‘I played darts with Phil Taylor – but I should have never become close friends with him’

Darts legend Dennis Priestley has admitted it was a mistake to let Phil Taylor get so close to him during their days as the top two players in the sport.

Priestley and Taylor were great rivals during the 1990s but also great friends, to such an extent that they even shared their prize money with each other, back before the start of the sport’s spectacular boom in the 2000s.

Priestley, 10 years Taylor’s senior, was the man to beat following the sport’s acrimonious split which saw the game’s best players defect from the BDO to the WDC (later to become the PDC).

READ MORE: Darts players ‘drank bottles of Jack Daniels before matches’ – and ‘most still booze’

The Menace won the first WDC World Championship in 1994 to add to the BDO Lakeside title he won three years earlier. But it wasn’t long before Taylor took over as top dog, a role he held for the best part of 20 years.

The Power’s dedication to his craft was central to his success, but Priestley believes he taught the tungsten titan a thing or two as well, maybe too much.

“He wasn’t the type to go out. When he was at a tournament, he was there to do business. He was not a party animal, but he also was not a monk. He was very professional,” Priestley told SafeBettingSites.

“Looking back on the situation, I shouldn’t have let him get that close to me in terms of friendly wise. I was 10 years senior to him, and I was not a teenager in my 20s.

What’s your favourite Phil Taylor moment? Tell us in the comments section below

“I believe he learnt a lot from me but I should have not let him get too close to me. I should have kept him at arm’s length with more distance. Although, it did make me more hungry.”

Taylor amassed a staggering 16 world titles, a record Priestley is sure will never be matched.

“Phil and his record will never be overtaken,” he added. “It is possible, but in my opinion, no one will get near the 16 World Championships and all his other titles.

“If you are a top player and dominate for a decade, you have done extremely well. Phil more or less dominated for two decades which was remarkable.”

READ NEXT: