LEEDS: An electrician, who won a national competition to play against fifteen-times World Champion darts champion Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor last Friday evening, scooped the four top prizes and then announced he was going to donate his score-matching£324 to charity.
Mark Smith, who played Phil Taylor at the inaugural World Darts Supremacy, notched up the creditable score at Leeds’ 02 Academy before he was defeated by Taylor’s breathtaking accuracy.
Mr Smith won a £75 voucher, a bag of professional tools, an iPod and accessories and a racing track day, along with a cash prize equal to his total, all donated by sponsors Howarth Timber & Building Supplies and Lafarge Plasterboard.
Straightaway, Mr Taylor announced he was donating the money to Howarth’s charity, When You Wish Upon A Star, which makes dreams come true for children with life-threatening conditions. What’s more, Howarth’s managing director Nick Howarth immediately offered to treble Mark’s winnings, meaning the charity benefitted from almost £1000.
Mr Smith said, “It was a dream come true for me to play against Phil Taylor, and so I wanted to help other people’s dreams come true, too.”
Friday’s event featured Phil Taylor competing againstcurrent world champion Adrian 'Jackpot' Lewis, Terry ‘The Bull’ Jenkins and Wayne ‘Hawaii 5-0-1’ Mardle, in a night of spectacular top-flight darts action. In a close-fought compeition, Phil Taylor threw a victorious treble top to win the night, defeating Lewis, Jenkins and Mardle in the process.
