TAYLOR QUITS COMPETITIVE DARTS

LEGEND Phil Taylor has revealed that he will hang up his darts in competition for good at the end of 2024. 

The Power is the most decorated star in the sport’s history but has now decided he only wants to keep competing for just one more year.

The 16-times World Champion ended his PDC career after losing the 2018 Ally Pally World Final to Rob Cross.

Taylor, now 63, then returned to the oche as the main attraction for the World Seniors events in 2022 but has yet to win a tournament.

Now he has decided to call it quits, admitting: “At the end of next year, I am going to retire from competition darts. Unless I do nine-darters every time and then I will stay. You will have to drag me out.

“I decided this after the last tournament in York. It’s hard work now at my age. But my grandson doesn’t want me to retire. He wants me to carry on forever.

“I said to Matthew, we are going to set a date at the end of 2024. We will do other things as well, work with the Seniors and everything.

“It was on stage. When you are not performing like you can do, it breaks my heart. It wasn’t just me, people were saying things in the crowd, ‘come on Phil’. They had paid money to come and see you, you are trying so hard.

“There was no sarcasm, nobody was nasty, they were lovely. But they wanted me to win and I was trying. Anyway, I got past John Part and then I was alright then.

“I have just to work on it. I know what I am doing wrong. I have to put it right and be dedicated.”

Taylor will continue in the World Seniors including their World Championship (February 15-18), Champion of Champions in Blackpool (March 23-24) and York Barbican centre (October 4-5). The last competitive tournament for him will be in Sunderland on November 8/9, 2024. 

However, The Power will still do exhibitions for fans over the next few years. 

On playing for the last time next November, he admitted: “There will be relief. It will be strange that you are not professional anymore. There will be other things I will be doing. 

“I won’t be slippers and pipe. I will do whatever comes along. I will be a big part of the Seniors as an ambassador. I will enjoy that, I will still go all the tournaments and everything.

“I am not sure how many events I will do next year. They want me to do more exhibitions next year as part of the farewell tour. I will still be involved with the Seniors, probably until I pass away. I will be involved.”

Taylor has enjoyed an incredible career as the biggest-ever name in the sport. He revealed that he first threw a dart at the age of five and his first professional tournament was 36 years ago.

He added: “I have done alright. The first time I threw a dart? Probably five or six years old. My first professional tournament? I qualified in 1987. In ’88 Eric sponsored me with Maureen. I then won Canada, which got me into the worlds in 1990. 

“I won the World Masters that year as well before the Worlds. My career seemed to snowball then. I beat Jocky Wilson in the final, 3-2 I think it was. I have been lucky really because the last 50 years I have seen it all come and go. I have travelled the world many times.

“The highlight? The World Matchplay was always special for me. The News of the World event. Because Eric always said, if you hadn’t won the New of the World trophy, then you weren’t a darts player. So that was a bit special for me. 

“Two nine-darters when I did that in the Premier League and then missed the third, which I am gutted about. There have been loads of memories really. 

“The first one when I won the £100,000 in Blackpool. The tournament was only £30,000 for the winner. But in terms of World Championships, besides the Mike Gregory final, the Kevin Painter and Barney finals, the 16th win was probably one of my most special. 

“Because I hadn’t won for a few years and then everybody said, you won’t win again, you won’t win again. And I did. So that was a bit special that one.”

But Taylor insists that there won’t be any tears when he finally quits the sport competitively. 

He said: “No, no. Not at all. I will be happy. A different feeling. I will be happy. Unless, and it is a big unless, these new darts see me click and then I am not retiring! 

“If I throw nine-darters in every leg, I am not retiring!”

*Phil Taylor has been signed to Target Darts for the past ten years. You can explore Target’s entire Phil Taylor range, as well as a number of excellent Black Friday offers, at www.target-darts.co.uk

Images by Taylor Lanning.