Sports story by Carl Anders, Mon, 02 Jan 2006 16:32:00 GMT


Peter Manley and Phil Taylor are all set to renew their rivalry in the final of the Ladbrokes.com PDC World Championship Phil Taylor was stretched to the limit by Wayne Mardle and Manley, who has been in the news for riling Adrian Lewis, said that this gave him an advantage.

Taylor overcame Mardle 6-5 in a nail biter of a match and is sure to feel the mental stress when he takes on his bete noire Manley. "You have got to keep yourself fit and that is where I will have the edge," said Manley. "Phil has to look after himself. He wants me and I am ready for him."

In contrast Manley had a smooth 6-0 win over Wayne Jones. Lewis alleged that Manley swore behind his back when he was getting ready to throw and this had made Manley a player the crowd love to hate. And Manley knows what to expect from the crowd when he gets ready for the final.

Manley insisted that the booing did not bother him one bit, but his wife was affected by it, "We were watching a replay of my quarter-final against Adrian Lewis when she got up and walked out of the room," he said. "I went to see where she had gone and found her upstairs crying her heart out. We have both worked so hard to get my career back on track."

Manley has been the crowd's bad man ever since he walked away without shaking Phil Taylor's hand when the latter beat him in the World Championship in 2002. Manley claimed that he walked away since he had to visit the toilet and later apologized for the incident, "I even phoned Phil on New Year's Eve because I want no more animosity, and we have a terrific relationship now thanks partly to having the same sponsor," he said.

But it is doubtful if the Circus Tavern crowd is prepared to forget and forgive so easily. Manley can expect a rough ride in the final.

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