Phil Taylor at the World Matchplay

1995 was the year ‘The Power’ nickname was introduced and started his legacy of winning the World Matchplay in the 2nd iteration of the tournament. Phil took on some familiar names on his way to a fierce showdown with his long time rival Dennis Priestley, including John Lowe in the Semi-final and the iconic Paul Lim the round previous. In the final, it was a near 91 average that got him over the line and a flood gate of Matchplay titles was opened. 

Following a second round exit in 1996, Phil returned to the Winter Gardens with a fire burning as he dropped just 4 legs on his way to the Semi-final, including an 11-2 demolition of Bob Anderson, which saw ‘The Power’ average 99 to face off against No.6 seed Alan Warriner in the final. 2 years after his first title, Phil was back at it again, this time improve his 91 average by 15 points as he ran out the 16-11 winner with a 106 average. 

There was then a 2-tournament gap where ‘The Power’ didn’t pick up the iconic title, equalling the longest gap between Matchplay wins for the 16x champion. Now that’s a stat. The 2000 event started what is one of the most impressive title streaks ever, with Phil winning 5 on the spin from 2000 to 2004 with the 2005 title being won by PDC No.1 Colin Lloyd. On his 5 tournament streak, Phil defeated Alan Warriner in a rematch from 2 years prior, Richie Burnett, John Part, Wayne Mardle and Mark Dudbridge with a total avg of around 98 across the 5 finals.  

2006 saw Phil pick up another of his titles, defeating the up-and-coming James Wade 18-11, who would go on to win the next tournament in 2007, stopping ‘The Power’ from starting another legendary run. But that was only a temporary stop, as what Phil Taylor was about to do would change the landscape of the Matchplay tournament.

In 2008, at the height of his power, Phil Taylor won the first of a SEVEN tournament run at the Winter Gardens, defeating reigning champion James Wade 18-9 with a near 110 average to start his historic run of victories. In 2009, it was Terry Jenkins who fell at the final to Phils’ 106 avg, 2010 was the battle of a legendary rivalry between ‘The Power’ and Raymond van Barneveld with the Englishman coming out on top 18-12.  

2011 and 2012 were both the same final with Phil Taylor facing off against ‘The Machine’ for a 3rd and 4th time, both with the same result – a win for ‘The Power’. In 2012, Phil recorded his lowest average of the 7 consecutive titles, a casual 99 in a 33 leg slog. The highest average of the run was in the match against his protégé, ‘Jackpot’ Adrian Lewis.  

This match in particular would go down as one of if not the best Matchplay final of all time, with both players averaging well over 100 and Taylor setting a record for the highest Matchplay final average ever, 111.23 a feat which still hasn’t even been challenged. Not to be looked past, Adrian Lewis averaged 105.92 – an average which would have seen him win 16 of the last 19 tournaments (if averages won matches!). They were neck and neck throughout the game, but once it reached 10-10, Phil showed his superior experience and was able to put his foot on the gas and despite repeated 100+ checkouts from ‘Jackpot’, ‘The Power’ was able to get across the line with a single dart at double top in classic Phil Taylor fashion, winning a historic bout 18-13. 

2014 was the final year of the 7 year Taylor dominance, a final which would see him defeat the emerging Michael van Gerwen 18-9 with a 107 average. 2 years later in 2016, Phil Taylor would lose his only Matchplay final in a rematch from 2014 against MVG, despite an average of over 100.

2017 was the final appearance for ‘The Power’ who had made it known that he planned to retire following the 2018 World Championships and the gods of the draw made Phil’s road to the final appear as if it were a farewell tour as he faced off against some of today’s most dominant players as well as some iconic rivalries from his past – spoiler alert, none of them could stop him. 

Round 1 was a great display, defeating UK Open Runner-up Gerwyn Price 10-8 which would set up a clash of titans, between Phil Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld. This match caught everyones eye as ‘The Power’ reigned victorious and moved on to face the back to back Matchplay winner Michael van Gerwen in the Quarter-finals. The build up to this game saw both player exchange feisty words, all in good spirit, but it was ultimately the experience and scoring power of Phil Taylor that saw him runout the victor. One of the more emotional matches of the tournament was in the Semi-final which was a rematch from 2013 against ‘Jackpot’. This match was another great one, however Phil managed to get through to a 17th World Matchplay final with a 17-9 win over his protégé.

The final would be a clash of the era’s as Phil Taylor’s classic style would face off against the new school style of ‘Snakebite’ Peter Wright, who’s pineapple themed clothing was a stark contrast to ‘The Power’s classic black and blue Target shirt. This match lived up to all expectations and the 99.74 average from Peter Wright was swept away by the 104.24 average from Phil Taylor on his way to an 18-8 win and a historic 16th World Matchplay win. There’s a reason they’re now all playing for the ‘Phil Taylor Trophy’! 

It's safe to say there will never be another run like Phil Taylor at the World Matchplay, whether you’re looking at the 5 on the spin or the 7!