THEY'RE all off the oche now with weapons of maths construction stowed away.

Sports Editor Martin Jarred, though, remains sharp and unerring in his selection of the five men he thinks are tops in the world of darts.

To have your say, send your suggestions to the Sportsdesk, Evening Press, York, YO1 4YN or email sport@ycp.co.uk

WHEN it comes to domination of one sport, few can match the record of Phil Taylor.

This month he nailed his 13th Professional World Darts Championship title at the Circus Tavern, Purfleet in emphatic style.

Saving the best until last, 'The Power' whitewashed Peter Manley 7-0 in the final.

The 45-year-old granddad from Stoke is unerringly accurate and has a mental strength that none of his peers can match.

How professional darts players don't suffer from RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) is beyond me.

Metronome Taylor has been peppering the boards as a pro for the best part of a quarter of a century and shows no sign of being knocked from his pedestal.

He averaged 106.74 in the demolition of Carlisle-based Manley and warns his rivals there is more to come.

He said: "My average is one of the best ever and I'm still looking to improve. I've got to do everything right now. There is no slacking any more. You have got to be a perfectionist - in your game and your life."

Perfection is what John Lowe achieved on October 13, 1984.

'Old Stoneface' from Chesterfield became the first player to achieve the perfect nine-dart game on television in his World Matchplay Championships quarter-final against Keith Deller.

He threw 180, 180, treble 17, treble 18 and double 18 for the magic mark.

Lowe was no one-hit wonder though, winning the Embassy world title in 1979, 1987 and 1993 to become the only man to become champion in three separate decades. He has been a pro for 30 years and was unbeaten during his time as England captain.

One man whose name is synonymous with the growth of the professional game is Eric Bristow.

"The Crafty Cockney" added a bit of showmanship to the game on his way to winning five world titles.

Although he is now out of the top 32, he still plays the circuit and is an integral part of Sky TV's commentary team and has done much to develop the skills of his protg Taylor.

The 48-year-old may not have been as flamboyant as Bobby George - but he was a better player, mixing showbiz with supreme skill.

Bristow threw his first 180 as a 12-year-old in his bedroom and went on to put darts on the map in an era when the sport got plenty of live television exposure before the advent of satellite.

He became the first darts player to be honoured, gaining an MBE in 1989. Bristow and Lowe became the first players to be inducted into the Professional Darts Corporation's Hall of Fame this week.

Closer to home, Dennis 'The Menace' Priestley still drinks and plays in his local pub, the Ferryboat in Mexborough, near Doncaster.

Priestley, who owns a paper shop in the town, keeps a relatively low profile at 13 in the world rankings, but will go down as one of the greatest ever darts players.

He won the Embassy world title in 1991 and the first-ever World Championship three years later when he beat Taylor 6-1, but lost in four subsequent Purfleet finals to Taylor. Take Taylor out of the equation then Priestley would have been unbeatable in that golden period.

Statistics show the BDO World Championship may not be in the same top flight as the PDC but in Raymond van Barneveld they have a hugely influential figure.

The former postman failed to deliver his fifth world title at Grimley Green at the weekend when he was defeated 7-5 in the final by Dutch compatriot Jelle Klaasen.

But van Barneveld is responsible for energising darts in Holland. The big man from The Hague has dead-eye skills which have seen darts take off big style in Holland and has mobilised Barney's Army, who relish the combination of alcohol and dartistry at the Lakeside.

'The Man' may have to take a back seat to Ronaldo lookalike Klaasen, who, at 21 became the BDO's youngest champion, in the future, but van Barneveld is the trailblazer who expanded darts beyond Britain.

Updated: 10:34 Tuesday, January 17, 2006