Warren French

{{short description|New Zealand darts player}} {{for|the American politician and businessman|Warren B. French}} {{Use British English|date=September 2012}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}} {{Infobox darts player | name = Warren French | image = | fullname = Warren French | caption = | nickname = "Frog" | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1963|03|26|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Ashburton, New Zealand|Ashburton]], New Zealand | death_date = | death_place = | hometown = | since = 1988 | darts = 25g Shot | laterality = Right-handed | music = "[[Welcome to the Jungle]]" by [[Guns N' Roses]] | BDO = | PDC = 2006–2024 | WDF = | currentrank = | BDO World = | World Masters = | World Darts Trophy = | Int. Darts League = | PDC World = Last 64: 2007, 2009, 2012 | Matchplay = | Grand Prix = | UK Open = | Vegas = | Premier League = | results = {{aligned table|leftright=y|fullwidth=y|class=nowrap | '''Canterbury Open'''| 2009 | '''PDC World New Zealand Qualifying Event'''| 2008 }} | achievement = | updated = }}

'''Warren French''' (born 26 March 1963) is a New Zealand former professional [[darts]] player. He used the nickname '''Frog''' for his matches.

==Career==

French reached the final of the 2006 New Zealand Open, losing to former world champion [[Tony David]]. He played in the [[2007 PDC World Darts Championship]], losing 3–1 in the first round to [[James Wade]]. French won the 2008 New Zealand National Championship which earned him a place in the [[2009 PDC World Darts Championship]]. He won his preliminary match against Japan's national champion [[Akihiro Nagakawa]] and was then trounced 3–0 by [[Dennis Priestley]] in the first round.

The match with Nagakawa is widely considered to be the worst match ever in the history of either the PDC or BDO World Championships, where both players averaged 54. The standard was so poor, that Sky Sports stopped broadcasting it halfway through.

French qualified for the [[2012 PDC World Darts Championship]]. He played the Republic of Ireland's [[Connie Finnan]] in the preliminary round, and won 4–3 with an average of 85.88, a vast improvement on his 2009 performance. French played [[Mark Walsh (darts player)|Mark Walsh]] in the first round and, although he won the first set, would go on to lose the match 1–3.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.pdc.tv/page/NewsdeskDetail/0,,10180~2551711,00.html | title=World Championship – Night Four | publisher=[[Professional Darts Corporation|PDC]] | date=18 December 2011 | accessdate=18 December 2011 | archive-date=15 April 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415175339/http://www.pdc.tv/page/NewsdeskDetail/0,,10180~2551711,00.html | url-status=dead }}</ref> French represented New Zealand with [[Preston Ridd]] in the [[2012 PDC World Cup of Darts]] and together they were beaten 3–5 by Austria in the first round.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.pdc.tv/page/PDCWorldCupArticle/0,,10180~2598931,00.html | title=Cash Converters World Cup RD1 | publisher=[[Professional Darts Corporation|PDC]] | date=3 February 2012 | accessdate=3 February 2012 | archive-date=6 February 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206031856/http://www.pdc.tv/page/PDCWorldCupArticle/0,,10180~2598931,00.html | url-status=dead }}</ref>

==World Championship results==

===PDC===

* 2007: First round (lost to [[James Wade]] 1–3) (sets) * 2009: First round (lost to [[Dennis Priestley]] 0–3) * 2012: First round (lost to [[Mark Walsh (darts player)|Mark Walsh]] 1–3)

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{Dartsdatabase|id=1421|name=Warren French}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20120406211250/http://www.pdc.tv/page/WorldChampsDetail/0,,10180~1494376,00.html pdc.tv]

{{DEFAULTSORT:French, Warren}} [[Category:New Zealand darts players]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:1963 births]] [[Category:Sportspeople from Ashburton, New Zealand]] [[Category:Professional Darts Corporation associate players]] [[Category:PDC World Cup of Darts team New Zealand]] [[Category:21st-century New Zealand sportsmen]]