Taylor believes early world cup exit can help world championship bid

Phil Taylor is still massive favourite for the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship – despite his early exit at the World Cup of Darts.

Taylor has drifted slightly in the betting from 8/15 to 4/7 to win the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship after he and James Wade lost to Spain in the second round.

However, Taylor is convinced his early exit will have done his hopes of an Alexandra Palace victory no harm whatsoever.

“I was disappointed to let James down,” he said. “Spain played superbly but we missed a couple of doubles which obviously didn’t help matters.

“The competition wasn’t the longest format, but we can’t have any complaints because Spain were better than us.

“It might not have been the worst thing in the world for us to go out early because it meant we could go home early and start concentrating on the World Darts Championship.”

While Taylor has drifted slightly, Wade has remained steady at 8/1 to win his first world title. But the World Grand Prix winner knows he will have to improve if he is to have any chance of claiming the biggest prize in darts.

He said: “I missed a couple of doubles which cost us the game. It was my fault we lost.

“I don’t normally miss doubles but this time I did and they were able to take full advantage.”

A £10 bet on Wade to win the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship pays out £80. New customers can sign up here for a free £10 bet.