BACK IN TIME WITH: Peter Evison, the 1996 World Matchplay winner who stunned Phil Taylor in Blackpool

In this feature, we regularly look back at a darts player from the past. Today it is the turn of Englishman Peter Evison, who achieved the biggest triumph of his career in 1996 by winning the World Matchplay.

Peter Evison was born on 27 May 1964 in Chiswick, England. In the early 1980s, he made his first appearance on television, not in a darts tournament but on the popular British programme Bullseye. Evison and his partner failed to win the top prize.

In 1986, he made his debut in a televised darts event. At the British Professional Championship, which was considered a major at the time, he caused a major upset by eliminating top player John Lowe in the opening round. He was then knocked out in the next round by Kevin Kenny.

Evison truly broke through in 1988, reaching the quarter finals on his debut at the BDO World Darts Championship. After victories over Dave Whitcombe and Fred McMullan, he was eventually beaten by future world champion Bob Anderson. A year later, he claimed his first major title by winning the Winmau World Masters, defeating Eric Bristow 3-2 in the final, which was not televised that year.

Evison competed at every BDO World Championship from 1988 to 1992 but never bettered that initial quarterfinal result. In 1993, he failed to qualify and later that year joined 15 other players in founding the Professional Darts Corporation.

At the first PDC World Darts Championship, Evison impressed by topping his group ahead of Jerry Umberger and Kevin Burrows. He beat Rod Harrington in the quarter finals before losing 5-3 to Dennis Priestley in the semi-finals. He later lost the third-place match 5-1 to Steve Brown. A year later, he again reached the semifinals, this time losing 5-1 to Harrington. He also lost the third-place match again, this time 4-2 to Lowe.

Nicknamed ‘The Fen Tiger’, Evison arrived at the 1996 World Matchplay as an unseeded player. He began with an 8-3 win over 1994 champion Larry Butler.

In the second round, he faced Taylor, the reigning world champion and defending World Matchplay winner. Taylor was widely expected to retain his title in Blackpool. At the Winter Gardens, Evison produced the performance of his career. With a stunning 103.77 average, he defeated Taylor 8-1. It was an exceptionally heavy defeat for ‘The Power’ and left the Blackpool crowd stunned.

"I had a good record against Phil. I thought, ‘I’ve only got to play like I can and I’ll beat him’. You get those players who you don’t mind playing, no matter how good they are. He’s only got three darts, the same as everybody else," Evison recalled to Mirror Sport back in 2024. “You’re playing the dartboard, not the person. Some people had a fear of playing certain people, but not me. I think that was one of my best wins. It’s one of the venues he loved playing at.”

Evison could not match that same level in the following rounds but still defeated Sean Downs and Jamie Harvey to reach the final. There, he faced Priestley. Having fallen short against him at the World Championship two years earlier, Evison turned the tables this time. He matched his level from the Taylor match and edged out a thriller 16-14. With another 100-plus average, he claimed his first and only major PDC title.

"I felt good the whole week. I was in bed early every night, whereas usually in Blackpool I’d go to a few bars and have a bit of fun. I was behaving myself that week,” he remembered.

In 1997, Evison reached his third and final World Championship semi-final, losing a tight 5-4 match to Priestley. He did win the third place match that year, beating Bristow 4-2.

Although he remained competitive in the years that followed, he did not reach another final. His record ultimately included three World Championship semi finals and a World Grand Prix semi final in 2002.

After 2005, Evison’s ranking declined, and he stopped qualifying for major events. In 2008, he returned to the BDO. His best result there was a quarter-final at the Swiss Open in 2009.

He was one of the few players to return to the BDO after moving to the PDC. Later, he attempted a comeback via Q School but was unsuccessful. After several attempts on the Challenge Tour, he retired in 2018 at the age of 54. His later years were also marked by personal tragedy, as his wife, Angie, passed away in 2012 after a long illness.

In 2022, Evison briefly came out of retirement to compete on the World Seniors Darts Tour. He played in the World Seniors Matchplay but lost his opening match 8-0 to Colin McGarry with a 53.90 average. He did not appear again in later events. The tour ceased operations in 2025, making a future return unlikely.

Now that his career is definitively over, it is worth considering where Evison fits within darts history. The Englishman was never a prolific winner, but he remained one of the stronger players of his generation for many years. His 1989 title at the Winmau World Masters should not be underestimated. At that time, the BDO was the only governing body in darts, and all the top players competed in that event.

He later added a major title with the PDC and, with three World Championship semi finals, repeatedly showed a high level of consistency. Evison was also capable of producing 100 plus averages, something that was far less common in that era than it is today. Comparing different eras is always difficult, but at his best level, Evison would likely still be competitive in the modern game.

In the end, Evison’s career yielded one BDO major and one PDC major. The Englishman, known for his relaxed lifestyle, admits that his choices away from the oche may have influenced his record of achievements. When asked whether his love of nightlife cost him additional major titles, Evison was open: “Probably, yeah. But you can’t have any regrets."

Despite that, he looks back on his career with satisfaction: "I had some really good times and won tournaments all over the world doing what I was doing.” For Evison, everything came down to belief in his own ability: “You’ve just got to believe in your own ability, and I thought I could beat anyone.”

That combination of self belief and enjoyment defines Evison as a player. He took the game seriously but also embraced everything around it, even if that may have cost him further success.