Phil Taylor (darts player)

For other people named Phil Taylor (darts player), see Phil Taylor (darts player) (disambiguation).

Phil Taylor
Personal information
Full name	Philip Douglas Taylor
Nickname	The Power
Born
Home town	Stoke-on-Trent
Darts information
Darts	25 gr. Unicorn Phil Taylor
Walk-on music	The Power (1990) by Snap!
Organisation (see split in darts)
BDO	1988 to 1993
PDC	founder member (1992/93)
Current world ranking	1
WDF major events – best performances
World Ch'ship	Winner 1990, 1992
World Masters	Winner 1990
World Trophy	Winner 2006
Int. Darts League	QF 2006
PDC premier events – best performances
World Ch'ship	Winner 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006
World Matchplay	Winner 1995, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006
World Grand Prix	Winner 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006
UK Open	Winner 2003, 2005
Premier League	Winner 2005, 2006, 2007
Desert Classic	Winner 2002, 2004, 2005
US Open/WSoD	Winner 2007
Other tournament wins
Tournament	Years
News of the World Greene King Masters PDC World Pairs PDC UK Matchplay Masters of Darts World Series of Darts Europe Cup Singles UK Open Regional UK Open Regional UK Open Reg. (South) Players Ch'ship Players Ch'ship Players Ch (Sat) Players Ch (Sun) Bobby Bourne Memorial Denmark Open Finland Open	1996 2007 1994 1996 2005 2006 1990, 1992 2002, 2004, 2006 2004 2003, 2007 2005, 2006 2005, 2006, 2007 2006, 2007 2006, 2007 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 1990 1990
Other achievements
1999 - Wins "Match of the Century" v BDO World Champion, Raymond van Barneveld 2002 Achieves his first televised nine dart finish at World Matchplay 2004 Becomes first player to hit a second televised nine-dart finish 2004 Wins second Champion v Champion challenge v BDO World Champion, Andy Fordham 2005 Hits third televised nine-dart finish 2006 PDC Player of the year 2007 Fourth televised nine-darter in IDL in the Netherlands 2007 Fifth televised nine-darter in 2007 UK Open at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton
Updated on November 12, 2007.

Philip Douglas Taylor (born August 13, 1960) is a multi world champion darts player. His nickname is The Power. His 13 World Championship titles makes him the most successful darts player of all-time.

Life and career

Born in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent to Douglas and Elizabeth Taylor, he left school at the age of 16 and quickly entered work at JF Sale and Co. in Burslem. Between jobs there were moments of unemployment, but Phil indulged in his favourite hobby - darts. It was his playing in the pubs of Stoke-on-Trent that brought him to the attention of Eric Bristow, one of the most popular and well known figures in the game in the 1980s. Bristow decided to sponsor Phil to the tune of £10,000 on the condition that it had to be repaid. With this money Phil could practise and enter low-level tournaments.

By 1990, he qualified to play in the World Championships for the first time - and beat Russell Stewart, Dennis Hickling, Ronnie Sharp and Cliff Lazarenko on his way to the final. In the final he met his mentor Eric Bristow and proceeded to hammer him 6 sets to 0. The defence of his title ended in the quarter-finals to Dennis Priestley who went on to win his first world title and that would be the first of many clashes between the two players. Taylor went on to win the other major in the game - the Winmau World Masters in 1990 to become only the third player to hold both titles at the same time.

Taylor regained the World Championship in 1992 after a final which Taylor still lists as the favourite of his illustrious career. . It was a classic encounter against Mike Gregory which went right down a tie-break leg in the final set of the match.

Taylor lost in the second round of the 1993 World Championship to Kevin Spiolek in the year that darts would suffer a devastating split in the game. The sport had lost many sponsors and almost all television coverage and Taylor was amongst the top 16 players that would lead to the creation of a new organisation to run its tournaments - the World Darts Council which later became the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).

Taylor lost to Dennis Priestley in the first ever WDC World Championship in 1994 - but would then go on to dominate the event for next decade and beyond. As darts enjoyed a resurgence Taylor's career went from strength to strength and he has now clocked up 11 PDC World Championships to bring his haul to 13 world titles. This included the 2001 trouncing of John Part when he averaged 107 with each visit to the board and 72.5% checkout rate---one of the best performances ever seen.

Taylor has faced the incumbent BDO World Champion in challenge matches on two occasions. In 1999, he beat Raymond van Barneveld by 21 legs to 10 in a one-hour challenge dubbed "The Match of the Century" at the Wembley Conference Centre. In 2004, he beat Andy Fordham having led 5-2 (sets) when the match was abandoned due to Fordham complaining of feeling unwell.

Taylor's overall list of titles is unprecedented. As well as 13 World Championships, he has won eight World Matchplays, seven World Grand Prix, three Las Vegas Desert Classics, two UK Opens, three Premier Leagues (remaining unbeaten in 44 matches) and one World Series Of Darts title. He has even won a BDO title in 2006, the World Darts Trophy, when the Dutch organisers invited PDC players for the first time.

Nine-dart finishes

Taylor has often talked in interviews and his autobiography about his quests to achieve the perfect leg of darts - a nine dart finish.

He finally made television history by achieving the feat for the first time on live television in 2002, at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, Lancashire, during his quarter final match against Chris Mason in the Stan James World Matchplay Championship. He hit 7 consecutive treble 20s, followed by treble 19 and double 12.

In 2004, he repeated the feat in Bolton again live on television during a match in the UK Open Championship, making him the only player in the game's history ever to have achieved the feat more than once on television.

On 12 June, 2005 he achieved his third 9 Darter on television, during a semi final clash in the 2005 UK Open Championship. He hit seven treble twenties followed by treble 19 and double 12. He went on to win the competition beating Mark Walsh in the final.

Taylor also managed to achieve a nine-darter on Dutch television on May 8, 2007 at the 2007 International Darts League against Raymond van Barneveld. His prize for this achievement was an Opel Tigra Twin Top valued at €26,000. Taylor then donated the prize to a friend, Raymond Penninkhof from Pendon Darts who had been involved in an accident the previous weekend and had his van written off.

On June 9, 2007 at the UK Open, Taylor achieved a nine dart finish in his fifth round match against Wes Newton. It was his fifth televised perfect game and the third time he had achieved it at the UK Open in Bolton. He hit seven treble twenties followed by treble 19 and double 12. He earned a £20,000 bonus for his achievement, which was given to him by the PDC. Taylor went on to win the game 11-5.

• Video of Phil Taylor's 9 dart finish v Chris Mason - World Matchplay 2002 at the 2002 World Matchplay Darts
• Video of Phil Taylor's 9 dart finish v Roland Scholten - UK Open 2005 at the UK Open 2005
• Video of Phil Taylor's 4th televised 9 dart finish v Raymond van Barneveld at the 2007 International Darts League

Professional setbacks

Before the formation of the PDC, Taylor suffered two defeats at the BDO World Championship, a 1991 quarter final to Dennis Priestley and a 1993 second round match to Kevin Spiolek. These losses are not often recalled because it wasn't until the PDC was formed and his tremendous run of success that subsequent defeats and setbacks have become more notable.

He has lost only three matches at the PDC World Championships since its inception in 1994, and has reached the final in each of its 14 years to-date. His 1994 defeat to Dennis Priestley, the 2003 defeat to John Part, and his 2007 final loss to Raymond van Barneveld prove that he is human and that there are always threats to his dominance.

His 7-6 defeat to van Barneveld at the 2007 World Championship Final came after losing a sudden-death tiebreak. Taylor had many opportunities to win this match having led 3-0, 4-2 and 5-3. After the tournament, Taylor believed that he lacked the stamina necessary for him to have won and began a new health and fitness regime.

The World Grand Prix is possibly the tournament that Phil has suffered the most surprising defeats of his career. The unusual format of the tournament is that players must start a leg on a double and play shorter first round matches (best of 3 sets). Taylor has three times suffered first round defeats in this event. He lost to qualifier Kevin Painter in 2001, to Andy Callaby in 2004, and to Adrian Gray in 2007. On the other seven occasions that he has progressed through the first round, Taylor has won the tournament.

He lost four matches in televised tournaments during the first half of 2006. This was unique for Taylor's record, who had not lost two major events in a row in 13 years. He lost to Jelle Klaasen and Simon Whitlock in the International Darts League tournament in Holland and twice in a row to Raymond van Barneveld in the UK Open and the Las Vegas Desert Classic.

2007 is proving to be Taylor's most barren run for major title success. Having lost his World Championship title on New Year's Day, he also suffered defeats at the IDL and WDT in Holland, the UK Open in Bolton, Las Vegas Desert Classic, World Matchplay in Blackpool, and the Grand Prix in Dublin. He currently holds none of the five Sky televised major trophies for the first time since the PDC started in 1994 - although he did clinch the 2007 Premier League. A heavy 4-11 loss in Bolton to van Barneveld and shock defeats by Mark Dudbridge in Vegas and then to Adrian Gray in Dublin led to Taylor saying that he would have to "think about his career", before later vowing he would continue until 2012.

Rivalries

Further information: [[:Taylor-Barneveld rivalry]]

The split in darts possibly cost the game of the rivalries that existed between Bristow, Lowe, Wilson and others during the eighties. The greatest rivalry was possibly between the two organisations instead of between players. But Taylor has had at least two great rivals during his career. First of all Dennis Priestley, who beat Taylor in the first ever PDC final would go on to contest a total of five World Finals with the Power. Overall though Taylor came out on top in their battles winning the other four world titles and several other major clashes during the subsequent years. Priestley's 1994 World Title victory over Taylor was his last head-to-head win on television.

Taylor's current great rival is Raymond van Barneveld. Whilst Taylor was clocking up World titles in the PDC, van Barneveld was amassing four in the BDO. Darts was denied a great rivalry as the two players were unable to compete against each other regularly due to the split in the game. That was until Barneveld's switch to the PDC in 2006. Already they have produced several great battles as they traded victories during 2006, with two wins apiece and a drawn match.

Van Barneveld was initially on top in 2007, winning the world title in January and beating Taylor 3-0 at the Masters of Darts in the Netherlands in February. Taylor then regained the initiative by winning their first 2007 Premier League match between the two 8-6 at the Hallam FM Arena in Sheffield having been 1-5 down at the interval, a three-dart average of 115 for the last six legs helped him overcome the deficit. Taylor also defeated the Dutchman in their second Premier League contest 8-5 at the Birmingham NIA in May. This was followed by a 7-4 win over van Barneveld in the International Darts League at Nijmegen, also in May, in which Taylor delivered a nine dart finish. In the final of the inaugural US Open at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut, Taylor beat his rival by 4 sets to 1. But the run of Taylor victories ended in the quarter finals of the UK Open at Bolton in June when Taylor lost 11-4 to van Barneveld - one of his heaviest ever defeats. However, in their most recent encounter, in the final of the South African Masters in Johannesberg on 30 September, Taylor bounced back with an 8-6 win over the Dutchman.

In the aftermath of his 2007 defeat to van Barneveld in the PDC World Championship, Taylor adopted a stricter fitness regime and changed his darts in an effort to regain the upper hand in his rivalry with the Dutchman, a regime that is being followed by the regional news programme Midlands Today. He has since returned to his older darts, but has maintained his new dietary and training regime. The two remain great friends, frequently embracing following the conclusion of matches.

Outside darts

Phil is a family man and has four children - Lisa, Chris, Kelly and Natalie - to wife Yvonne. His popularity among darts fans has led to increasing business opportunities - such as writing his autobiography (with Sky TV darts commentator Sid Waddell).

The one beamish on Taylor's career is an incident after a 1999 exhibition match in Scotland. Two young women, aged 23 and 25, accompanied Taylor back to his motorhome after the competition and later accused him of sexual assault. Taylor denied the charges but he was found guilty of a minor offence and fined £2000 . As a result, his MBE nomination from the 2001 New Year's honours was cancelled and annulled in May 2002.

On December 28th 2006 Phil Taylor faced Chris Mason in the 2007 World Championships. In the build-up to the match, Mason had an interview with a British Newspaper saying that Phil Taylor was big-headed about his achievements. Taylor defeated Mason but the match was overshadowed by comments made by Mason to Taylor following the match which were unheard on TV. Phil Taylor then confirmed in a post match interview that Mason had been disrespectful again, causing Taylor to storm off. Mason apologised to Taylor a week later.

Other television appearances

Taylor's achievements in darts have led to him being invited to appear in various other television shows as a guest. These include "The Frank Skinner Show" where he dressed up in drag and sung alongside former Hear'Say singer Myleene Klass. Despite PDC darts not being broadcast on the BBC, he has appeared in several BBC shows including A Question of Sport, spelling competition, Hard Spell, game show Eggheads with four other darts players and Inside Sport.

His love of poker was discussed on "Heads Up with Richard Herring" and he has also been a regular competitor in the various celebrity televised poker tournaments.

He appeared in British Whale's video for "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us" which featured a mock darts game against Justin Hawkins of The Darkness in 2005.

Awards

On January 9, 2007 Taylor won the PDC Player of the Year award at the inaugural PDC Awards Dinner held at the Dorchester Hotel in London's Park Lane. He was one of ten nominees for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 2006, the award went to Zara Phillips.

World Championship final results

• BDO World Championship
  • 1990: Phil Taylor beat Eric Bristow 6-1
  • 1992: Phil Taylor beat Mike Gregory 6-5
• PDC World Championship
  • 1994: Dennis Priestley beat Phil Taylor 6-1
  • 1995: Phil Taylor beat Rod Harrington 6-2
  • 1996: Phil Taylor beat Dennis Priestley 6-4
  • 1997: Phil Taylor beat Dennis Priestley 6-3
  • 1998: Phil Taylor beat Dennis Priestley 6-0
  • 1999: Phil Taylor beat Peter Manley 6-2
  • 2000: Phil Taylor beat Dennis Priestley 7-3
  • 2001: Phil Taylor beat John Part 7-0
  • 2002: Phil Taylor beat Peter Manley 7-0
  • 2003: John Part beat Phil Taylor 7-6
  • 2004: Phil Taylor beat Kevin Painter 7-6
  • 2005: Phil Taylor beat Mark Dudbridge 7-4
  • 2006: Phil Taylor beat Peter Manley 7-0
  • 2007: Raymond van Barneveld beat Phil Taylor 7-6

External links

• PhilThePower.com Official Web Site
• Professional Darts Corporation PDC Web Site with current news of Taylor and other professional players.