of 2012 was getting to the quarter-finals at theUK Open Qualifier 7 at theNIA Community Hall, Birmingham defeatingJoe Cullen,Scott Rand,Mark Hylton andSimon Whitlock before losing 6–3 toKevin Painter.[4][5] He headed into 2013 ranked world number 73.[6] Gilding failed to qualify for the2013 UK Open as he finished 142nd on the Order of Merit, outside of the top 96 who claimed their places.[7] In October, he reached his first semi-final in a PDC ranking event at the tenthPlayers Championship of the year. Gilding saw off the likes ofDave Chisnall and2008 BDO World Championship winnerMark Webster before losing 6–2 to five-time world championRaymond van Barneveld.[8] However, at the end of the year his tour card status expired and Gilding was ranked 78th in the world, outside the top 64 who remain on the tour.[9] He entered Q School in an attempt to regain his place and was successful on the first day by beating Jamie Bain 5–0 in his last match.[10]
Gilding reached his first career PDC final at the secondUK Open Qualifier, beating the likes ofRaymond van Barneveld,James Wade andPhil Taylor to face reigningBDO World ChampionStephen Bunting. He lost 6–5 in a thrilling final but earned £5,000 which saw him qualify for theUK Open.[11] He entered the tournament in the third round and received a bye asWes Newton withdrew, before being defeated 9–4 byKevin Painter.[12]He reached his second PDC final just a month later at the firstPlayers Championship in Barnsley. He defeatedJamie Caven,Jelle Klaasen,Michael Smith,Darren Webster andJames Wade before he lost 6–5 toGary Anderson despite averaging a superb 107.70.[13]
Gilding's performances on the Pro Tour during 2014 saw him make his debut at theWorld Matchplay, where he was whitewashed 10–0 byAdrian Lewis.[14] He also played in theWorld Grand Prix for the first time and beatDarren Webster 2–0 (sets) in the first round.[15] Gilding faced 11-time winner of the eventPhil Taylor in the next round and won the first set, but went on to be defeated 3–1.[16] At thePlayers Championship Finals he was beaten 6–3 byMervyn King in the first round.[17]
Gilding earned £25,000 on the Pro Tour Order of Merit during 2014 to be the highest non-qualified player for the2015 World Championship.[18] He made his debut in the event againstRobert Thornton and could only win two legs during the match in a 3–0 loss.[19] His good year saw him start 2015 ranked world number 38, an increase of 40 places from 12 month ago.[20] A semi-final defeat in the fourth qualifier saw Gilding enter theUK Open at the third round stage and he whitewashedKevin Painter 9–0.[21] Further victories overJelle Klaasen (9–5) andJames Wade (9–6) followed as he reached the quarter-finals of a major event for the first time in his career.[22] Gilding faced Austria'sMensur Suljović and beat him 10–8 to set up a semi-final with world number oneMichael van Gerwen.[23] Gilding played the match of his career to date as he averaged 108.37, hit 10 180s and a 10 darter, but it wasn't quite enough to progress to the final as his tournament ended with a 10–8 loss. The £17,000 in prize money he earned saw him achieve his year's goal of breaking into the top 32 on the Order of Merit.[24]
Gilding won his first match at theWorld Matchplay by holding on from 7–2 ahead ofMervyn King to triumph 10–8.[25] He lost 13–7 toPeter Wright in the second round.[26] Gilding could only win one leg in the first round of theWorld Grand Prix during a 2–0 set defeat againstSimon Whitlock.[27]
After whitewashingGerwyn Price 3–0 in the first round of the2016 World Championship, Gilding lost 4–0 toAdrian Lewis picking up just two legs in the process.[28]He was beaten 6–5 by Ryan de Vreede in the second round of theUK Open.[29] Gilding reached the semi-finals of the 10thPlayers Championship which included a 6–0 thrashing ofJelle Klaasen, but he suffered a 6–0 loss toDave Chisnall.[30] He qualified for thePlayers Championship Finals and was edged out 6–5 byVincent van der Voort.[31]
Gilding was 2–0 down in sets toJohn Henderson in the opening round of the2017 World Championship, but rallied to draw level at 2–2. He survived one match dart from Henderson in the deciding set and it would go to a sudden-death leg. Gilding won the bull to throw first and took out a 75 finish to progress.[32] He lost all four sets by three legs to one in the second round against reigning championGary Anderson.[33]
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Gilding missed out on2018 PDC World Darts Championship and that sent him down the rankings. He was seeded to the second round of2018 UK Open, but was not able to win a single leg againstGabriel Clemens, who just gained his Tour card. Throughout the year, Gilding struggled on Players Championship tournaments and he was falling out of top 64. He qualified for two European Tour events – PDC German Darts Championship (and made it to the second round) and PDC European Darts Trophy (where he lost in the first round).
In November he qualified for2018 Grand Slam of Darts, where he finished last in his round robin group, after losing toGerwyn Price andSimon Whitlock, his only win came in the last match againstGlen Durrant.
After failing to qualify for the last year's tournament, Gilding secured his sport on2018 Players Championship Finals as 43rd seed. Again he was eliminated by Gabriel Clemens in the first round.
Despite playing on two major events at the end of the year, Gilding did not qualify for2019 PDC World Darts Championship, fell out of top 64 and lost his Tour card.
Gilding went immediately to UK Q-school trying to get his Tour card back. He made it to last 16 on the third day, but failed in other three tournaments and did not retain the card.
He started well on PDC Challenge Tour and after making it to quarterfinals and semifinals he was placed high in the rankings of this tour. That gave him a chance to be a substitute for the first two tournaments of PDPA Players Championship. Gilding made an appearance there and placed in last 16 in the first tournament.
Gilding used his chance in European tour qualifications and qualified for three events – PDC German Darts Championship, PDC Austrian Darts Open and PDC Czech Open (where placed in last 16). Despite playing on many PDPA Players Championship tournaments throughout the year and three European Tour events, he was not able to break through into top 64 of PDC Order of Merit nor top 2 of Challenge Tour.
Gilding was not successful in UK Q-school for the second time, his best result was last 32 on the second day.
He again started well on PDC Challenge Tour, playing the final on the second tournament. This gave him another chance on PDPA Players Championship and also on PDC Summer Series.
On his third attempt to regain the Tour card, Gilding was successful via Q-school Order of Merit. He placed 2nd overall after consistent results throughout all four days of Final Stage, into which he received automatic spot after finishing in the Top 16 of the 2020 PDC Challenge Tour Order of Merit.[34] Gilding featured in theUK Open for the first time since 2018, and was eliminated in the 3rd round.
Andrew Gilding reached the final of the2022 Belgian Darts Open losing toDave Chisnall 6–8 in legs. This marked a serious upturn of form for Gilding.
At the2023 UK Open, Gilding reached a first televised final and won his first PDC major title, surviving a match dart to defeatMichael van Gerwen 11–10.[35] The £110,000 received in prize money saw him rise up to 25th in the world having been 41st prior to the weekend.
At the2023 World Grand Prix, Gilding reached the quarter-finals for the first time. He won his first two games before losing toMichael Smith 3–0.
At the2024 UK Open Gilding defeatedJosh Payne 10–7 in the fourth round but lost 10–1 toPeter Wright in the fifth round.
Gilding took on the nickname "Goldfinger" because he played with a set ofPhil Taylor golden darts and partially because of hissurname. In a 2023 interview, he said he would like "Goldfinger" byShirley Bassey to have been his walk-on song, but that copyright issues prevented him from doing so.[36] To this day he still plays with a set of custom gold darts.
After hitting a double or a 180, Gilding is known to frequently do athumbs up gesture, which has become a signature celebration of his.[37][38][39]
| Legend |
|---|
| UK Open (1–0) |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score[N 1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 2023 | UK Open |  Michael van Gerwen | 11–10 (l) |
BDO
| Tournament | 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BDO Ranked televised events | |||||||||||||||||||
| World Masters | 6R | ||||||||||||||||||
PDC
| Tournament | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PDC Ranked televised events | |||||||||||||||||||
| PDC World Championship | Did not qualify | 1R | 2R | 2R | Did not qualify | 2R | 2R | 3R | |||||||||||
| PDC World Masters[nb 1] | NH | Did not qualify | 1R | 1R | |||||||||||||||
| UK Open | 4R | 2R | DNQ | 4R | SF | 2R | 3R | 2R | DNQ | 3R | 2R | W | 5R | 4R | |||||
| World Matchplay | Did not qualify | 1R | 2R | Did not qualify | 1R | 1R | QF | QF | |||||||||||
| World Grand Prix | Did not qualify | 2R | 1R | Did not qualify | 1R | QF | DNQ | 1R | |||||||||||
| European Championship | Did not qualify | 1R | 1R | 2R | DNQ | ||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam of Darts[nb 2] | Did not qualify | RR | Did not qualify | 2R | DNQ | ||||||||||||||
| Players Championship Finals | Did not qualify | 1R | DNQ | 1R | DNQ | 1R | Did not qualify | 2R | 1R | 3R | |||||||||
| PDC Non-ranked televised events | |||||||||||||||||||
| World Series of Darts Finals | Not held | Did not qualify | 1R | DNQ | |||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||
| Year-end ranking (PDC) | - | 107 | 80 | 38 | 25 | 33 | 57 | 78 | 123 | 146 | 122 | 41 | 18 | 20 | |||||
PDC European Tour
| Season | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Did not qualify | GDM 1R | DDM DNQ | |||||||||||
| 2013 | Did not qualify | DDM 1R | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | DNQ | GDM 3R | ADO 2R | DNQ | EDG 2R | EDT 2R | ||||||||
| 2015 | GDC DNQ | GDT 1R | GDM 3R | DNQ | EDO 1R | Did not qualify | ||||||||
| 2016 | DDM DNQ | GDM 1R | GDT DNQ | EDM 1R | Did not qualify | |||||||||
| 2017 | GDC DNQ | GDM 1R | Did not qualify | GDG 1R | DNQ | |||||||||
| 2018 | Did not qualify | GDC 2R | DNQ | EDT 1R | ||||||||||
| 2019 | EDO DNQ | GDC 2R | DNQ | ADO 1R | Did not qualify | CDO 3R | Did not qualify | |||||||
| 2022 | Did not qualify | EDO 2R | CDO DNQ | EDG 3R | DDC SF | DNQ | BDO F | GDT DNQ | ||||||
| 2023 | DNQ | IDO 2R | GDG QF | ADO 3R | DDC 3R | BDO 2R | CDO 3R | EDG 2R | EDM 2R | GDO QF | HDT 1R | GDC DNQ | ||
| 2024 | BDO 1R | GDG 1R | IDO 1R | EDG 1R | ADO 2R | BSD 3R | DDC 2R | EDO 1R | GDC 3R | FDT 2R | HDT 2R | SDT 2R | CDO DNQ | |
| 2025 | BDO DNQ | EDT 2R | IDO 3R | GDG 2R | ADO 1R | EDG F | DDC 1R | EDO 3R | BSD WD | FDT 1R | CDO 2R | HDT 1R | SDT 1R | GDC 1R |
PDC Players Championships
| Performance Table Legend | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | Won the tournament | F | Finalist | SF | Semifinalist | QF | Quarterfinalist | #R RR Prel. | Lost in # round Round-robin Preliminary round | DQ | Disqualified |
| DNQ | Did not qualify | DNP | Did not participate | WD | Withdrew | NH | Tournament not held | NYF | Not yet founded | ||