Darts legend Phil Taylor landed a record-breaking nine darter at the 2002 World Matchplay.
Taylor is widely considered the greatest darts player of all time, and sent records tumbling during his dominant winning era as part of his 31-year career.
One major tournament which brought ‘The Power’ huge success was the World Matchplay major, where Taylor regularly lit up the Winter Gardens stage in Blackpool.
But no more so than in 2002 where he was gunning for his first success at the event which was televised in the UK.
Fans tuned in as he came up against fellow English star Chris Mason in the quarter-finals with the support of the crowd.
It was 2-2 in legs of the best of 31 format, and Taylor lit up the crowd by pinning a 180 in his opening three-dart visit.
He then switched to the 19’s for his second visit to the oche, burying three into the green section for another maximum score.
Spectators in the arena roared in excitement as he successfully followed the traditional nine-dart route of treble 2, treble 19 before finishing on double 12.
It earned him a standing ovation with Mason visibly stunned by the sensational feat.
Taylor became the first to hit a live-televised perfect leg, a moment which went down in darting history.
After recording the crowd-pleasing leg he went on to progress beyond Mason and was quickly rewarded for his exploits.
PDC chairman Barry Hearn decided to give Taylor special recognition and he was handed a briefcase of cash which held £100,000 as a reward for his achievement.
Hearn later went on to acknowledge the famous night when describing the legend’s impact on the sport.
He said: “They’re [the players] are all characters and that’s one thing we’re short of in sport.
“These darts players are good, but they’re also funny, they’re prepared to get involved and they realise their life has changed.
“A guy who was perhaps earning 20-25 grand a year is now earning 250 grand a year.
“The top darts players are earning a couple of million a year. And the standard has gone through the roof.
“When Phil Taylor made his first nine-dart finish, we paid him a £100,000 bonus.
“This year we will have at least 100 nine-darters on the circuit. It’s just an amazing thing.”
Taylor went on to win the 2002 instalment of the famous event, beating John Part 18-16 to capture the trophy.
It was the fifth time he had won the event having won 16 times by the end of his career.
Taylor won the title three consecutive times following up his famous 2002 win, with victories in 2003 and 2004.
The legend’s final win of the tournament came in 2017, and it became the tournament he fared best during his time on the PDC tour with 16 total wins.
During his career, Taylor became the king of nine-dart finishes, having registered 22 in total, with 11 broadcast on live TV.
The British star retired from the sport in 2018, bringing his unprecedented sporting dominance to an end.
Since putting down the arrows, the 63-year-old has been competing on the inaugural senior tour, competing in the 2022 World Senior Darts Championship.
He lost to continuous rival Kevin Painter in the quarter-finals, but has already left his mark on the sport for good.
The icon is continuing to stay in touch with the sport, and has become a mentor of teenage sensation Luke Littler.
Taylor has tipped ‘The Nuke’ for dominance like his in the future, with the 17-year-old having already reached a World Darts Championship final in 2024.
News Summary:
- Phil Taylor pocketed six-figure bonus after breaking darts TV record with phenomenal nine-darter at World Matchplay
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