English · Swinton, South Yorkshire, England · Born 10 February 1981English darts player nicknamed 'Over the Top' who reached the BDO World Championship final as a debutant in 2011.
Born in Swinton, South Yorkshire, on 10 February 1981, Dean Winstanley enjoyed a rapid rise through the BDO ranks in 2010, winning the German Open, England Open and Belgium Open in the same year. Those results earned him fourth seed status at that year's Winmau World Masters, where he reached the quarter-finals. Winstanley's breakthrough came at the 2011 BDO World Championship, where as a debutant he survived two match darts against Martin Atkins in the first round before beating Robbie Green, Stephen Bunting and Jan Dekker to reach the final, becoming one of only a handful of players to reach a World Championship final on debut. He lost the final but his run remains one of the more remarkable Lakeside debuts of the era. He switched to the PDC in 2012, reaching the last 16 of the World Championship in 2015 and the semi-finals of the Grand Slam of Darts in 2012, though a major PDC title continued to elude him. His career suffered a serious setback in November 2016, when he was fined and suspended by the PDC for inappropriate behaviour at an event, costing him his tour card. Winstanley, married to fellow professional Lorraine Winstanley, continued to compete sporadically in WDF events into the early 2020s without recapturing his earlier form.
Reaching the BDO World Championship final as a debutant in 2011
How They Played
Attacking, high-scoring player
Lasting Impact
Remembered as a hugely promising talent whose career was disrupted after a fast rise