For fans of the great sport of darts the world over, it seemed as though 2014 was a watershed year.
That’s because the greatest player in the history of the game, Phil, “The Power” Taylor failed to win the PDC World Darts Championship. Instead, the victory went to the then 24 year-old Dutch upstart Michael van Gerwen.
Now this may seem like no big deal. With darts, no player wins them all; the sport just isn’t like that. Any good player having a really good day can beat a great player having a bit an off day – and this does happen from time to time even with the greats like Phil Taylor.
And Phil Taylor is, unequivocally, the greatest player darts has ever seen. Here are a few examples as to exactly why that is:
Why Taylor Is The Greatest
“The Power” has hit a record nine televised nine-dart finishes, and has spent a longer time ranked world number one than anyone else.
He has won a record 15 World Championships including 14 from a possible 20 PDC World Darts Championships since 1995. He’s also won 10 World Grand Prix, five Las Vegas Desert Classics, four UK Opens, six Premier Leagues, a World Series of Darts title and four Grand Slam of Darts titles. And Taylor’s three-dart average score per match records are higher than anyone else’s in the history of darts.
No other player has a winning head-to-head record against Phil Taylor. In fact, he has a 79% win rate against Raymond van Barneveld, the player who comes closest on the head-to-head scoring.
But it’s perhaps the World Matchplay of Darts held in in the Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool each July where Taylor has impressed more than in any other tournament. Here, his record is unbelievably good.
The Power Is Back On
And it was here in July of this year when The Power recorded his 15th World Matchplay darts title, his seventh in a row, against the player who won the 2014 PDC world championship back in January, on New Year’s Day, Michael van Gerwen.
Now it may not seem such a big thing that Van Gerwen had beaten Taylor in the World Championships. At 53 years of age, Phil Taylor is no spring chicken – unlike his Dutch emerging rival who is young enough to be Taylor’s son at just 25. What’s more – The Power may have been seen to have been fading just a little over recent years; Phil has won only one of the last four world title events. But perhaps more than anything, it was the manner in which Taylor won the Matchplay final over Van Gerwen that was so telling that this isn’t a man ready to retire his arrows just yet.
Taylor won a staggering six straight legs early in the final, taking a 7-1 lead before going on to win by a comfortable 18-9 winning margin. The Power hasn’t lost in Blackpool since a semi-final defeat back in 2007. For Michael van Gerwen, this was a first ever World Matchplay final. And let’s not forget that he’d done well just to be there. But the youngster just couldn’t keep pace with Taylor’s electrifying start.
What Next?
So what does all this tell us? Well it certainly tells us that the Power is not read to be switched off just yet. Darts may not necessarily be as much of a young man’s game as most other sports – but it’s no sport for old men either. You need nerves of steel and a very steady hand to win at this game. But perhaps more than anything, you also need to have the will to win and the self-belief that goes with it, in order to triumph at the highest level. So whilst many darts pundits had perhaps been expecting Phil Taylor to announce his retirement and step down from the darts oche, there’s absolutely no prospect if that happening after the World Matchplay tournament.
So now, the eyes of the darts world begin to turn towards the 2014-15 PDC World Championships at the Alexandra Palace (or “Ally Pally”) in London. The tournament will bring together the finest 72 darts players the world has on offer. This year, the event includes 16 international qualifiers competing in the opening preliminary round for the right to join the biggest names in darts in the first round proper.
The World Title
The World Championships starts with the preliminary and first rounds held over six days just ahead of the Christmas break, followed by the second round and third rounds which are scheduled to take place between December 27th and 30th.
The World Championship then resumes on New Year’s Day – featuring the first of the two nights of quarter-final matches, followed by the semi-finals on Saturday January 3rd and the final itself taking place on Sunday January 4th.
Now it would be a huge surprise if that final doesn’t feature Michael van Germen and/or Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor. As things stand, Phil Taylor is favourite to regain his PDC World Championship Darts crown with betting exchange Betfair at 7/4, followed by Michael van Gerwen at 9/4. There’s then quite a gap in the darts betting to Adrian Lewis who won back to back world titles in 2011 and 2012 at around 6/1.
Before the World Matchplay tournament, the young Dutchman Van Gerwen had been favourite to retain his world title, but the Power’s enormously powerful start and overall drubbing of the Dutchman quickly changed all that of course.
So it will be fascinating to see what transpires at the Ally Pally. In last year’s event, Phil Taylor suffered a surprise early exit at the hands of Michael Smith – losing 4–3 in only the second round. But his victory in Blackpool suggests Taylor has lost none of his determination to succeed and he’ll certainly be determined not to lose concentration this time around.
Others With A Chance
One player who is available at longer odds still, is Scotland’s Peter Wright, who is currently a 25/1 chance. Wright almost went all the way last year – falling at the final hurdle to eventual winner Van Gerwen in the final itself. Wright had outplayed Aussie Simon Whitlock in last year’s semi-finals and put up a very creditable performance against Van Gerwen. The 44 year-old Scotsman is fast-improving and showed his determination in the 2014 final coming back from the dead. Wright had lost 12 of the opening 14 legs in the final, but then won two sets and narrowly missed one dart to trail by only 4–3. He was eventually beaten 7–4, but would dearly love a chance to make amends in the forthcoming world championships.
Meanwhile 2011 and 2012 winner Adrian Lewis, a 29 year-old from Stoke-on-Trent (which is also Phil Taylor’s home town) will be hoping he can get back to winning ways. Currently 6/1 third favourite, Lewis won this year’s UK Darts Open in March – proving that he’s still very much a force to be reckoned with.
The Bottom Line
But there’s been only one real Power over the years and it looks like it might just have been turned back on. So let’s hope this year’s PDC World Championship is the greatest yet and that Phil Taylor has at least one more in him before he calls it a day.
