From Dennis Priestley through John Part to Michael van Gerwen, the legendary Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor had no end of rivals, but Taylor v Barney remains in the pantheon of tungsten tussles.
Darts Rivalries: Taylor v Barney, a Combined 21 World Titles
But while plenty could occasionally beat the 16-time world champion, only one man, Raymond van Barneveld, did it repeatedly, producing the most enduring sporting rivalry to ever have graced the oche.
Taylor v Barney: Anticipation Mounts
What made the Taylor-Barney rivalry was that we had to wait so long for it to spark into life. By the time Van Barneveld was winning world titles with the BDO at the famous Lakeside Country Club in Surrey – he won four between 1998 and 2005 – Taylor was going along even better at the breakaway PDC. Between 1995 and 2006 Taylor appeared in 12 PDC World Championships at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet – and won 11 of them.
No one could hold a candle to him, so it was little wonder that the PDC were trying their damnedest to persuade BDO hero Van Barneveld to swap codes. And in January 2006, darts fans got their wish. The Dutch colossus quit the BDO to join the PDC. Taylor was about to meet his match.
Taylor v Barney: Premier League Classic
Barney was immediately handed a wild card for the 2006 Premier League, and on March 23, at the Bournemouth International Centre, the two tungsten titans clashed for the first time in serious competition. Both went to Bournemouth unbeaten through the first four weeks of the Premier League and Barney, in a massive statement, hit a nine-darter against Peter Manley in that March evening’s opening game.
At about 9pm, the two giants emerged, seconds out for their first scrap under the PDC flag, a best-of-14 legs shootout between the best players in the world. And almost perfectly, it ended in a pulsating 7-7 draw, the ideal first remarkable episode of a story that would run and run.
Taylor v Barney: From Minehead to Purfleet
If Taylor knew then that Barney was a threat to his domination, then it would have been drummed home in that year’s UK Open in June when the Dutchman beat The Power 11-10 in a stunning quarter-final. Barney also beat Taylor in the Las Vegas Desert Classic a month later; Taylor got his own back at the Grand Prix in October. The rivalry was living up to the billing, and it came to a head at the World Championship final at the Circus Tavern, Purfleet, on New Year’s Day 1997.
Taylor, the 13-time and defending champion, against Barney, making his first appearance at the PDC world championship and determined to make his mark. And the match more than lived up the hype, with 180s and big finishes galore and Barney raising the roof coming from 3-0 and 4-2 down to go to a decider. That decider inevitably went to sudden death, both men trading 180s before Barney nailed double top with his first dart to send the Tavern wild and end Taylor’s monopoly of the greatest prize in darts.
Taylor v Barney: Darting Dynasties
Even Taylor admitted that it was the greatest match he had ever played in, and it ignited a special rivalry that would run for another ten years. Taylor generally bossed it and they had their moments of spikiness, both on and off stage, but there was a massive, mutual respect.
Taylor would lay down his darts in 2018 and Barney, perhaps sapped of the passion games with The Power engendered, followed suit a year later, though he would return. Both men left a wonderful legacy, while fans were left to remember a rivalry which may never be bettered.
By Tom Hill
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