Darts career
2005–2007: Early career
Tabern joined the Professional Darts Corporation in 2005, making his televised debut at the UK Open. A left-handed player, he made his World Championship debut the following year, defeating Alex Roy in the first round before losing to Mark Dudbridge.
In March 2006, Tabern won the North West Regional Final of the UK Open qualifiers, defeating Steve Maish in the final. He subsequently reached the semi-finals of the 2006 UK Open, beating Denis Ovens and Andy Callaby in the last 16 and quarter-finals respectively, before losing 11–9 to Barrie Bates. This remained his best result at the tournament.
Tabern achieved his best World Championship result at the 2007 tournament, defeating Alan Warriner-Little, Denis Ovens and Dave Askew to reach the quarter-finals. He was subsequently beaten 5–0 by eventual champion Raymond van Barneveld. At the 2008 World Championship, held in December 2007, he defeated Per Laursen and Andy Jenkins before losing a closely contested third-round match 4–3 to Phil Taylor.
2008: Career peak
The 2008 season was the most successful of Tabern's career on the PDC Pro Tour. He won three Players Championship titles, claiming his first in Wigan in March, followed by victories in Atlanta in August and Newport in September. These results helped him break into the top ten of the PDC Order of Merit for the first time, ending the year ranked ninth in the world.
Tabern also enjoyed several notable performances in televised tournaments. At the 2008 Las Vegas Desert Classic, he defeated defending champion Raymond van Barneveld 8–4 in the second round before losing to Peter Manley in the quarter-finals. At the 2008 World Matchplay, he defeated reigning world champion John Part to reach another quarter-final, where he was narrowly beaten by Dennis Priestley. He also reached the last eight of the 2008 UK Open and the inaugural European Championship.
At the 2008 Grand Slam of Darts, Tabern won two of his three group matches but finished level with Andy Hamilton on both points and leg difference. The two players contested the first televised nine-dart shootout to determine who would advance to the knockout stage. Hamilton won 265–169, eliminating Tabern from the tournament.
2009–2017: Decline and Challenge Tour success
Tabern remained a regular participant in major PDC tournaments during the following seasons, although he was unable to reproduce his success from 2008. He reached the second round of the World Championship in four consecutive editions between 2009 and 2012, losing to Co Stompé, Mark Dudbridge, Mark Walsh and Paul Nicholson respectively. His results gradually declined, and he lost his PDC Tour Card at the end of the 2013 season.
In 2014, Tabern competed on the PDC Challenge Tour, where he enjoyed a successful season. He won three events, Challenge Tour 3, 8 and 9, and finished second in the final Order of Merit behind Mark Frost. His performance earned him a two-year Tour Card for the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
After failing to retain his Tour Card, Tabern returned to the Challenge Tour in 2017. He reached the final of Challenge Tour 7, losing to Mark Dudbridge, before winning Challenge Tour 20 in Wigan with a 5–3 victory over Adam Smith-Neale. He finished sixth in the season's Order of Merit, having earned £5,200 in prize money.
2018–2021: Return to the Pro Tour
In January 2018, at the age of 51, Tabern regained his PDC Tour Card at Q-School in Wigan. He won eight matches on the second day of competition, securing a place on the professional circuit for the 2018 and 2019 seasons after a one-year absence.
During the 2018 season, Tabern reached the third round of two PDC European Tour events, the German Darts Grand Prix and the German Darts Open. He also qualified for the 2019 PDC World Darts Championship, marking his first appearance at the event since 2012. In the first round, played in December 2018, he defeated Australian Raymond Smith 3–2 before losing 3–1 to world number one Michael van Gerwen.
Following a difficult 2019 season, Tabern lost his Tour Card again. However, he immediately regained it through the UK Q-School Order of Merit in January 2020, securing another two years on the PDC Pro Tour.
Tabern reached the fifth round of the 2020 UK Open, but struggled to achieve consistent results during his final two-year spell as a Tour Card holder. In November 2021, he qualified for the 2021 Players Championship Finals, where he lost 6–4 to Jonny Clayton in the first round. He subsequently lost his Tour Card at the end of the season.
2022–2024: Later career
Tabern returned to the Challenge Tour in 2022 and continued competing in 2023, but did not regain his PDC Tour Card. He also competed on the World Seniors Darts Tour, reaching the final of the fifth Open Series event in Manchester in October 2022. After defeating Andy Hamilton 6–4 in the semi-finals, he narrowly lost 6–5 to Darren Johnson in the final.
Tabern continued his attempts to return to the professional circuit, including appearances at PDC Q-School in 2023 and 2024, but did not secure another Tour Card.
