Darting Career
After losing narrowly 6-5 to Mike Gregory in the 1995 Unipart European Masters, Peter started to go places on the professional darts tour. Increasingly notable results during 1997 and 1998 (including quarter finals in the News of the World Championship & Skol World Championship, plus a World Grand Prix semi final) brought a clutch of trophies and finals.
Peter’s PDC career really took off in 1999 when he reached the final of the World Matchplay and World Championship, losing out to Rod Harrington and Phil Taylor respectively. Combined with consistency on the tour this success propelled Peter to number one player in the world in 2000, where he stayed until the end of 2001.
Another World Championship runner up spot in 2002 was followed by a handful of Pro Tour titles and in 2003 came the pinnacle of Peter’s career – winning the now defunct Las Vegas Desert Classic.
By the inception of the Premier League in 2005 Peter had been a fixture in the PDC top 10 for six years. He qualified for the inaugural Premier League and went on to reach the semi finals. The next three Premier League campaigns all featured Peter Manley and Thursday nights rocked to the sound of Amarillo.
2006 saw another World Championship final appearance and another defeat at the hands of Phil Taylor. The memories of Vegas 2003 were fading and another runner up spot at the Master of Darts in 2007 brought another “nearly” moment.
During these years Peter was rarely out of the news and always good entertainment value. Whether it be on stage bust ups or public spats with fellow players, Peter has never been shy of an opinion and this forthright attitude turned him into a boo-boy for the ever more boisterous PDC crowds.
However, the introduction of flamingo Hawaiian shirts in 2003 and Amarillo in 2005 helped Peter to turn the booing on its head, becoming the PDC’s first bona fide pantomime villain; a Bristow for the new millennium.
Peter also featured in the PDC Premier League Darts in four consecutive years between 2005 & 2008!
The Open Holland Masters in 2007 was the last title that Peter won and since then a steady decline has seen him slowly slide from the top echelon of professional darts. With very little activity on the circuit in 2010 and 2011, Peter’s world ranking has dropped and automatic qualification for majors disappeared with it.
Manley's controversial personality rather than the quality of his darts was often the most notable part of his career and continued poor form resulted in him failing to secure a PDC tour card in 2012. Manley lost several major sponsors including darts manufacturer Unicorn as a result.
Manley is perhaps most famous for his long-running feud with Phil Taylor resulting from his refusal to shake Taylor's hand after losing 7-0 to him in the 2002 PDC World Darts Championship final. He has finished runner-up to Taylor in two other World Championships - losing 6-2 in 1999 and 7-0 in 2006.
His biggest tournament win was 2003 Las Vegas Desert Classic when he beat John Part 16-12 in the final. He is also the chairman of the Professional Dart Players Association, a position he has held for six years. Manley attempted getting a PDC Tour card in the Q-School in 2012 and 2013.
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