Sid celebrates as Phil triumphs

Today Phil The Power Taylor went a step nearer a unique six-event darts Grand Slam with a marmelising of the talented Wayne Mardle.

I won't go into the boring details of the hundreds, 180s and the usual underpinning of great talent.

I will just tell you what my friend Barry Hearn said about Taylor's achievement.

"Phil never forgets that he worked at a lathe earning £52 a week and losing a lot of sweat. He brings that exact attitude to standing on an oche throwing darts.

"The other lads will have to realise that."

In helping Taylor to write his life story, he constantly re-echoed his philosophy that you "get nowt without putting a lot in".

For today's match he was in the practice room a three hours and 17 minutes before game time, throwing as hard as any pub second team player trying to get in the first team.

He had the wit on stage to have a little joke with Wayne when Hawaii 501 got a rare leg, and I think the needle that he spouted to Jeff Stelling was pure darts wind-up. In the old days, Jocky used to wind up Eric and Evans used to wind up Eric, and it was all part of what I fear soccer has lost - words chucked out in fun just to get the other bloke rattled.

I here predict that he will take the Grand Slam, and his average for legs played in 2005 will be 101.37. Email me if you disagree.

Now I shall return to enjoying the off-stage heat of the MGM Grand's Directors Pool.

From Las Vegas to Blackpool...have a nice day.