Mervyn King broke down in tears on the last day of UK Qualifying School in Milton Keynes after reclaiming his PDC Tour Card two years after losing it in 2024. The soon-to-be 60-year-old will return to the professional circuit less than 12 months after being declared bankrupt.
King told The Sun back in March last year that he owed HMRC “north of £500,000” after failing to pay tax for 20 years. He has received £2million in prize money during his career, but mistakenly believed the income from darts was winnings rather than earnings, so King did not inform the tax authorities.
A year on, the seven-time PDC major finalist finished second in the UK Qualifying School Rankings List after losing to Charlie Manby in the last four with automatic qualification on the line. The veteran won 10 games, a total only Stephen Burton topped with 14.
Asked afterwards how he was feeling, King said: “If you don’t know now, you never will,” before wiping away tears from his eyes and exhaling deeply. “It means the world to me. I fought hard every day, and things didn’t go my way. Today was the last shot saloon, and everything had to go today. I wouldn’t say everything went my way, but it was slightly easier. Some shots went my way when I really needed them.
“Even though I’m shedding a few tears, I’m one of the happiest guys you’ll ever see at the moment.” King added: “To actually make that step and to get back on tour is something really serious for me; it’s fantastic.
“I still think I’ve got something to offer the game, so that’s why I’m here, and that’s why I’ve been trying, because I don’t think I’m finished yet. I think I’ve got some great games to offer on TV and stuff, so that’s why I keep going, because I don’t think I’m done yet.”
Speaking to The Sun in March last year after being made insolvent, King said: “Over the past four or five years, I haven’t slept a lot at night, worrying about this. The trouble is you think the gravy train will last forever, and it doesn’t. I cannot turn back time, unfortunately.”
He explained: “For want of a better word, I was quite naive when it came to tax. Believe it or not, I actually thought that with it being winnings, I didn’t have to pay tax on it, because it wasn’t earnings as such.”
King continued: “When I found out I should be paying tax, I was already x-number of pounds in debt to HMRC. It gets to a couple of years down the line, and I’m in even more debt to HMRC. You think, ‘How the hell am I going to be able to pay this?’. It has been a very scary thing.
He concluded: “I was then waiting for that big win, that really big win, so I could square everything up. Obviously, that was not the case.”