Phil Taylor was on punditry duty last night at the MODUS Super Series Legends League Finals Night as Richie Howson took glory after a flawless week for 'The Owl'.
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While for many such as Steve Beaton who played last night, the dreams of grandeur don't remain to play on the tour it has often provided a springboard for the next darting talents to go on to join the PDC ranks.
Taylor has seen it right from the beginning of its concept and he said that it has changed massively since then. "When I've come back in it's changed tremendously. This room wasn't here for a start. They've put a lot of effort in and spent a lot of money, that's the first thing I noticed and the atmosphere the crowd even though it's only 100 people in as that's all it can take, the atmosphere down here is amazing and they're all dart fans," said Taylor on MODUS Super Series.
While of course hypothetically, Taylor said that he would've loved it in his own career for match practice.
"For me when I was playing, this would've been a great night's practice and you're getting paid. I'd rather do that than watching the television and not doing anything. That was my mentality plus you're getting good match practice."
As well as that the big stage is a lot better to provide what you need than playing smaller floor tournaments and that you snap out of that state of being overawed after a few gos at it.
"If you want to be a major winner, you've got to have experience on the stage. You've got to get that stage presence, you've got know you can do it on stage because it's a different game. It's like cricket and football, playing on the floor and stage it's two different games.
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"In your mind you've got the cameras on you, you're thinking my mum's watching. My auntie will be watching, my grandma will be watching me so you're not only putting pressure on yourself being in that situation you've got the pressure of thinking all my friends have had a little bit on me. But once you get a bit more experienced you don't think like that no more."
"It's great practice for these players. I know they'll earn a few quid but this could be the start of winning millions for some of these people up here."
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.