Phil Taylor believes amateur player could win one-off leg against Luke Littler
Former world champion Taylor was on the judging panel as the search for up to 20 potential candidates to ‘Beat Luke Littler’ began in London.
Phil Taylor says an amateur darts player could have what it takes to beat Luke Littler after helping judge thousands of hopefuls at regional heats for a new Netflix show.
The 16-time world champion was on the judging panel as the search for up to 20 potential candidates to ‘Beat Luke Littler’ began in London on Saturday.
Taylor sat on a panel alongside Sky Sports pundit Laura Turner and PDC supremo Barry Hearn to decide whether applicants who had already made it through two stages of the process have what it takes to beat Littler in a one-off leg of 501, with a £501,000 jackpot on the line.
Hosted by Gary Lineker, the live show will be streamed on Netflix on October 30, with the second qualification heat taking place in Manchester next Saturday.
Taylor believes there is enough amateur talent for someone to have a ‘Rocky Balboa’ moment and win life-changing money.
He told the Press Association: “The event is great to be honest, it gives people the opportunity to change their lives.
“It’s a Rocky Balboa kind of fairytale really. It will boost the profile of darts even further.
“The standard of the applicants is so far really good, there has been a lot of really talented players coming through.
“Any player who can throw a 12-leg dart has a great chance but it’s also about bottle as well as ability, so we will see.
“The amateur would need to have their best day and pray that Luke has a poor leg to be fair.”
Taylor dominated darts for the best part of two decades and despite being in retirement since 2018, was emphatic in his belief that he could beat the 19-year-old.
“A simple answer. Yes!” he said.
Thousands of amateur darts players aged 12 and over put their skills to the test in a rigorous three-stage qualification process at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on Saturday.
They had to check out 501 in 24 darts or fewer before the reality television aspect of the competition came in, as successful players will be interviewed by the show’s production team.
The final stage then required them to impress a PDC judging panel led by Taylor, who assessed their darting prowess and ultimately decide whether applicants had the ability to give Littler a realistic challenge.
Those who are successful will then make it through to the live show at the end of October and the chance to win a life-changing prize.