THROWBACK VIDEO: Phil Taylor throws the first nine-darter live on British television at the 2002 World Matchplay

History was made at the 2002 World Matchplay when the legendary Phil Taylor produced the first nine-dart finish ever to be broadcast live on UK television during his quarterfinal against great rival Chris Mason.

Fans packed into the iconic Winter Gardens in Blackpool watched as Taylor faced 'Mace the Ace' in the last eight. With the match level at 2-2 in legs in a race to 16, 'The Power' ignited the crowd by opening the leg with a 180 before following it with another maximum on his next visit. The excitement inside the venue was palpable as spectators sensed they were witnessing something special.

The crowd erupted as Taylor followed the classic nine-darter route of two visits of 180 before switching to treble 20, treble 19 and double 12 to complete perfection. The finish earned him a standing ovation and a huge embrace from Mason, who appeared just as caught up in the moment as everyone else. Taylor became the first player to throw a live televised nine-darter on UK television—although Shaun Greatbatch had achieved the feat earlier that year on live Dutch television at the Dutch Open—a moment that has since become one of the most iconic in darts history.

For his remarkable achievement, PDC chairman Barry Hearn presented Taylor with a cheque for a staggering £100,000.

"It’s made up of ordinary people with extraordinary ability earning money they could only ever dream of. It’s not Premier League football, because that’s a world apart from anything else.'

“They are all characters and that's one thing we’re short of in sport. These darts players are good, but they’re also funny, they’re prepared to get involved and they realise their life has changed."

Prize money in darts has increased dramatically since then, but bonuses for nine-dart finishes have disappeared altogether. "A guy who was perhaps earning 20-25 grand a year is now earning 250 grand a year. The top darts players are earning a couple of million a year," he said as per Daily Star.

“And the standard has gone through the roof. When Phil Taylor made his first nine-dart finish, we paid him a £100,000 bonus. This year we will have at least 100 nine-darters on the circuit. It’s just an amazing thing.”

If anyone were to repeat Taylor's feat today at the World Matchplay, they would receive no additional prize money. Nine-darters have become so common in the modern game that the PDC no longer offers substantial cash bonuses. Since Taylor's historic moment in 2002, Raymond van Barneveld (2010), John Part (2011), Michael van Gerwen and Wes Newton (both 2012), Taylor himself again (2014), Gary Anderson (2018), Gerwyn Price (2022), Dimitri Van den Bergh (2024) and Luke Littler (2025) have all produced perfect legs on the famous Blackpool stage.

Taylor went on to cap off his historic week by defeating John Part 18-16 in the final to lift the 2002 World Matchplay title. He would go on to win the tournament a record 16 times, with his final triumph coming in 2017 during his last season as a full-time professional.

The 33rd edition of the World Matchplay takes place from July 18-26 at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. Luke Littler begins this year's tournament as the defending champion after defeating James Wade 18-13 in the 2025 final.