Phil Taylor Darts

Phil Taylor left school at the age of 16 and quickly entered work at JF Sale and Co. Phil Taylor's early working career consisted of him making ceramic toilet roll handles, earning no more than £52 a week at the time. It was his playing in the pubs of Stoke-on-Trent that brought Phil taylor to the attention of Eric Bristow, one of the most popular and well known figures in the game in the 1980s. Bristow decided to sponsor Phil Taylor to the tune of £10,000 on the condition that it had to be repaid. With this money Phil Taylor could practise full-time and enter low-level tournaments.

By 1990, he qualified to play in the World Championships for the first time - and beat Russell Stewart, Dennis Hickling, Ronnie Sharp and Cliff Lazarenko on his way to the final. In the final he met his mentor Bristow and beat him 6 sets to 1 to claim the first of his world titles at odds of 125/1.

The defence of his title in 1991 ended at the quarter-final stage to Dennis Priestley who went on to win his first world title and that would be the first of many clashes between the two players. Taylor went on to win the other major in the game - the Winmau World Masters in 1990 to become only the third player to hold both titles at the same time.

Taylor regained the World Championship in 1992 after a final which Taylor still lists as the favourite of his illustrious career. It was a classic encounter against Mike Gregory which was decided by a tie-break leg in the final set of the match.

As darts enjoyed a resurgence Phil Taylor's career went from strength to strength and he amassed dozens of titles to thoroughly dominate the game for years. After losing the first final of the PDC World Championship in 1994, he went on to remain unbeaten for the next eight years in the tournament including the 2001 trouncing of John Part. Phil Taylor averaged 107 with each visit to the board and 72.5% checkout rate, statistically one of the best performances ever seen. Part gained revenge in the 2003 final, but Taylor added another four titles to bring his PDC haul to 12, and 14 World Championships in all.

Taylor's overall list of titles is unprecedented. As well as 14 World Championships, he has won nine World Matchplays, eight World Grand Prix, four Las Vegas Desert Classics, two UK Opens, four Premier Leagues (remaining unbeaten for 44 matches during the first 3 tournaments), one World Series Of Darts title and two Grand Slam of Darts titles. He has even won a BDO title in 2006, the World Darts Trophy, when the Dutch organisers invited PDC players for the first time. Away from the television cameras, Taylor has claimed 44 PDC Pro Tour titles (as of April 12 2009) - another record.

Phil Taylor has won a record 38 PDC/BDO Major titles; 4 BDO Majors (though three of these came before the split) and 34 PDC ones

Phil Taylor is the first darts player to win more than £1 million in prize money. In a PDC Pro Tour event in Taunton, The Power averaged an amazing 120.24 which is a world record recorded average. Phil also holds the record for highest average on television with 116.01 against John Part in the 2009 Premier League.