THERE will come a point over the next 19 days at Alexandra Palace when MC John McDonnell introduces the record-breaking, history-making, 16-time champion of the world for what will prove to be the final time.

And there will also come a point where the man who has defined his chosen discipline like no other, namely one Philip Douglas Taylor, walks off the stage to bring the curtain down on a trophy-laden 30-year career.

Taylor's decision to retire following the conclusion of this year's Professional Darts Corporation World Darts Championship has added an extra significance to the annual gathering in North London.

After all, he has appeared in every edition since its humble beginnings at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet back in 1994 and, until recent years, was the dominant force in the event.

Now aged 57, 'The Power' is somewhat more intermittent than he used to be, but Taylor can still switch it on when needed, as was shown back in July when he clinched the World Matchplay - the PDC's second-oldest major - for a 16th time.

Indeed, it is testament to his unprecedented longevity that Taylor arrives at this year's World Championship as number six seed, despite effectively playing part-time on the PDC circuit this year.

Admittedly, darts is not the most physically-taxing sport, yet to keep competing at the top end of any game for the best part of three decades is an astounding feat.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">WATCH: Walk with <a href="https://twitter.com/PhilTaylor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PhilTaylor</a> for one last time!<br><br>1️⃣6️⃣ World titles<br>1️⃣1️⃣ televised nine-darters <br><br>Can anyone stop The Power at Ally Pally? ⚡ <a href="https://t.co/vyhJUQqyQC">https://t.co/vyhJUQqyQC</a><br> <a href="https://t.co/PqYRYTz3sR">https://t.co/PqYRYTz3sR</a></p>— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkySportsDarts/status/940295157433245696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2017</a></blockquote>

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Even Eric Bristow, one of the first icons of the oche and the man who famously helped launched Taylor's professional career with a £10,000 loan, was unable to consistently maintain his status at the top of the sport beyond the late 1980s after being affected by dartitis.

it could be argued that without Taylor's dominance and longevity either, the PDC might well have struggled to establish itself after the top players broke away from the British Darts Organisation to set up their own tournaments in a dispute over the way the governing body had allowed the professional game to wither.

After all, here was someone the PDC - originally the World Darts Council - had who could be the face of the organisation, complete with the rags-to-riches story of going from making decorative toilet handles in a porcelain factory in Stoke-on-Trent to fame and fortune with tournament win after tournament win.

Those who once disparagingly referred to the PDC as 'Phil's Darts Club' have long since been made to eat their words. Sky Sports, ITV and the BBC all broadcast tournaments, the prize money is in the millions and the BDO's flagship Lakeside World Darts Championship has sadly been consigned to little more than an afterthought for many.

Competition sponsors William Hill rate Taylor's chances of a fairytale triumph at 12/1, behind odds-on favourite and defending champion Michael van Gerwen, two-time winner Gary Anderson and the eccentric Peter Wright.

But whether he bows out in the first round to Chris Dobey tomorrow night or goes all the way to glory in the final on New Year's Day, his personal and sporting legacies are already secure.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Return of the mac markmorrisonofficial <a href="https://t.co/wAHc3jG0Ll">https://t.co/wAHc3jG0Ll</a></p>— TYSON2FASTFURY (@Tyson_Fury) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tyson_Fury/status/940921302474518530?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

THERE is rarely a dull moment in the world of heavyweight boxing these days, although the division got even more livelier this week with the news Tyson Fury - subject to regaining his license - is free to fight again.

Since dethorning heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko just over two years ago, Fury has been left lurking in the shadows due to a combination of medical issues and his battle with UK Anti-Doping.

But with those problems seemingly behind him, the 29-year-old is priming himself to reclaim the world titles he believes are rightly his, having either relinquished or been stripped of them rather than lost the belts in the ring.

Those titles are now held by either fellow Brit Anthony Joshua or Joseph Parker, who defeated Fury's cousin Hughie earlier this year, while Deontay Wilder has the WBC version.

It remains to be seen if Fury can recover from two years out of the ring to get back to world title level. Whether you are a fan of his or not though, it promises to be a hell of a ride finding that out.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ready <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ashes?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ashes</a> <a href="https://t.co/KuyYzH0axe">pic.twitter.com/KuyYzH0axe</a></p>— Joe Root (@root66) <a href="https://twitter.com/root66/status/933243174499135490?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

TO adapt a Perry Como song popular at this time of year as a way of describing England's Ashes campaign so far, it's beginning to look a lot like 5-0.

It seems as if everything that could have gone wrong for the tourists has been going wrong from the moment Jonny Bairstow decided to greet Australian opener Cameron Bancroft with a headbutt in a Perth bar six weeks ago.

A team which had to travel to Australia without Ben Stokes due to the all-rounder's ongoing legal issues then proceeded to suffer back-to-back heavy defeats in the first two Test matches.

And there has still been time to fit in even more boozy antics ahead of the upcoming clash at the WACA, with England Lions batsman Ben Duckett copping a suspension for the rest of their tour Down Under and a fine after pouring a beer over James Anderson's head.

If anything, it seems as though the focus has been more on what England's players have been up to off the field, with the actual cricket being just something that happens to be going on at the same time.

Of course, there was a time in the past when cricket and alcohol went together. Well, at least in the case of David Boon supposedly setting the record of drinking 52 beers on a flight from Sydney to London for Australia's 1989 Ashes tour.

And speaking from my own experiences of playing lower-level club cricket, if you weren't at least hungover for a game then you weren't doing it right.

Indeed, I can recall one former team-mate thinking nothing of drinking turbo shandies prior to and during the interval of Sunday afternoon friendlies.

The increasing levels of professionalism in cricket over the past two decades mean antics which would have barely merited a mention in the past have suddenly become more newsworthy.

Even so, it is not as if England captain Joe Root did not have enough to contend with on the field, with his team, aside from one or two bright spots. struggling to score runs or take wickets.

You know, the things you actually need to do to win cricket matches.

Despite everything, there were signs in Adelaide there might not be that much of a chasm between England and their oldest rivals as perceived, and victory in the third Test in Perth would give them a glimmer of hope.

However, that just happens to be at the WACA, where England have lost nine of their 13 Ashes encounters. Here's hoping for a Christmas miracle.