Sports story by Boris Webb, Tue, 03 Jan 2006 15:16:01 GMT


LONDON - Phil Taylor was all over Peter Manley in the final of the £500,000 Ladbrokes.com World Championship as he won 7-0 over his old foe. It was a powerful display by the man they call 'The Power' as Manley struggled to make an impact on the final at he Circus Tavern in Purfleet, Essex.

The 45-year-old Taylor was at his best in the game and produced an identical score line as in 2002 when he had mauled the same opponent in the finals. Manley had walked away in a huff at that time and has had the 'bad boy' tag attached to him because of this. But this time he embraced his opponent warmly knowing that he had just seen an amazing display of dart throwing.

"It's unbelievable to have come through a field of 64 of the best players I've seen for a long time. To reach the final was breathtaking and to beat Peter Manley was hard work because he's a quality player," Taylor said after the game. "I wasn't 100 per cent sure I would win because I was worried about Peter. But I just kept concentrating and telling myself to keep solid."

Taylor came into the match with a hard fought 6-5 win over Wayne Mardle, whereas Manley had an easy 6-0 win over Wayne Jones. It was expected to be a tough final, but Taylor never gave a chance to Manley to get back into the match. Manley acknowledged that he was beaten by a superior player, "I think I peaked too early. The difference is that Phil can show his class time after time whereas I do it occasionally. It was like walking into a brick wall," he said.

At the start of the Darts World Championship, Colin Lloyd was thought to be Taylor's biggest challenge, but he was beaten in the first round by Gary Welding. He was among the stunned spectators at the end of the final, "Phil was back to doing what Phil does. He doesn't have two bad nights on the spin. He did some seriously bad damage to Peter - he played absolutely brilliantly," he said.

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