Philip Douglas Taylor is an English former professional darts player. Nicknamed "The Power", he dominated darts for over three decades and is widely considered the greatest darts player of all time, having won 214 professional tournaments, including a record 85 major titles and a record 16 World Championships. In 2015, the BBC rated Taylor among the ten greatest British sportsmen of the last 35 years.
A nine-dart finish, also known as a nine-darter, is a perfect leg or single game in the sport of darts. The object of the game is to score a set number of points, most commonly 501; in order to win, a player must reach the target total exactly and hit a double scoring area with their last dart. When the target is 501, the minimum number of darts needed to reach it is nine. For example, one way to achieve a nine-dart finish is to score 60 on each of the first seven throws, then a 57 on the eighth, and lastly a 24 on the ninth. It is regarded as an extremely difficult feat to achieve—even for the sport's top players—and is considered the highest single-game achievement in the sport, similar to a maximum 147 break in snooker or a 300-point game in bowling.
The 1996 Vernons World Darts Championship was the third year that the Professional Darts Corporation held their own World Championships following an acrimonious split from the British Darts Organisation during 1992/93. The tournament had its third sponsor in as many years, with Vernons taking over from Proton Cars. The tournament was held at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet between 26 December 1995 and 1 January 1996.
The 1995 Webster's World Matchplay was the second annual World Matchplay darts tournament organised by the World Darts Council. The Winter Gardens, Blackpool played host to the event for the second year running, and it took place between 31 July–5 August 1995.
The 1996 Webster's World Matchplay was the third time the World Matchplay darts tournament had been held in the Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool between 28 July–3 August 1996.
The 1997 Webster's World Matchplay was the fourth time the World Matchplay darts tournament had been held in the Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool from 28 July to 2 August 1997.
The 1998 World Matchplay was a darts tournament held in the Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool. The tournament ran from 27 July–1 August 1998, and was won by Rod Harrington.
The 1999 World Matchplay was a darts tournament held in the Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool between 25–31 July 1999. The tournament was won for the second year in a row by Rod Harrington, who defeated Peter Manley in the final. In the 30th leg of the final Manley missed a shot at bullseye which, had he hit it would have been the first televised PDC 9 dart finish.
The 2001 Stan James World Matchplay was a darts tournament held in the Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool. This was the second World Matchplay tournament to be sponsored by UK bookmaker Stan James.
The 2002 Stan James World Matchplay was a professional darts tournament held from 28 July to 3 August 2002 at the Empress Ballroom in the Winter Gardens of Blackpool. It was the ninth staging of the competition since the 1994 edition and the 18th of 35 Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) tournaments in the 2002 season. The tournament was broadcast on Sky Sports and was sponsored by the betting company Stan James.
The 2003 Stan James World Matchplay was a darts tournament held in the Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool.
The 2004 Stan James World Matchplay was held between 25–31 July 2004 at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool, and was won for the fifth year in a row by Phil Taylor.
The 2005 Stan James World Matchplay was the 12th staging of the major darts tournament by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). It was held at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool between 24th – 30th July 2005.
The 2006 Stan James World Matchplay was the 13th staging of the World Matchplay darts tournament, organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. It was held at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool between 23–29 July 2006.
The 2007 Sky Bet World Grand Prix was the tenth staging of the PDC World Grand Prix which took place between 8–14 October 2007. It was the seventh year that the event was being staged at the Citywest Hotel, Dublin, Ireland. Phil Taylor went into the event as defending champion having won it for the previous two years - and seven times in all, but suffered a surprise first round defeat to Adrian Gray.
Ronnie Baxter is an English former professional darts player who competed in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He used the nickname "The Rocket" for his matches. Baxter was known for his fast robotic throwing action. He currently resides in his hometown Blackpool. Baxter is widely regarded as one of the best players never to have won a major TV title. He is still active on the exhibition circuit.
The 2010 Stanjames.com World Matchplay was the 17th annual staging of the World Matchplay, organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. The tournament took place from 17 to 25 July 2010.
The Triple Crown refers to winning the three most prestigious tournaments in the Professional Darts Corporation: the World Championship, the World Matchplay and the Premier League. Players who win all three tournaments over the course of their career are said to have won the PDC Triple Crown.
The WDC UK Matchplay was a professional darts tournament held from 1993 to 1996. It was broadcast on ITV's Yorkshire Television and sponsored by Skol lager. It was one of a series of events established by the World Darts Council following the acrimonious split in darts between the WDC and the British Darts Organisation in 1993, which led to the WDC's 16 players being banned from darts competitions worldwide by the BDO and a four-year legal battle. It is not to be confused with the PDC's World Matchplay event.
The 2024 Betfred World Matchplay was the 31st annual staging of the World Matchplay, organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. The tournament took place at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool, from 13 to 21 July 2024.
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