TAYLOR FUMES OVER FINE FOR EVENT HE MISSED

PHIL TAYLOR revealed he was once FINED for a tournament he never even played at.

The 16-time world champion admits he was hit with penalties so often he ended up on a “standing order” with the authorities. 

The Power ruled darts for more than three decades, winning a record-breaking 87 major trophies and was world No.1 for a total of 13 years. 

But Taylor says PDC President Barry Hearn once accused him of failing to fulfil duties at an event he insists, he never attended. 

The Stoke legend claims the situation quickly escalated after he refused to pay the penalty. 

He told the Double Tops podcast: “I was fined every week. 

“Yeah, I had a standing order with the PDC — I did, with the DRA — always paying them. 

“If I sneezed, I’d get fined for it. I got fined for tournaments and I wasn’t even at the tournament. 

“Barry says, you’ve got a £200 or £2,000 grand fine here. 

“You were playing in the top end of Germany near Russia and you didn’t mark the board and everything else. I said, ‘I’m not paying it, Barry.’ ‘Oh, just pay it.’ 

“I said, ‘No, I’m not paying it. I’ll knock it out.’ I said, ‘No, I’m not paying it, Barry.’ 

“‘It’ll go up to four grand, you know.’ I said, ‘I don’t care if it goes up to £40,000 — I ain’t paying it.’ 

“He says, ‘Why won’t you pay it?’ I said, ‘I was never there. I wasn’t at the tournament.’

“I said, ‘Why would I pay you? Jog on.’ Barry went, ‘You weren’t there, were you?’ 

“I said, ‘No, I wasn’t there.’” 

Taylor brought the curtain down on his glittering career in 2018 after reaching the final at Ally Pally, where he was beaten by Rob Cross.

Image by Taylor Lanning.