Dennis Priestley
Encyclopedia
Dennis Priestley is an English
professional darts
player. He has won two world championships, and was the first player to win both the BDO
and WDC (now PDC
) world championships, in 1991 and 1994 respectively. He is nicknamed "The Menace", after the cartoon character Dennis the Menace
, and reflects this by wearing red and black, and using red and black flights.
, South Yorkshire
, Priestley was originally a coal merchant by trade, and did not enter professional darts until he was almost 40 years old. He first caught the eye in 1989 when he reached the final of the News of the World Darts Championship
where he was beaten by the experienced Dave Whitcombe
. He then reached the semi-finals of the 1990 Winmau World Masters, losing to eventual champion Phil Taylor.
, after beating Eric Bristow
6-0 in the final. He had defeated defending champion Taylor in his quarter-finals and 1988 champion Bob Anderson
in his semi-final. He won the 1992 Winmau World Masters
and also picked up many BDO Open events between 1991 and 1993.
Priestley was a founder member of the World Darts Council (WDC) which split from the British Darts Organisation
in 1993, see main article: Split in darts
. As a consequence, Priestley was precluded from assuming the role of England captain which he had been awarded shortly beforehand.
Priestley won the inaugural WDC World Darts Championship in 1994. This high point was surrounded by several wins on the WDC's new professional circuit (including the Skol Matchplay, UK Matchplay, Antwerp Open, and Samson Darts Classic) in 1993 and 1994. Since then, he has been a PDC World Championship runner-up four times, in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2000, losing to Taylor on all four occasions. Priestley has also been a three-times World Matchplay runner-up, losing to American Larry Butler
in 1994, Taylor in 1995 and Peter Evison
in 1996.
Between 1991 and 1994 Priestley was the only player to win more than one grand slam/major title (he won 3), while he also claimed more top professional events on either circuit than any other player and attained the number-one ranking.
Priestley's ascendancy was forcefully ended by Taylor's World Championship and World Matchplay triumphs in 1995. He did, however, notch up a further major televised title later that year - the inaugural PDC World Team Championship partnering Bristow.
His 1996 World Championship Final with Taylor is often seen as one of the best matches in the history of the PDC. Although Priestley hit 15 180s and averaged 102 in the match, he was edged out 4-6 by the ruthless brilliance of Taylor. Priestley struck 14 180s and a 10-dart leg in the following year's final. Again, however, it was to no avail as Taylor won 6-3. Perhaps for matches such as these, Taylor stated in his autobiography that Priestley is the "best player [he has] ever faced". Taylor makes a similar reference to Priestley on the biography section of his website.
He is the only man to date to win both the BDO
and PDC World Championships at his first attempt; Priestley won the 1991 BDO
title in his first appearance in the main draw of the Lakeside event, while he won the inaugural PDC
World Professional Darts Championship
in 1994.
He is the first man to average over 100 in a World Championship final. His average of 102 in the 1996 WDC World Championship Final came in a 4-6 loss to Taylor. It remains the highest average of a losing World Championship finalist and has only since been bettered in a World final by Taylor himself.
In 1992, Priestley entered the 1993 Embassy World Championship as the number-one seed. In his first-round tie against Jocky Wilson
, he set a new record for the highest match average (102.6) at the championship, which stood until 2004. In his autobiography, Bobby Dazzler, Bobby George
recalled that, during the same championship, he played Priestley in a best of nine-leg practice match. Priestley had a dart for a perfect 9-dart finish in every leg en-route to recording a 5-0 win using a total of only 49 darts (10, 10, 10, 10, and 9). George stated that, although it was only a practice match, this was the greatest Lakeside performance he has ever seen and was disappointed that Priestley's surprise 2nd-round defeat to Steve Beaton
cost him a substantial wager that he had understandably placed on Priestley winning his second Embassy title.
In his World Championship debut in 1991 he set a new tournament record for 180s (25). That record was broken by Mike Gregory in 1992.
Priestley held the number-one spot in the PDC
world rankings
between November 1994 and April 1995 and was seeded number-one for the WDC World Championships of 1995 and 1997.
In 1997 Priestley won the British Classic in Blackpool, notable for being the first BDO event which PDC players were allowed to enter - as a result of the Tomlin Order - since the 1993 split
. Priestley also took the pairs title with Taylor. At around this time, Priestley also took part in a 'Battle of the Champions' contest to mark the resolution of the dispute between the governing bodies. In a match-up of 1994 World Champions, Priestley comfortably defeated Part 3-0 in sets.
The following year, Priestley suffered the first of five final defeats to Taylor 11-16 in legs. The Matchplay appeared to be Priestley's for the taking in 1996 when hot-favourite Taylor was knocked out by Peter Evison, but Evison in turn edged Priestley 16-14 in a dramatic final. Priestley also reached the semi-finals of the event in 1999 but lost to eventual winner Rod Harrington
. In recent years, Priestley has contested some thrilling Blackpool encounters with Taylor. His 13-15 loss to Taylor in the 2nd round of the 2005 event was followed by a 13-16 defeat in the Quarter-Finals the following year, and his 2008 campaign came to an end courtesy of an 8-17 semi-final exit.
Priestley's failure to win the World Matchplay is all the more surprising given that he has won several other Matchplay titles including the British Matchplay, the Skol Matchplay, and the UK Matchplay.
Though he has won a number of non-televised ranking events over the years, Priestley has underachieved and on some occasions underperformed on the big stage; his perennial struggle to turn great performances into World titles shows this. Indeed, Priestley was close to quitting darts in 2004, unhappy with his form and had problems with his sight, but in typically determined style he returned to top form in 2005. That year he reached his first major semi-final in 5 years at the World Grand Prix in Dublin. Priestley repeated that feat the following year and ended 2006 with a top-three ranking.
Taylor and Priestley first met in major competition in the 1990 World Masters. Taylor won that semi-final encounter en route to the title. Priestley quickly assumed the upper hand in their rivalry, however, with victories over Taylor in the 1991 World Championship and British Matchplay final later that year. Their early meetings in the WDC were also won by Priestley, who defeated Taylor in the finals of the 1993 UK Matchplay and 1994 World Championship.
The turning point (and peak) in the Taylor/Priestley rivalry arguably came in the 1996 World Championship Final. Although Taylor was, at 1/6, an excessively hot favourite, the match was very evenly poised: Taylor was the defending champion and reigning World Matchplay champion, while Priestley was the former champion and reigning World Team champion. Both players had conceded only a handful of sets between them en route to the final and produced (statistically) the greatest World Final ever at the time: not only was Priestley's average of 102 a landmark, Taylor's average of 99 was also higher than any previous World Finalist.
The 1997 WDC World Final was of a similarly high standard. Like the previous year, a barrage of 180s took Priestley to an early lead before Taylor's brutal scoring and ruthless finishing put him in command. Trailing 2-4 in sets and 0-2 in legs, Priestley recovered to 2-2 in legs before clinching the set with a 160 checkout against the throw. Priestley found himself 0-2 down in the following set. Again he recovered to 2-2 before fractionally missing a 140 checkout for a similar escape. Taylor won that set and the next for a 6-3 win. Ironically, in the 1996 final, Priestley had similarly trailed 3-4 0-2, recovered to 2-2 and just missed a 132 checkout (bull, bull, double 16) before losing the set.
Although only one set 'against the throw' proved decisive in both the 1996 and 1997 WDC/PDC World Finals, the 1998 final proved much more one-sided. Becoming the only duo to contest three successive World Finals, Taylor and Priestley failed to produce another epic contest. Taylor's 6-0 win evidenced a cross-roads in their respective careers. While Priestley struggled to remain at the top of the PDC ranks, Taylor entered an era of unprecedented domination and consistent 100+ averages.
Despite this setback, however, Priestley bounced back to reach his sixth World Final in 2000. An average of 98 gave him a 5-2 semi-final win over top seed Peter Manley
, while Taylor blitzed into the final without losing a set. The form of both players subsequently dipped in the final, where - from 3-2 2-2 - Taylor pulled away to a 7-3 win.
In somewhat nostalgic fashion, the pair provided another epic contest in the early rounds of the 2004 World Championship. After Taylor took the opening 2 sets, Priestley won 7 of the next 10 legs before a relieved Taylor wrapped up a 4-1 win.
Priestley's last win against Taylor came in a non-televised ranking event in 2006. Although his last major victory over Taylor came in 1994, Darts commentators such as John Gwynne
have noted that a vast number of their subsequent encounters have been close and exciting affairs - something not always reflected by the scorelines.
Perhaps for this reason, Priestley is highly regarded by Sid Waddell who, in the documentary "the Power and the Glory" commented that "Priestley was the only one (in Darts) who could do anything with [Taylor]" between 1994 and 1998, while Bristow endorsed the 1996 |PDC World Final because "Priestley didn't drop from the 100 average he played against other players" when faced with Taylor.
In the same documentary, Waddell stated that - at the start of the WDC/PDC in 1993 - he thought that "Priestley would have a few years all to himself" on the circuit. Although Taylor's relentless domination of the circuit from 1995-onwards did not allow this to be, Priestley's superiority over Taylor between 1991 and 1994 gives requisite justification for such a view.
The continuing closeness between the two legends was evident when Taylor was close to tears after comfortably beating Priestley 7-0 in the 2009 Las Vegas Desert Classic.
, the respected darts competition in which eight of the best players from the PDC circuit compete against each other in a league format, with matches held across Great Britain
at different venues. Priestley took the tournament by storm in the opening weeks, complementing hammerings of Roland Scholten
and Adrian Lewis
with a draw against Taylor and hard fought wins over Terry Jenkins
, Colin Lloyd
, and van Barneveld. Although he failed to maintain that form, Priestley's good start proved sufficient to earn him a semi-final place. Once again, however, he went down to a brave (6-11 in legs) loss to eventual winner Taylor.
In February 2007, he won the UK Open South-West Regional tournament, beating James Wade
in the final. Priestley's form dipped later in 2007, although this was greatly overshadowed by his battle with prostate cancer.
Priestley failed to qualify for the Grand Slam of Darts in 2009, but he did win his first major event since his 1994 World Championship, at the US Open. Taylor chose not to participate in the event.
Priestley exited the 2010 PDC World Championship in the first round after losing 3-2 to Kevin McDine
. He exited the 2011 PDC World Championships in the second round of the tournament after losing 4-2 to Gary Anderson
.
and issued a statement through the PDC
regarding his health. He was forced to withdraw from the John McEvoy Darts Classic in Ireland with pains in his abdomen having been diagnosed with the disease in the run up to the event. He had stated his thoughts were to undergo surgery at some point in early 2008, however, after losing 5-2 to van Barneveld in the second round of the Grand Slam of Darts
(despite averaging 103.5), he announced that he would be making arrangements to undergo surgery in the days following the event. This, however, did not prevent him taking his place in the 2008 World Championship where, understandably jaded, he lost in the 1st round to Steve Maish
.
After an extended period of treatment and recuperation, Priestley returned to the PDC circuit in May 2008. Much to the delight of darts fans, he quickly regained his form and reached the semi-finals of the US Open where he was beaten, once again, by Taylor. He also lost to Taylor again after a terrific run to the semis of the 2008 World Matchplay
.
and Manchester United
. He also enjoys other sports including Horse Racing
and Golf
.
Final
WDC/PDC World Professional Darts Championship
Finals
Final
WDC/PDC World Team Championship Winners (this event preceded the World Grand Prix
)
WDC/PDC World Matchplay
Finals
Semi-Finalist
PDC World Grand Prix
Semi-Finalist
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional darts
Darts
Darts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...
player. He has won two world championships, and was the first player to win both the BDO
British Darts Organisation
The British Darts Organisation, or the BDO for short, is a darts organisation founded on 7 January 1973 by Olly Croft, OBE. The BDO is a founder member of the World Darts Federation which was formed in 1976....
and WDC (now PDC
Professional Darts Corporation
The Professional Darts Corporation is a professional darts organization, established in the United Kingdom during 1992, when a group of leading professional players split from the British Darts Organisation to form what was initially called the World Darts Council...
) world championships, in 1991 and 1994 respectively. He is nicknamed "The Menace", after the cartoon character Dennis the Menace
Dennis the Menace (UK)
Dennis the Menace, later called Dennis the Menace and Gnasher and now Dennis and Gnasher, is a long-running comic strip in the British children's comic The Beano, published by D. C...
, and reflects this by wearing red and black, and using red and black flights.
Early career
Born in MexboroughMexborough
Mexborough is a town in the metropolitan borough of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, situated on the north bank of the River Don west of its confluence with the River Dearne...
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, Priestley was originally a coal merchant by trade, and did not enter professional darts until he was almost 40 years old. He first caught the eye in 1989 when he reached the final of the News of the World Darts Championship
News of the World Darts Championship
The News of the World Individual Darts Championship was one of the first major organised darts competitions, which began in 1927. It became England's first national darts competition from 1947 until its demise in 1990...
where he was beaten by the experienced Dave Whitcombe
Dave Whitcombe
Dave Whitcombe is an English professional darts player who won several major tournaments and reached two World Championship Finals. He had a long professional career between 1980 and 1992.-Biography:...
. He then reached the semi-finals of the 1990 Winmau World Masters, losing to eventual champion Phil Taylor.
Rising to the top
Shortly after becoming a newsagent, Priestley won the 1991 Embassy World Championship1991 BDO World Darts Championship
The 1991 Embassy World Darts Championship was held at the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green, Surrey from 4–12 January 1991. Phil Taylor was the reigning World Champion and started off well in the early rounds, before losing in the quarter-finals to Dennis Priestley who took the title.The...
, after beating Eric Bristow
Eric Bristow
Eric Bristow MBE is a British darts player, whose skill at the game in the 1980s helped turn it into a worldwide spectator sport.- Early career :...
6-0 in the final. He had defeated defending champion Taylor in his quarter-finals and 1988 champion Bob Anderson
Bob Anderson (darts player)
Robert Charles "Bob" Anderson is a former world darts champion. He was ranked as world number one for over three years in the late 1980s. Nicknamed The Limestone Cowboy, he lives in Clevedon in Somerset.-Before Darts:Anderson threw his first darts maximum at the age of just five...
in his semi-final. He won the 1992 Winmau World Masters
Winmau World Masters
The Winmau World Masters is one of the longest running and most prestigious professional darts tournaments, which began in 1974 - even before the current World Professional Championship...
and also picked up many BDO Open events between 1991 and 1993.
Priestley was a founder member of the World Darts Council (WDC) which split from the British Darts Organisation
British Darts Organisation
The British Darts Organisation, or the BDO for short, is a darts organisation founded on 7 January 1973 by Olly Croft, OBE. The BDO is a founder member of the World Darts Federation which was formed in 1976....
in 1993, see main article: Split in darts
Split in darts
The split in darts refers to an acrimonious dispute between top professional darts players and the game's governing body which began in 1992 and resulted in the formation of a new organisation to arrange tournaments - including a second version of the World Professional Darts Championship...
. As a consequence, Priestley was precluded from assuming the role of England captain which he had been awarded shortly beforehand.
Priestley won the inaugural WDC World Darts Championship in 1994. This high point was surrounded by several wins on the WDC's new professional circuit (including the Skol Matchplay, UK Matchplay, Antwerp Open, and Samson Darts Classic) in 1993 and 1994. Since then, he has been a PDC World Championship runner-up four times, in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2000, losing to Taylor on all four occasions. Priestley has also been a three-times World Matchplay runner-up, losing to American Larry Butler
Larry Butler (darts player)
Larry Butler is an American darts player, who was the winner of the 1994 PDC World Matchplay Darts Championship. This success made him the first, and so far only American player to have won a major darts tournament in Europe....
in 1994, Taylor in 1995 and Peter Evison
Peter Evison
Peter Evison is a darts player who has enjoyed a long career in the game. His greatest achievements were to win the 1989 Winmau World Masters and the 1996 World Matchplay. He has also come close to winning the World Championship on a number of occasions.Before appearing in a major tournament...
in 1996.
Between 1991 and 1994 Priestley was the only player to win more than one grand slam/major title (he won 3), while he also claimed more top professional events on either circuit than any other player and attained the number-one ranking.
Priestley's ascendancy was forcefully ended by Taylor's World Championship and World Matchplay triumphs in 1995. He did, however, notch up a further major televised title later that year - the inaugural PDC World Team Championship partnering Bristow.
His 1996 World Championship Final with Taylor is often seen as one of the best matches in the history of the PDC. Although Priestley hit 15 180s and averaged 102 in the match, he was edged out 4-6 by the ruthless brilliance of Taylor. Priestley struck 14 180s and a 10-dart leg in the following year's final. Again, however, it was to no avail as Taylor won 6-3. Perhaps for matches such as these, Taylor stated in his autobiography that Priestley is the "best player [he has] ever faced". Taylor makes a similar reference to Priestley on the biography section of his website.
Other achievements
Despite living in the shadow of Taylor for much of his career, Priestley nonetheless has accomplished some unique achievements.He is the only man to date to win both the BDO
British Darts Organisation
The British Darts Organisation, or the BDO for short, is a darts organisation founded on 7 January 1973 by Olly Croft, OBE. The BDO is a founder member of the World Darts Federation which was formed in 1976....
and PDC World Championships at his first attempt; Priestley won the 1991 BDO
British Darts Organisation
The British Darts Organisation, or the BDO for short, is a darts organisation founded on 7 January 1973 by Olly Croft, OBE. The BDO is a founder member of the World Darts Federation which was formed in 1976....
title in his first appearance in the main draw of the Lakeside event, while he won the inaugural PDC
Professional Darts Corporation
The Professional Darts Corporation is a professional darts organization, established in the United Kingdom during 1992, when a group of leading professional players split from the British Darts Organisation to form what was initially called the World Darts Council...
World Professional Darts Championship
World Professional Darts Championship
The World Professional Darts Championship is one of the most important tournaments in the darts calendar. Originally held as an annual event between 1978 and 1993, players then broke off into two separate organisations after a controversial split in the game...
in 1994.
He is the first man to average over 100 in a World Championship final. His average of 102 in the 1996 WDC World Championship Final came in a 4-6 loss to Taylor. It remains the highest average of a losing World Championship finalist and has only since been bettered in a World final by Taylor himself.
In 1992, Priestley entered the 1993 Embassy World Championship as the number-one seed. In his first-round tie against Jocky Wilson
Jocky Wilson
John Thomas Wilson known as "Jocky" Wilson, is a former Scottish darts champion. He retired from the game in 1995.Wilson was twice World professional Darts Champion in 1982 and 1989...
, he set a new record for the highest match average (102.6) at the championship, which stood until 2004. In his autobiography, Bobby Dazzler, Bobby George
Bobby George
Robert Francis George is an English darts player and presenter. He is widely recognised as one of the game's biggest personalities, known for his flamboyant entrances in which the "King of Darts" makes his way to the stage bedecked in jewellery, wearing a crown and cloak and holding a candelabra...
recalled that, during the same championship, he played Priestley in a best of nine-leg practice match. Priestley had a dart for a perfect 9-dart finish in every leg en-route to recording a 5-0 win using a total of only 49 darts (10, 10, 10, 10, and 9). George stated that, although it was only a practice match, this was the greatest Lakeside performance he has ever seen and was disappointed that Priestley's surprise 2nd-round defeat to Steve Beaton
Steve Beaton
Steve Beaton is an English professional darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation...
cost him a substantial wager that he had understandably placed on Priestley winning his second Embassy title.
In his World Championship debut in 1991 he set a new tournament record for 180s (25). That record was broken by Mike Gregory in 1992.
Priestley held the number-one spot in the PDC
Professional Darts Corporation
The Professional Darts Corporation is a professional darts organization, established in the United Kingdom during 1992, when a group of leading professional players split from the British Darts Organisation to form what was initially called the World Darts Council...
world rankings
Darts world rankings
Darts world rankings are a system which should determine a list of the best dart players in the world based on their performances in tournaments...
between November 1994 and April 1995 and was seeded number-one for the WDC World Championships of 1995 and 1997.
In 1997 Priestley won the British Classic in Blackpool, notable for being the first BDO event which PDC players were allowed to enter - as a result of the Tomlin Order - since the 1993 split
Split in darts
The split in darts refers to an acrimonious dispute between top professional darts players and the game's governing body which began in 1992 and resulted in the formation of a new organisation to arrange tournaments - including a second version of the World Professional Darts Championship...
. Priestley also took the pairs title with Taylor. At around this time, Priestley also took part in a 'Battle of the Champions' contest to mark the resolution of the dispute between the governing bodies. In a match-up of 1994 World Champions, Priestley comfortably defeated Part 3-0 in sets.
Setbacks and bouncebacks
The World Matchplay is perennially considered as Priestley's 'bogey' event, as he has never won it despite reaching the first three finals of the tournament. In the 1994 final, he held a 6-1 in legs lead over Butler when the American alerted Priestley's attention to a distraction in the arena; Butler's wily intervention had a noticeable effect on Priestley and the American won 15 of the next 21 legs to seal victory.The following year, Priestley suffered the first of five final defeats to Taylor 11-16 in legs. The Matchplay appeared to be Priestley's for the taking in 1996 when hot-favourite Taylor was knocked out by Peter Evison, but Evison in turn edged Priestley 16-14 in a dramatic final. Priestley also reached the semi-finals of the event in 1999 but lost to eventual winner Rod Harrington
Rod Harrington
Rod Harrington is a former English darts player. He used the nickname The Prince of Style for his matches, often wearing a suit and waistcoast for his games...
. In recent years, Priestley has contested some thrilling Blackpool encounters with Taylor. His 13-15 loss to Taylor in the 2nd round of the 2005 event was followed by a 13-16 defeat in the Quarter-Finals the following year, and his 2008 campaign came to an end courtesy of an 8-17 semi-final exit.
Priestley's failure to win the World Matchplay is all the more surprising given that he has won several other Matchplay titles including the British Matchplay, the Skol Matchplay, and the UK Matchplay.
Though he has won a number of non-televised ranking events over the years, Priestley has underachieved and on some occasions underperformed on the big stage; his perennial struggle to turn great performances into World titles shows this. Indeed, Priestley was close to quitting darts in 2004, unhappy with his form and had problems with his sight, but in typically determined style he returned to top form in 2005. That year he reached his first major semi-final in 5 years at the World Grand Prix in Dublin. Priestley repeated that feat the following year and ended 2006 with a top-three ranking.
Friendship/Rivalry with Phil Taylor
Priestley is good friends with Taylor, who describes Priestley as a darting "soul-mate" in his autobiography. During the early years of the PDC, Priestley and Taylor had an agreement where they would share prize money won at events. The arrangement lasted between 1994 and 2000 and made sound financial sense given that, in Taylor's words, they "cherry-picked most tournaments" (contesting 5 of the 7 World Championship Finals in that time) and also struggled for exhibition work due to the dispute with the BDO. The agreement eventually ended when the prize money grew to a level where the players could individually sustain a better living and this ironically coincided with Priestley's sharp dip in form.Taylor and Priestley first met in major competition in the 1990 World Masters. Taylor won that semi-final encounter en route to the title. Priestley quickly assumed the upper hand in their rivalry, however, with victories over Taylor in the 1991 World Championship and British Matchplay final later that year. Their early meetings in the WDC were also won by Priestley, who defeated Taylor in the finals of the 1993 UK Matchplay and 1994 World Championship.
The turning point (and peak) in the Taylor/Priestley rivalry arguably came in the 1996 World Championship Final. Although Taylor was, at 1/6, an excessively hot favourite, the match was very evenly poised: Taylor was the defending champion and reigning World Matchplay champion, while Priestley was the former champion and reigning World Team champion. Both players had conceded only a handful of sets between them en route to the final and produced (statistically) the greatest World Final ever at the time: not only was Priestley's average of 102 a landmark, Taylor's average of 99 was also higher than any previous World Finalist.
The 1997 WDC World Final was of a similarly high standard. Like the previous year, a barrage of 180s took Priestley to an early lead before Taylor's brutal scoring and ruthless finishing put him in command. Trailing 2-4 in sets and 0-2 in legs, Priestley recovered to 2-2 in legs before clinching the set with a 160 checkout against the throw. Priestley found himself 0-2 down in the following set. Again he recovered to 2-2 before fractionally missing a 140 checkout for a similar escape. Taylor won that set and the next for a 6-3 win. Ironically, in the 1996 final, Priestley had similarly trailed 3-4 0-2, recovered to 2-2 and just missed a 132 checkout (bull, bull, double 16) before losing the set.
Although only one set 'against the throw' proved decisive in both the 1996 and 1997 WDC/PDC World Finals, the 1998 final proved much more one-sided. Becoming the only duo to contest three successive World Finals, Taylor and Priestley failed to produce another epic contest. Taylor's 6-0 win evidenced a cross-roads in their respective careers. While Priestley struggled to remain at the top of the PDC ranks, Taylor entered an era of unprecedented domination and consistent 100+ averages.
Despite this setback, however, Priestley bounced back to reach his sixth World Final in 2000. An average of 98 gave him a 5-2 semi-final win over top seed Peter Manley
Peter Manley
Peter David Manley is an English professional darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation. He is nicknamed One Dart as he is known for hitting doubles with his first dart...
, while Taylor blitzed into the final without losing a set. The form of both players subsequently dipped in the final, where - from 3-2 2-2 - Taylor pulled away to a 7-3 win.
In somewhat nostalgic fashion, the pair provided another epic contest in the early rounds of the 2004 World Championship. After Taylor took the opening 2 sets, Priestley won 7 of the next 10 legs before a relieved Taylor wrapped up a 4-1 win.
Priestley's last win against Taylor came in a non-televised ranking event in 2006. Although his last major victory over Taylor came in 1994, Darts commentators such as John Gwynne
John Gwynne
Richard John Gwynne is a British former teacher and now a sports commentator and reporter.-Broadcasting career:...
have noted that a vast number of their subsequent encounters have been close and exciting affairs - something not always reflected by the scorelines.
Perhaps for this reason, Priestley is highly regarded by Sid Waddell who, in the documentary "the Power and the Glory" commented that "Priestley was the only one (in Darts) who could do anything with [Taylor]" between 1994 and 1998, while Bristow endorsed the 1996 |PDC World Final because "Priestley didn't drop from the 100 average he played against other players" when faced with Taylor.
In the same documentary, Waddell stated that - at the start of the WDC/PDC in 1993 - he thought that "Priestley would have a few years all to himself" on the circuit. Although Taylor's relentless domination of the circuit from 1995-onwards did not allow this to be, Priestley's superiority over Taylor between 1991 and 1994 gives requisite justification for such a view.
The continuing closeness between the two legends was evident when Taylor was close to tears after comfortably beating Priestley 7-0 in the 2009 Las Vegas Desert Classic.
Recent years
In January 2007, Priestley made his debut in the Premier League DartsPremier League Darts
The 888.com Premier League Darts is a darts tournament which launched on January 20, 2005 on Sky Sports, and is currently the world's largest indoor sports event. The league is now played weekly from February to May, having originally started as a fortnightly fixture...
, the respected darts competition in which eight of the best players from the PDC circuit compete against each other in a league format, with matches held across Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
at different venues. Priestley took the tournament by storm in the opening weeks, complementing hammerings of Roland Scholten
Roland Scholten
Roland Scholten is a Dutch professional darts player who plays for the Professional Darts Corporation and formerly for the British Darts Organisation. He is nicknamed Tripod or The Flying Dutchman and uses Hey Ya by Outkast as his walk-on. He is currently ranked 45th in the PDC...
and Adrian Lewis
Adrian Lewis
Adrian Lewis is an English professional darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation who is the reigning PDC World Darts Champion...
with a draw against Taylor and hard fought wins over Terry Jenkins
Terry Jenkins
Terry Jenkins is an English professional darts player who is nicknamed The Bull, having previously used the nickname "Tucker" for his matches...
, Colin Lloyd
Colin Lloyd
Colin Lloyd , nicknamed Jaws, is an English professional darts player on the Professional Darts Corporation circuit. He is a former world number one ranked player and he has won two major television titles in the PDC - the 2004 World Grand Prix and 2005 World Matchplay...
, and van Barneveld. Although he failed to maintain that form, Priestley's good start proved sufficient to earn him a semi-final place. Once again, however, he went down to a brave (6-11 in legs) loss to eventual winner Taylor.
In February 2007, he won the UK Open South-West Regional tournament, beating James Wade
James Wade
James Wade is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation . He became the youngest player ever to win a major PDC title at the World Matchplay in July 2007...
in the final. Priestley's form dipped later in 2007, although this was greatly overshadowed by his battle with prostate cancer.
Priestley failed to qualify for the Grand Slam of Darts in 2009, but he did win his first major event since his 1994 World Championship, at the US Open. Taylor chose not to participate in the event.
Priestley exited the 2010 PDC World Championship in the first round after losing 3-2 to Kevin McDine
Kevin McDine
Kevin McDine is an English darts player, currently residing in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire. He competes in Professional Darts Corporation events and SupaMc is currently ranked 37th on the PDC Order of Merit....
. He exited the 2011 PDC World Championships in the second round of the tournament after losing 4-2 to Gary Anderson
Gary Anderson (darts player)
Gary Anderson is a Scottish professional darts player from Eyemouth, Scottish Borders, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation, and a former BDO and WDF world number one. His nickname is The Flying Scotsman...
.
Cancer battle
In November 2007, Priestley was diagnosed with prostate cancerProstate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
and issued a statement through the PDC
Professional Darts Corporation
The Professional Darts Corporation is a professional darts organization, established in the United Kingdom during 1992, when a group of leading professional players split from the British Darts Organisation to form what was initially called the World Darts Council...
regarding his health. He was forced to withdraw from the John McEvoy Darts Classic in Ireland with pains in his abdomen having been diagnosed with the disease in the run up to the event. He had stated his thoughts were to undergo surgery at some point in early 2008, however, after losing 5-2 to van Barneveld in the second round of the Grand Slam of Darts
Grand Slam of Darts
The Grand Slam of Darts is a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation and is known as the William Hill Grand Slam of Darts for sponsorship purposes. The PDC also invites the best performing players from its rival the British Darts Organisation...
(despite averaging 103.5), he announced that he would be making arrangements to undergo surgery in the days following the event. This, however, did not prevent him taking his place in the 2008 World Championship where, understandably jaded, he lost in the 1st round to Steve Maish
Steve Maish
Steve Maish is a darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation events. He uses the nickname Mr Magic for his matches....
.
After an extended period of treatment and recuperation, Priestley returned to the PDC circuit in May 2008. Much to the delight of darts fans, he quickly regained his form and reached the semi-finals of the US Open where he was beaten, once again, by Taylor. He also lost to Taylor again after a terrific run to the semis of the 2008 World Matchplay
2008 World Matchplay Darts
The 2008 Stan James World Matchplay was the 15th annual staging of the tournament by the Professional Darts Corporation. The tournament took place from Sunday July 20 to Saturday July 26. It was staged at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool...
.
Outside Darts
Away from darts, Priestley is married to Jenny and has 4 children, Michael (37), Kerry (35), Wayne (31) and Adam (23). He also has a granddaughter, Keeley (14). Dennis is also a massive football fan. He supports BarnsleyBarnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
and Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
. He also enjoys other sports including Horse Racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
and Golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
.
World Title achievements
BDO Lakeside World Professional ChampionshipBDO World Darts Championship
The BDO World Darts Championship is a world championship competition in darts, organised by the British Darts Organisation . It began in 1978, and was the only world championship tournament until 1994...
Final
- 1991: Dennis Priestley beat Eric Bristow 6-0
WDC/PDC World Professional Darts Championship
World Professional Darts Championship
The World Professional Darts Championship is one of the most important tournaments in the darts calendar. Originally held as an annual event between 1978 and 1993, players then broke off into two separate organisations after a controversial split in the game...
Finals
- 1994: Dennis Priestley beat Phil Taylor 6-1
- 1996: Phil Taylor beat Dennis Priestley 6-4
- 1997: Phil Taylor beat Dennis Priestley 6-3
- 1998: Phil Taylor beat Dennis Priestley 6-0
- 2000: Phil Taylor beat Dennis Priestley 7-3
Other "World" finals
BDO Winmau World MastersWinmau World Masters
The Winmau World Masters is one of the longest running and most prestigious professional darts tournaments, which began in 1974 - even before the current World Professional Championship...
Final
- 1992: Dennis Priestley beat Mike Gregory
WDC/PDC World Team Championship Winners (this event preceded the World Grand Prix
PDC World Grand Prix Darts
The World Grand Prix is a PDC darts tournament held in Dublin each October. Its original venue was the Casino Rooms in Rochester, Kent in 1998 and 1999 and then for one year only in 2000 at the Crosbie Cedars Hotel in Rosslare, County Wexford. In 2001 the tournament moved further north to its...
)
- 1995: Eric Bristow and Dennis Priestley
WDC/PDC World Matchplay
Stan James World Matchplay
The Skybet World Matchplay is a darts tournament, played in a legs format, and is run by the Professional Darts Corporation . The tournament is sponsored by Skybet who take over from Stan James after 10 years.The World Matchplay has been played yearly since 1994 in the Empress Ballroom at the...
Finals
- 1994: Larry Butler beat Dennis Priestley 16-12
- 1995: Phil Taylor beat Dennis Priestley 16-11
- 1996: Peter Evison beat Dennis Priestley 16-14
Semi-Finalist
- 1999: lost 10-17 to Rod Harrington
- 2008: lost 8-17 to Phil Taylor
PDC World Grand Prix
PDC World Grand Prix Darts
The World Grand Prix is a PDC darts tournament held in Dublin each October. Its original venue was the Casino Rooms in Rochester, Kent in 1998 and 1999 and then for one year only in 2000 at the Crosbie Cedars Hotel in Rosslare, County Wexford. In 2001 the tournament moved further north to its...
Semi-Finalist
- 2000: lost 1-6 to Phil Taylor
- 2005: lost 4-6 to Colin Lloyd
- 2006: lost 3-6 to Phil Taylor