Top darts players set for auckland as world series targets city as a permanent venue

Phil Taylor of England has won 16 world titles. Picture / Getty Images

The world's best darts players, led by the legendary Phil "The Power" Taylor and world number one Michael van Gerwen, are set to compete in Auckland next year as part of the World Series of Darts.

The formerly niche sport of darts is a surprise sporting phenomenon with millions in prizemoney, driven by its popularity in Britain. The 54-year-old Taylor is an international sports star and other leading players have built followings around the world. The three-day tournament in Auckland will be televised live in Australasia - the PDC usually links with Fox Sports.

Auckland is being lined up to join the fledgling world series run by the United Kingdom's Professional Darts Corporation headed by famed promoter Barry Hearn.

The jewel in the PDC's crown is the world championships, held at London's Alexandra Palace. The world series has included tournaments in Dubai, Perth, Sydney and Singapore since last year.

The PDC is already testing out New Zealand, bringing Taylor, who has won an extraordinary 16 world titles, and fellow Englishman Adrian Lewis, the world number three who has two world crowns, to tournaments in Invercargill and Wellington in January.

But PDC co-founder and tournament organiser Tommy Cox told the Herald there was a bigger goal, to cement Auckland as a permanent part of the world series along with other new territories such as Russia. The PDC was particularly encouraged by the enthusiastic reaction from New Zealand darts boss Dale Frampton from Invercargill.

PDC chief executive Matthew Porter had visited Auckland a few times and there were three venues under consideration for an August tournament. Cox said he was confident the tournament would take place.

If it does, the top eight players from the order of merit - which is a money-based ranking system - would compete in a field of 16 in Auckland that included two New Zealanders.

Cox said August's inaugural Singapore venture had not been totally successful - the tournament attracted a British expat audience but did not engage the locals so well. But they were delighted with the series elsewhere.

"We've had a tournament in Sydney ... the culture is very similar to New Zealand, so it is natural to go to Auckland. We have big plans for the televised tournament there," he said.

Taylor has won 14 PDC world titles, two titles in the rival British Darts Organisation event, and is unchallenged as the finest player in history. He has, for now, been overtaken by 25-year-old Dutchman van Gerwen, who became the youngest winner of the world title this year.

Hearn was a driving force in revamping darts, which has overtaken snooker - the darling of the 1980s - as Britain's most popular indoor sport. The satellite TV audience for darts in Britain is second only to football.

Taylor and "Jackpot" Lewis will compete in DartsKing Australasia tournaments in Invercargill, Wellington and Sydney in January.

Wildcard entries Rob Szabo from Wellington and Warren Parry from Southland have been joined by South Island qualifier Tahi Parata, an Invercargill farmer.

PDC order of merit
1 Michael van Gerwen (Netherlands)
2 Phil Taylor (England)
3 Adrian Lewis (England)
4 Peter Wright (Scotland)
5 James Wade (England)