DARTS ACE RECKONS TAYLOR WOULD BEAT LITTLER IN HIS PRIME
03/01/2026 By Aaron Nijjar
PHIL TAYLOR would have beaten Luke Littler in his prime, according to Chris Mason.
World No1 Littler is on track to become a back-to-back world champion and claim his TENTH major title at just 18, with a final clash against Gian van Veen awaiting at Ally Pally.
‘The Power’ is undoubtedly the greatest player ever to pick up a dart as he won a record-breaking 87 major trophies and an unmatched 16 World Championships.
Former pro Mason believes Taylor at his peak would defeat Littler, thanks to his mental strength at the oche and his superior record on smaller dartboards.
He told talkSPORT: “Taylor has record averages, tournament averages, and statistics which still stack up well above what Luke is doing.
“There is a big difference between playing against a Phil Taylor and playing against a Ryan Searle, Luke Humphries, Gary Anderson, or MVG.
“They don’t have the mental capacity to almost make you wilt before the game even starts.
“The boards are way better now. They are much easier because the wires are thinner, making the target easier.
“So, the boards I would have been playing on in the late 1990s are, depending on which brand, 12 to 15 percent smaller than the modern boards today.
“When people talk about Bristow and say he only averaged 95, put 12 percent on that.
“In a game of small margins, it makes a huge difference. It’s better for the fans because you get more 180s.
“Look at when more nine-darters started happening. It’s not a coincidence.”
Paul Nicholson added: “I think Mase is right. If you look at the 2009 European Championship, which I believe was Phil Taylor’s peak, he averaged 110 for five games.
“Then, against Gary Anderson in the quarter-finals, he averaged 118. We haven’t seen that level from Luke in a place like this.”
Littler is only the SECOND player after Taylor to reach a third consecutive World final in his first three appearances.
The Warrington whizkid is looking to become the first player since Gary Anderson in 2016 to successfully retain the Sid Waddell Trophy.
Image by Taylor Lanning.
