Taylor signs off in style

PHIl TAYlOR went out with a bang in Blackpool by beating Peter Wright to win his 16th and final World Matchplay title. The legendary ‘Power’, who saw off Wright 18-8 for the £115,000 prize, is retiring at the end of the year after more than two decades of dominance. Taylor won the first of his 16 trophies at the Winter Gardens in 1995 and the 56-year-old rolled back the years at his favourite seaside resort last night. ‘I’ve loved every minute of it,’ said Taylor. ‘This has capped everything off for me. It couldn’t have come at a better time.’ He started the tournament as a 20-1 outsider but beat Raymond van Barneveld 11-3, Michael van Gerwen 16-6 and Adrian lewis 17-9 to reach the final. An emotional Wright joked: ‘I can’t wait until he retires.’