The sad story of the darts prodigy who beat Phil Taylor when he was just 13 and is now banned from PDC events
A darts prodigy who defeated the legendary Phil Taylor when he was just 13 years of age is now banned from appearing in any PDC event.
Taylor retired from the PDC in January 2018 following the conclusion of the 2018 World Championship, where he reached the final but lost to first-time champion Rob Cross.
The 16-time world champion would continue to play in exhibition matches and the World Seniors Tour all the way until his retirement in 2024 due to hip issues.
Darts fans got to relive some iconic Taylor matches against the likes of Raymond van Barneveld, Peter Manley and John Part, while he also faced some brand new opponents such as Fallon Sherrock during the first COVID-19 lockdown.
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In 2019, 'The Power' took part in the SAP Darts Slam in Frankfurt, Germany - where he suffered a shock defeat.
Taylor was beaten by 13-year-old Leighton Bennett, who had already become the youngest-ever winner of the BDO World Youth Championship.
Speaking after the match, Bennett said: "During the whole match, I just kept focused. I didn't even give Phil any eye contact just so I forgot that I was playing him!
"It's a brilliant win but now I just have to forget about it very quickly. I know I leapt up in the air again after the final dart but I need to keep my feet on the ground."
Years before Luke Littler came to prominence among national and global media, Bennett was the talk of the town as a potential future darts star.
Wayne Mardle described him as unlike any young player he had ever seen, further amplifying his talents.
The youngster, nicknamed 'Boom Boom', competed at the 2020 BDO World Championship - becoming the youngest-ever competitor in the tournament's history - though it would be another four years until he was a full-time member of the PDC.
Bennett entered the notoriously difficult Q-School event, where the top 16 players out of a field of 128 receive a prestigious two-year PDC tour card.
In a field packed with both experienced players and up-and-coming talent, Bennett won seven matches on day two to win the day outright and win an automatic tour card.
With Littler also getting a tour card via his run to the final of the World Championship - though he would have received one anyway due to his 2023 Development Tour performance - there were naturally quite a few eyes on whether he and Bennett could develop a competitive rivalry.
It was the first Players Championship event of the 2024 season, which was notable for a number of different reasons.
Littler would hit a nine-darter and win the entire event in Wigan, beating Ryan Searle in the final.
'The Nuke' became the youngest player ever to hit a nine-darter at a Players Championship event - a record which, just 53 minutes earlier, had been set by Bennett.
Taking on Lucas Wenig in round two, 'Boom Boom' trailed 2-1 but hit two 180s and a 141 checkout to achieve perfection.
Sadly, Bennett's match was not played on a PDC streaming board, so video footage of the feat does not exist.
He would eventually be knocked out in the last 32 in a last-leg decider against Cameron Menzies, before being beaten by Jonny Clayton in round two of PC2 in what was another difficult draw.
But in PC3, Bennett thrashed Dave Chisnall 6-1 in the first round and subsequently went as far as the last 16, where he lost to Peter Wright.
A similar run at PC6 would follow, with Bennett this time losing 6-2 to Ross Smith in the fourth round.
After that encouraging start, however, there was plenty of red rather than green on the 18-year-old's copybook.
Bennett won just three Players Championship games between May and August in what was a nightmare run of form. But that was not to be the lowest point of his season.
The teenager was suspended from the PDC after suspicious betting patterns were reported in four of his matches at the MODUS Super Series in September 2023 - before he won his tour card.
He was banned from competing in any event sanctioned by the Darts Regulation Authority (DRA) while the investigation into the matches were ongoing.
Bennett would be handed a huge eight-year ban from darts by the DRA, who found him guilty of 10 charges that included match fixing.
A DRA statement read: "Bennett was found guilty of 10 charges for fixing the four matches, provided inside information on the matches, of failing to assist an investigation and for signing a contract with an unregistered agent.
"For proven breaches of DRA rules relating to eight allegations in connection with the fixing of results of four matches, one related to failing to assist an investigation, and one for signing a contract with an unregistered agent, Bennett is suspended from playing in or being involved in any way in any DRA regulated events for a total period of eight years and ordered to pay £8,100.23 costs, such suspension to end at 23:59 on August 11, 2032."
He had until December 14 to lodge an appeal against the verdict.
Bennett's ban is the joint-second-longest ever received by a darts player, with Billy Warriner being handed a 10-year ban after admitting to 19 of 21 charges - including match-fixing - brought against him as part of the same hearing.
The 23-year-old was found guilty of 'being concerned in fixing the four matches, providing inside information and organising betting on the matches, four counts of failing to assist the investigation, two counts of acting as an unregistered agent and betting on darts'.
In comments that are now perhaps telling to look back on, Taylor would tip Bennett as a potential youngest world champion - but sent a strong warning.
He said: "Leighton Bennett could be the youngest world champion ever. It all depends on him."
Topics: Darts
Ryan Smart