DARTS fans were given a tungsten treat when the game’s most successful ever player came to Barrow, writes DAVID BURTON.

Sixteen-times champion of the world, Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, was in fine form as he gave plucky members of the public the chance to beat him in a one leg shootout at The Nines, Barrow on Friday.

Despite the aptly-named venue, there were no nine-darters, but The Power displayed moments of brilliance during 14 legs of darts, with half a dozen or so 180s, a 12-dart leg and a checkout of six (three double ones).

Despite his announcement that he would bring the curtain down on a glittering 30-year career after the 2018 World Championships, Taylor was quick to reassure audiences in Barrow that he will not walk away from the sport completely.

He said: “Next year I’ll probably be doing 150 nights on the road. The worst thing I did was announce my retirement and give it 12 months, because that means you have to work your notice.

“It’s the worst thing in the world when you want to finish somewhere.”

Taylor also admitted he had been offered “a lot of money” to swap the oche for the Australian Outback by producers of ITV’s I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

“I would love to do it I’ll be honest with you, but I’m working so I couldn’t do it this year,” he said.

One of the 14 darters who claimed a surprise ‘victory’ over the Stoke great was Ulverston’s ‘Champagne’ Stevie Woodburn, who took out his favourite double 13 after The Power let him remove a number off his score of 256.

Woodburn said: “I got beat in the quarter-finals of the Evening Mail Darts Championship on this very stage, so I was going back to an unhappy hunting ground.

“But I managed to go up there and beat my demons and in doing so, beat The Power as well.”

The exhibition was an undoubted success and a near sell-out, with crowd members able to obtain a professional photograph with the man himself, as well as taking part in a raffle and auction for various sporting memorabilia.

Nines manager, Gary Wood, said: “I have wanted to get Taylor here for a while, especially after having the likes of MVG (Michael Van Gerwen) and Barney (Raymond van Barneveld) here in the past. He seems really down to earth, you can tell who the divas are, but all Phil wanted was a glass of wine and a few bottles of water. I would definitely hope to have Phil back.”