Phil Taylor

Champion Taylor pays tribute to Waites

Published: Sunday, 22 November 2009, 9:12PM

Triple Grand Slam champion Phil "The Power" Taylor paid tribute to the efforts of new kid on the block Scotty "2 Hotty" Waites after beating the Bradford man 16-2 in the final at the Wolverhampton Civic on Sunday night.

The 14-time world champion Taylor sealed his third straight Grand Slam victory with a regulation win in a disappointingly one-sided final.

Other than losing in a meaningless group encounter with Vincent van der Voort, Taylor's progress to his crown was serene as he easily saw off Raymond van Barneveld in the semi-final earlier on the Sunday.

Taylor said: "I'm so proud of him [Waites]. He's come through an absolutely massive field, he's beaten the world champion, he's beaten everybody - he's done absolutely brilliant this week. He never gave in, even when he was 14-2 down, fair play to him, he was still aggressive."

Asked by Matt Smith if he was planning to give up darts and spend more time in his garden, Taylor quipped: "I can afford a gardener! I practice, that's what I do. I put a lot of hard work into it, that's what I do, it's about dedication, it really is.

"I'll keep going, I enjoy it, I love playing people like Scott, Tony O'Shea, Gary Anderson. I love the grittiness of them, I love being up here, I love this."

The 32-year-old Waites, who has produced the darts of his career to make the final, said: "Phil's probably the hardest player in the world to play against - but I've had an absolutely fantastic week, and this Wolverhampton crowd have been absolutely brilliant.

"Next time I'll come back and I'll have him," Waites added.