Imperious Taylor wins Grand Slam

Taylor celebrates his third successive win at the Grand Slam of Darts

Phil Taylor claimed the Grand Slam of Darts title for a third straight year after a convincing 16-2 win over Scott Waites in the final in Wolverhampton.

The Stoke-on-Trent player hit a 170 checkout during the match and missed a shot at double 12 for a nine-dart finish in the final leg of the match.

"It means a lot to me to win another title here and I love the challenge," said the 49-year-old.

Taylor received the £100,000 prize for the winner at the Civic Hall on Sunday.

"I've put a lot of hard work into this and really dedicated myself," said Taylor. "I love the competition and playing on the big stage against all the other players."

Earlier in the day, Taylor had swept past Raymond van Barneveld 16-6 in his semi-final, while Waites shocked 2008 runner-up Terry Jenkins 16-11.

Huddersfield-based Waites picked up a cheque for £50,000 and admitted it was the best performance of his career.

"Phil is hardest person in the game to play, and proved why," said Waites. "This week has been fantastic and I'm ready to come back next year for more."

Taylor, ranked number one in the Professional Darts Corporation, won his 21st tournament of 2009 and will now turn his attentions to claiming a 15th world title at the Alexandra Palace in December.