Stoner shocks 16-time world champion Taylor

A LITTLEHAMPTON darts player caused a major power cut at the Crawley K2 Masters on Saturday night as he defeated 16-time world champion Phil Taylor.

Amateur player Craig Stoner pulled off the shock win in an exhibition match against the world’s number one, know commonly as The Power.

Former Bognor Regis and Littlehampton Football Club goalkeeper Stoner, who also plays darts for Sussex, found himself trailing 1-0 after losing the first leg, but held his nerve to take the second and third legs.

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Taylor fronted an all-star line-up in the new tournament at Crawley where he took on and beat rivals Raymond van Barneveld, Michael van Gerwen and James Wade to take the title.

The Power has won 80 major titles and hundreds of other tournaments, and, despite putting another in the cabinet at Crawley, it will probably now be a night to forget for the arrows ace after losing to Stoner.

The former shot stopper, who has recently won the Sussex County Darts Championship with Littlehampton, won the chance to face the world champion by winning a local qualifying match in Horsham.

It wasn’t the only upset of the night as Littlehampton’s Terry Howse also secured a once-in-a-lifetime triumph as he beat world number five James Wade 2-1.