"He took it quite personally" - Peter Manley reveals how Phil Taylor snubbed his wedding after World Championship final controversy

Peter Manley and Phil Taylor were never the best of friends in the darts world. Their rivalry reached its peak in the final of the 2002 PDC World Darts Championship, where Taylor claimed his tenth world title with a crushing 7-0 victory. What followed became an iconic moment in darts history: Manley refused to shake Taylor’s hand immediately after the match.

It wasn’t the first time Manley had finished as the runner-up to Taylor in a World Championship final. The same had happened in 1999, and history would repeat itself once more in 2006. Although Manley eventually congratulated Taylor, his initial reaction did not go unnoticed by darts fans. For years, he was booed at tournaments because of his behavior after that defeat.

A year after the infamous incident, Manley managed to win fans over in a different way. During the 2003 Desert Classic in Las Vegas, where a prize fund of $22,000 (£17,000) was at stake, he proved himself once again. Although both Taylor and Manley qualified for the knockout stage, they did not face each other on stage. In the end, Manley defeated John Part 16-12 in the final, securing the title and the prize money.

In addition to financial success, the tournament had another special meaning for Manley. In an episode of the talkBULL podcast of TALKsport, he revealed that he asked his then-girlfriend to marry him after his victory. "When I won it (Desert Classic), I actually asked the lady I was courting at the time to marry me," Manley said. "We got married the following year at the Flamingo in Vegas. So Vegas has a little sentimental touch for us."

According to Manley, everyone was invited to his wedding in Las Vegas, but one familiar name was missing: Phil Taylor. "He was invited," Manley said. "I think he thought it was a paid bar. He never has anything in his pocket other than chalk."

Despite their turbulent history, Manley revealed that he and Taylor have since buried the hatchet. "It's what they call a sense of humour," Manley said. "Although Taylor has got one, he didn't really understand my sense of humour. And he took it quite personally a few times when he didn't really need to."

These days their paths do not often cross, simply because both darters have their best years behind them. Still, in later conversations with Manley, Taylor made it clear that the rivalry had meant a lot to him. "It must've bothered him because he has said to me, 'Oh, we haven't got a problem now, have we?' I thought, 'Well, we didn't back then, it was just a wind-up to try and beat you,'" One Dart concludes. "Everyone gave Phil Taylor respect and don't get me wrong, he's the GOAT, so he should have had respect. But I just wasn't that player to give it to him. I wanted to beat him, I wanted to go home and have some posh food on my table."