Taylor fails in bid for 17th PDC world title

Debutant Rob Cross defeats 16-time champion.

Rob Cross is the new PDC World Darts Champion defeating Phil Taylor 7-2 in the final. Cross who was making his debut in the championship and who only became a professional in February, overwhelmed the 16-time champion with an awesome display.

Taylor (57), who had announced his retirement prior to the tournament was looking to add to his 16 world titles in his final appearance. However, despite breezing through to the final there was to be no fairy tale ending for the darts legend.

In the end Cross dominated Taylor from start to finish in a manner reminiscent of how Taylor himself used to dominate opponents. During the final Rob Cross hit eleven 180’s and averaged 107.67 per visit, an average only previously bettered once in a PDC final by Phil Taylor himself. The 2009 final saw Taylor crush Raymond van Barneveld 7-1 achieving an average of 110.94 per visit to record the 14^th of his 16 championship wins.

The irony of course is that Phil Taylor whose nickname is the ‘Power’ was beaten by a former electrician. Rob Cross who also overcame defending champion Michael van Gerwen in the semi-final lit up the Alexandra Palace with a stunning display against the legendary Taylor. In the end it may not have been the result that many darts fans were hoping for, but it may well open the doors to a new era of darts, an era in which Rob Cross will certainly play his part.

The BDO version of the World Darts Championship begins on Saturday 6^th January. You can find all the outright prices for the world’s top players including defending champion and favourite Glen Durrant here.

The 2018 BDO World Championships at the iconic Lakeside Country Club at Frimley Green kicks-off with Mark McGeeney (1/2) v Martin Adams (14/9) at 1pm. Prices for all other first-round matches can be found here.

Phil Taylor’s major titles:

World Championship (16): 1990 (BDO), 1992 (BDO), 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2013

World Matchplay (16): 1995, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017

World Grand Prix (11): 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013

Grand Slam of Darts (6) :2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014

UK Open (5): 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2013

European Championship (4): 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

Players’ Championship Finals (3):2009, 2011, 2012