Darts star warned he’s at risk of ‘immediate lifetime ban’ following World Championship controversy

A DARTS star has been warned he is at risk of an “immediate lifetime ban” following his World Championship controversy.

Dom Taylor was kicked out of the Ally Pally showpiece in December after failing a drugs test.

Dom Taylor is serving a six-month ban but another positive drugs test would end his careerCredit: Getty That came within 14 months of another positive test, which prompted a one-month ban.

Taylor, 27, admitted breaching anti-doping rules after being found with cocaine and cannabis in his system.

The Darts Regulation Authority Disciplinary Committee confirmed they were “satisfied that Taylor’s ingestion occurred out of competition and was not following the commencement of the World Championship”.

And that saw him stripped of his £25,000 prize money and slapped with a six-month ban – rather than four years if he took the drugs during competition.

Although it is effectively a year-long suspension because he cannot play in Q-School until January 2027.

But Professional Darts Players Association chairman Alan Warriner-Little admitted Taylor will be on his final warning when he does return to the oche.

He told Online Darts: “If he gets caught again, it’s an immediate lifetime ban. It couldn’t happen again.”

Taylor won his first-round match at the recent World Champs but was disqualified before facing Jonny Clayton.

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In a lengthy, emotional statement, the Tower apologised and detailed the rollercoaster he has been through, including:

• The death of his grandad, one of “my biggest fans”, before he turned professional.
• Finding his nan dead in her bed when he was just 12.
• His brother almost dying from a heart attack.
• A close friend passing away with a brain tumour.
• The anniversary of his daughter’s death earlier last year.
• And missing his uncle’s funeral because he was trying to qualify for the World Championship.

The authorities confirmed the drugs Taylor tested positive for were not performance-enhancing.

And Warrinter-Little confirmed the sport is funding Taylor’s rehab and gave further explanation for the ruling.

He added: “Everybody can have an opinion on drugs because it’s the word ‘D’, isn’t it — drugs. It’s a very big topic, so I think it’s important to stick to the facts first.”

“The only reason it’s on the banned substance list is because it’s illegal, not because it’s a performance-enhancing drug — because it’s not.

“There’s no indication whatsoever of cheating. If you get caught with a drug test — which the PDC, ourselves and the DRA do on a regular basis — you could be in trouble.

“If Don Taylor had been in competition, that would have been four years.

“From 23:59 the day before the tournament starts, that’s considered out of competition. Anything after that is in competition. It was borderline,

“Those are guidelines, which is fine. But the use was very high, and that makes a difference. He was very lucky, absolutely.

“You can only follow the rules. He’s done the crime and done the time in terms of the rules and the law.”

Warriner-Little continued: “The guy was in trouble. He’s got an addiction. His life was all over the place. He was chaotic.

“Last year, he missed the World Championship. This year he’s lost £25,000 in prize money, lost his tour card, lost his sponsorship. He’s lost a lot — and that’s all his fault.

“It doesn’t help the sport at all. The timing wasn’t great — the World Championship is the flagship event, so it made headlines.

“Of course, we helped him. It’s not cheap, but we have a fantastic support network. We would do that for anybody.

“He’s doing fine. I spoke to him this morning. He’s due out at the end of this week.”