Darts: Priestley is supreme as No 1 rebel

DENNIS PRIESTLEY, the world No 1, established the credibility of the breakaway World Darts Council when he beat Phil Taylor 6-1 in Purfleet, Essex, yesterday to become the rebel organisation's first world champion.

Priestley played with supreme consistency from the start. 'As far as I am concerned I'm the new world champion without a doubt,' the Yorkshireman said, referring to the British Darts Organisation's 'official' World Professional Championship at the Lakeside Country Club.

Steve Brown, an Englishman who lives in St Louis, continued his surprisingly successful run by taking third place with a 5-1 victory over the fourth seed, Peter Evison.

Brown eliminated three seeds, Kevin Spiolek, Keith Deller and Alan Warriner, but he was stopped in his tracks in the semi-finals by Taylor, who hardly missed a double in a 5-0 victory. Evison gave Priestley a much harder time before losing 5-3.

Martin Adams, the England captain, produced one of a series of shocks at the 'official' event at Frimley Green, Surrey, when he beat Per Skau in the first round.

Adams, who won the British Open last week, beat the fifth seed from Denmark in three straight sets, losing only one leg in the entire match. Later, John Part, of Canada, disposed of the second seed, Ronnie Baxter, and Sweden's Magnus Caris put out Wayne Weening, the fourth seed from Australia. Another Australian seed, the No 8 Russell Stewart, and the top-seeded Steve Beaton were knocked out on Saturday night.

Results, Sporting digest, page 27