News of the World Darts Championship also the first year that separate competitions were held for men and women. The lack of televised darts coverage left some players frustrated by the lack of opportunity to make a living from darts, and in January 1992 they formed their own organisation to start up their own tournaments "(see main article: Professional Darts Corporation, and Split in darts)". The News of the World Championship made a one-year reappearance in the 1996/97 season, when Sky Sports and the News of the World resurrected the competition. In his autobiography, Phil Taylor says that his mentor, Eric Bristow always mocked him for
Robert Thornton (darts player) Players Championship and was defeated 6–2 by Michael van Gerwen. Robert Thornton (darts player) Robert Thornton (born 17 July 1967) is a Scottish professional darts player who competes in the Professional Darts Corporation. Thornton is a three-time major winner between the BDO and PDC, having won the World Masters in 2007, UK Open in 2012, and World Grand Prix in 2015. He is also a former finalist at the Players Championship Finals in 2009 and Grand Slam of Darts in 2013. In addition, Thornton has reached three World Championship quarter-finals across both organisations and was a participant in the Premier