Taylor's got talent in West Midlands

Phil Taylor has thrown his weight behind an initiative to encourage West Midlands darters to sharpen up their game with a view to becoming a PDC pro.

'The Power,' Protege Events and Rileys Sports Bar have teamed up to launch a competition where 128 regional qualifiers will play down to 16.

Those 16 will then prepare for Qualifying School next January and will be mentored by legend Taylor, an unparalleled 15-time world champion.

The prize on offer at Q School is the richest of all - a PDC Pro Tour Card for two years and the chance to join Taylor at the oche for major events.

Venues in Wolverhampton, Stafford and Cannock are three of 58 Rileys Sports Bars staging the tournament, for one night a week over 20 weeks.

Weekly tasks will feature a Taylor created practice routine designed to test aspects of the game such as scoring, finishing, accuracy and consistency.

The scores make a league table but each venue will produce at least one qualifier for the eight regional finals, where two progress to make up the 16.

Players pay £10 each for the whole challenge and the deadline for entries is next Friday, with the tournament beginning the following week.

Rileys in Wolverhampton and Stafford will hold their weekly leagues on Monday nights, while Cannock will hold theirs on Tuesday evenings.

The Wolverhampton contact number is 01902 310 521, Stafford is 01785 241 001 and Cannock is on 01543 504 220.