The Top Dart Palyers:Phil "The Power" Taylor
Phil "The Power" Taylor The sport of darts has never had it so good and one thing's for sure - a certain Philip Taylor has played a huge part in the amazing tungsten success story... darts wouldn't be where it is today without the greatest player ever. And in 2008, the world has witnessed the second coming of 'The Power'.
After crashing out of the World Championship and struggling at the start of the Premier League, the critics were writing Phil Taylor and his achievements into the darting history books. But that's all the motivation he needed to storm back with some of the best individual performances ever seen - culminating in glory in back-to-back 'Majors' when he won the Las Vegas Desert Classic and World Matchplay in the space of three weeks.
New darts... a new start... a new hunger and a new desire saw Taylor prove the doubters wrong yet again after he claimed a 4th consecutive Premier League crown earlier in the year. And he warned: "There is more to come!" Time and time again he has raised the bar and he now believes he can consistently push his match average up to between 115 and 120! In Vegas, he beat fellow Unicorn star James Wade by 13 legs to 7 and in Blackpool, there was simply no stopping him. 'The Power' was at full voltage!
Again, he beat Wade in the final - this time by 18 legs to 9 but that only tells half the story. From 4-7 down, Taylor won 12 out of the next 13 legs... his average was 109.47, which is the highest ever to win a the final of a PDC 'Major' and he won it by producing one of the most remarkable shots ever seen. Taylor triumphed on a 132 finish but his winning dart at the bull was quite incredible. The target was blocked, so he stepped four feet to the right of the oche and nailed the bull right in the middle!
And now 'The Power' has set his sights even higher in the sport, which has given him fame and fortune, by pledging to play on until at least 2013, after signing a brand new five-year contract with Unicorn. "I will finish my career with Unicorn," he said. "They are the best in the business and I am determined to be the best in the business for a few years yet," he vowed. 'The Power' stormed to success in the Premier League for a 4th consecutive year - beating James Wade in the final at Cardiff... and in his semi-final victory over Adrian Lewis, Taylor set a new PL average of 112.68
He also won an incredible six tournaments during the month of March and then made history again at the UK Open, when he banged in his 4th 'live' 9-darter at the tournament and also set a new world record average for any TV tournament in the history of the sport. Taylor has also reclaimed the coveted World No.1 position - knocking Raymond Van Barneveld off top spot, despite a heartbreaking last leg defeat against the Dutchman in the quarter-finals at the UK Open for a third consecutive year.
That amazing fourth 9-darter at The Reebok came against Jamie Harvey and earned Taylor a £25,000 bonus... the world record average came against Unicorn stablemate Wes Newton... 114.53 and according to Taylor with 'power' to add. "I honestly believe that I can consistently average 115 and 116 during matches and it's all about improving all the time," he said. Taylor has also won the prized US Open for a second consecutive year in May 2008. He lost only one set at the tournament in Connecticut and brushed aside Colin Lloyd in the final to add another big title to the long, long list!
Taylor though, had endured the roughest patch of his illustrious career - he hadn't won a PDC ranking 'Major' TV tournament since beating Terry Jenkins to take the World Grand Prix crown in Dublin in October 2006... that of course, all changed with his victories in Vegas and Blackpool in July 2008. With Unicorn's support, Taylor experimented with new darts and now it seems, he struck tungsten gold! The 13 times World Champion has settled on a set of darts which are based on the John Lowe Golden Hero arrows and he is now better than ever!
"It was hard for me not winning the big tournaments, especially the World Championship but now I believe I can win at least two more titles at the Alexandra Palace," he said. Throughout this so-called 'barren spell' Taylor still produced some magical moments and tournament wins that any other player would be more than happy with... but not 'The Power - The Perfectionist!"
He won the 2007 Premier League with victory over Terry Jenkins in the final... he beat Raymond Van Barneveld to win the US Open in Connecticut and defeated Denis Ovens to lift the German Darts Championship... there were six other victories on the PDC Pro Tour and of course, Taylor became the first ever Grand Slam Champion, as big-time darts returned to ITV in November 2007. And Taylor is still as popular as ever with the darts-mad supporters... he was named PDC Fans Player of the Year for 2007.
"Obviously, it was hugely disappointing for me to go so long without winning one of those big 'Majors' on Sky Sports but I know there are more big wins out there for me and the biggest one of all is that World Championship. I can feel it in my bones that I will be World Champion again," he said.
His triumph at the Grand Slam was a personal triumph for 'The Power' after that much-publicised barren spell... unbeaten in his group, he then saw off Gary Mawson, John Part and BDO star Gary Anderson in a thrilling semi-final... it was some revenge for the heavy defeat Taylor suffered against Anderson at the final of the World Darts Trophy in Utrecht in September 2007... and don't forget Taylor won the World Darts Trophy in 2006 - thrashing Martin Adams in the final.
'The Power' was certainly switched on in the Grand Slam Final - beating Unicorn's Andy Hamilton by 18 legs to 11 in Wolverhampton to claim the title and a cheque for £80,000. In fact the greatest darts player in history is a man on a mission after losing his treasured World Championship title to Raymond Van Barneveld... it seems 13 World crowns isn't enough for 'The Power'!
But that defeat was the start of the un-Taylor like run! He lost to Barney at the UK Open Final, was beaten by Mark Dudbridge at the Las Vegas Desert Classic, lost in the semi-finals of the World Matchplay to Terry Jenkins and then Taylor was stunned by Adrian Gray in the 1st Round of the 2007 World Grand Prix. That was the turning point. Taylor revealed: "I sat back stage thinking it was all over and there was nothing more I could do. Then it occurred to me that I was sulking and decided to do what it took to get back on track."
A new fitness regime certainly helped. The Unicorn star is now addicted to the gym and is shedding the pounds on a monthly basis. Taylor hit some form to win the Grand Slam but was well below his best at the 2008 World Championship... he had three great escapes against Michael Van Gerwen, Mark Walsh and Alan Tabern and defeat followed in the quarter-finals against Wayne Mardle, after The Power lost a three set lead to lose by 5 sets to 4 in the tie-break.
But 2008 is another year and he is desperate to make it 'The Year of The Power'! It seems he is well on the way to doing just that! He is a master craftsman and his rivalry with Barneveld has certainly gripped the sport.
Since Barney made the switch to the PDC Ranks in February 2006, it has developed into something special. Taylor is unbeaten against the Dutchman in the Premier League…h(huán)e has beaten him in the final of the US Open and at the World Grand Prix. Barney has won twice in the quarter-finals of the UK Open, the semi-finals of the Desert Classic in Las Vegas and the one that hurt Taylor the most - the 2007 Ladbrokes.com World Championship Final, which will be forever known as 'The Greatest Game'.
Taylor was 3 sets to nil in front and looked to be cruising to a 14th World Crown, before the fightback started on a quite amazing night at the world famous Circus Tavern. At 6 sets all and 5 legs apiece, it went to a sudden death final leg shoot-out, which of course Barney won.
"We are great friends but great rivals once the serious business starts and there is always something special in the air every time we play. It is a great darting occasion!"
Taylor crushed Barney twice in the 2008 Premier League but the Dutchman won at the UK Open - taking out 109 to win another nail-biting last leg decider. So, Darts first millionaire faces a huge challenge and when Taylor sets targets, he always achieves them. Taylor suffered one of his heaviest defeats in years at the 2007 UK Open, when he lost 11 legs to 4 to Barneveld, who went on to win the title for a second consecutive year but it was at that tournament that he wowed the crowd with his 5th perfect 9-darter on 'live' TV.
He achieved darts holy grail for the third time at the Reebok against Wes Newton, which earned him a £20,000 bonus. His other 9-darters at Bolton came against Matt Chapman and Roland Scholten. He also hit a 9-darter in May 2007 at the International Darts League in Holland to win a car, which he promptly gave away! But Taylor will always be remembered for the first ever 9-darter on 'live' television.
Taylor's remarkable record in the Premier League was finally ended in Glasgow in 2008. Of course his victory over Terry Jenkins in the 2007 final in Brighton clinched a hat-trick of Premier League crowns…and stretched his unbeaten run in the tournament to an amazing 44 matches…and there was the little matter of a record winners cheque of £75,000... ..Taylor's overall average throughout 16 matches in the 2007 event was over the 100 mark!
But he was eventually beaten on the opening night of 2008 by James Wade... in the end though, it didn't matter as Taylor got revenge by beating the Unicorn youngster 16-8 in the Cardiff final, with an average of 108.36 and another cheque for £100,000! His 13th World Championship crown came with a 7 sets to nil victory over Peter Manley in the 2006 Final at the Circus Tavern and Taylor is convinced that more will follow, as darts continues to grow at a rapid pace... by the 2010 tournament, the prize fund will be an amazing £1 million, with £250,000 to the winner.
That win over Manley actually took Taylor's earnings from darts tournaments over that magical £1 million barrier! One of Taylor's greatest achievements didn't even produce a trophy but he rates it as "one of the proudest moments of my life". He was nominated for BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2006. And in 2007, Taylor was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Staffordshire, as well as being featured on many TV programmes, including Inside Sport on BBC1
Unicorn and Taylor form the perfect partnership - both are winners and leaders in their field. It's a darting double act which will run and run. "I want at least two more World Titles. To do Darts Grand Slam is still a huge target for me and I still haven't managed to hit a 9-dart finish at the World Championships, so that is definitely on my hit list!" His record of those amazing 13 World Championship Titles will never be beaten. It is incredible to believe 'The Power' only started lighting up the world of darts at the age of 28 but after nearly two decades, he has no equal. He has major titles at Blackpool, Bolton, Dublin and Vegas... on numerous occasions!
Year after year, Taylor raises the barrier and rewrites the history books... that magical first ever 9-dart finish live on television will forever live in the memory and of course, he has achieved darts holy grail four more times since, to leave his indelible mark on the sport. It was back in August 2002 that Taylor scooped £100,000 for the first amazing feat. It happened during the World Matchplay Championships against Chris Mason in Blackpool.
"It means so much to nail those 9-darters," he said. "It has been the icing on the cake and now I want another one! Nobody has ever achieved a 9-darter at the World Championships. Some have come close but to do it at the Alexandra Palace would be very special." Now darts first millionaire, it is all a far cry from the days when he was earning £50 a week working in a factory making ceramic toilet handles. Taylor has deserved all he has made from the sport, because he has been instrumental in catapulting darts into the limelight.
"The money is important because it has given my family stability. I know what it is like to have nothing, or very little, so it has taught me to appreciate what I have now." He admitted. Taylor added: "Who would have thought that a lad from The Potteries could achieve the things I have managed to do." Married to Yvonne, Phil still lives in his beloved Stoke-on-Trent and the couple has four children.
That list of achievements is phenomenal for the Team Unicorn star. Those 13 World Championships, nine World Matchplay crowns and a seven-times winner of the World Grand Prix. He has won four Las Vegas Desert Classic titles, two UK Open crowns and Taylor blitzed Colin Lloyd to win the inaugural darts Premier League, live on Sky Sports in 2005 and followed that up by beating Roland Scholten in 2006 and Terry Jenkins in 2007. Add to that the World Darts Trophy, the World Masters, the News of the World title and those memorable victories over Raymond Van Barneveld and Andy Fordham in darts head-to-head clashes, plus hundreds of other tournament wins.
These days, Taylor admits he has got his life back. "All those months and years travelling on the exhibition circuit took its toll," he explained. "My family is very important to me, so now I pick and choose exhibitions and tournaments. I am a Grandad now and it puts everything into perspective. Seeing my Grandson Matthew grow up is what life is all about."
The relationship with Unicorn has also proved an inspiration to Taylor. "There is no doubt the company is number one and they are not just sponsors, they are friends. They have never let me down and I want to carry on repaying them," he said. Taylor has become a celebrity in his own right, appearing regularly on TV shows like 'A Question of Sport', The Weakest Link, Eggheads, Hard Spell and the Bulleseye Gameshow Marathon with Vernon Kay.
His autobiography 'The Power' was co-written by Unicorn's Sid Waddell and was a bestseller. He has also appeared in a pop video, featuring the former lead singer of The Darkness Justin Hawkins, where the pop star beats 'The Power' in a World Final! He has also opened a new sporting trophy and memorabilia shop in his hometown Stoke, which helps him take his mind off darts and the pressures that come with it. Taylor admitted the time he put into the business has affected his darts. "Family always come first," he said. "But now the shop is all sorted and it is time to start hammering the practice board. I want those big titles again."
It has been an unbelievable journey from 1990, when as a 125 to 1 unknown, Taylor thrashed his mentor Eric Bristow 6-1 to win his first World title at The Lakeside. He has been described as one of the best sportsmen that Britain has ever seen... nobody will argue with that. Time after time, Philip Taylor raises the bar and sets new standards. There are those who say that without Taylor, the sport of darts wouldn't be where it is today. He has helped to take the sport into the spotlight and the media coverage has never been greater
There really is only one Philip Taylor!
What he will achieve in the period of his new contract with Unicorn remains to be seen but one thing's for sure - there will be plenty more big titles between now and 2013.
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