Only two darts players have ever thrown a 'Triple Robin Hood' on TV

For over a decade, John Bowles was the only darts player in history to hit a so-called "Triple Robin Hood" at a televised tournament.

Bowles, who made his television debut at the 2011 UK Open, won a two-year PDC Pro Tour card in 2012 before going on to beat the likes of Vincent van der Voort, Peter Manley and Steve Beaton, amongst others.

He also competed at the 2013 World Darts Championship, a tournament in which he achieved one of the rarest feats in the sport – a "Triple Robin Hood".

In fact, according to his Wikipedia page, Bowles is best known for that unintentional moment at the Alexandra Palace.

For those unaware, a “Triple Robin Hood” in the sport is an extremely rare feat where all three arrows stack on top of each other, often splitting or lodging into the previously thrown dart.

Bowles, who went on to suffer a narrow 4-3 defeat against former world champion Gary Anderson, looked perplexed at scoring 60, as did Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle.

Rob Collins became the second player to hit a "Triple Robin Hood" on TV

Back in April 2024, Collins became the second player to accidentally throw a “triple Robin Hood” at a televised event, when he achieved the feat in a MODUS Super Series clash against Adam Lipscombe.

In the fourth leg of his match with Lipscombe, he stacked his second and third darts on top of each other, a moment that stunned those in the commentary box.

"Oh my word. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a double Robin Hood," said one commentator, before another butted in: “It’s the triple Robin Hood.”

Here's how fans reacted to the rare feat.

One said: "Anybody else think it should be a 180," and a second commented: "How did his opponent not even react to that?"

A third added: "John Bowles will be proud of that one."

Mark Webster, a former BDO champion who has since become a pundit on Sky Sports, has previously described the Robin Hood as "very unfortunate", but those who have hit the shot will go down in the history books.