Peter Manley and Phil Taylor were never the best of pals.
The feud between the pair came to a head in the 2002 World Darts Championship final.
Sky Sports DartsManley infamously went off stage without shaking Taylor’s hand after the 2002 World Championship final[/caption]
After ‘The Power’ thrashed him 7-0 to claim his tenth world title, Manley did not immediately shake his rival’s hand.
It marked the second time Manley finished as runner-up to Taylor in a World Championship final, with a third to come in 2006.
Although Manley later congratulated Taylor, it did not stop darts fans from booing him at events in the following years.
One event where Manley managed to overcome his detractors was at the 2003 Desert Classic in Las Vegas, where $22,000 (£17,000) was on the line for the winner.
Manley and Taylor were in the field, but ended up at opposite ends of the draw in the knockout stage.
Unfortunately the longtime rivals never faced each other in Sin City, but Manley emerged victorious and £17,000 richer thanks to a 16-12 win over John Part in the final.
Aside from the five-figure prize, the event proved to be especially memorable for Manley for a whole different reason.
“When I won it (Desert Classic), I actually asked the lady I was courting at the time to marry me,” Manley said on the talkBULL podcast.
“We got married the following year at the Flamingo in Vegas. So Vegas has a little sentimental touch for us.”
Manley added ‘everyone was invited’, but there was one notable absence from the festivities: Phil Taylor.
According to Manley, Taylor simply ‘didn’t turn up, unfortunately.’
“He was invited,” Manley said.
“I think he thought it was a paid bar. He never has anything in his pocket other than chalk.”
Manley also revealed he and Taylor have since buried the hatchet from their playing days, not that the former ever ‘really had any bitterness’ towards ‘The Power’.
“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.”
talkBULL PodcastManley joked Taylor didn’t rock up because he thought he’d have to pay for his own booze[/caption]
Manley conceded he and Taylor’s paths ‘don’t cross all that much now’ given they ‘can’t throw quite as good’ as what they used to during their prime years on the oche.
“But I’ve got nothing against Phil Taylor,” Manley said.
“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.’
“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.”
