Britain’s Dom Taylor has been suspended from the World Darts Championship after failing a drug test, the Darts Regulation Authority (DRA) said on Friday, handing opponent Jonny Clayton a free pass to the third round.
The DRA, the governing body of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), said Taylor returned an adverse analytical finding from a test conducted on 14 December, one day before the tournament got under way at Alexandra Palace.
“As a result of this and in line with relevant DRA processes, Dom Taylor has been suspended from participating in any DRA regulated events with immediate effect,” the DRA said in a statement. “This matter will now be the subject of a disciplinary process in line with the relevant DRA Anti-Doping Rules.”
Taylor beat Oskar Lukasiak to move into the second round and he was scheduled to face Clayton, who will now receive a bye through to the third round. The suspension marks the second time Taylor has failed a drugs test. He was banned for a month by the DRA in January for a failed drugs test in November last year.
That suspension came during the Players Championship Finals and led to him missing the World Championship. He was in line to receive a two-year ban but it was reduced as the substance was not performance enhancing and was taken outside of competition.
Meanwhile Josh Rock survived a minor scare before overcoming Gemma Hayter 3-1 and booking his place in the second round at Alexandra Palace. The Northern Irishman, touted by many as a tip for the title after a stunning 2025 season, cruised into a two-set lead before Hayter seized the third and pushed him to the limit as she pressed for parity in the fourth.
Rock, a 2025 World Cup winner alongside Daryl Gurney, missed 10 darts at doubles in a below-par first set but appeared to have shrugged off his early nerves as he cruised through the second. But Hayter, who qualified by finishing fifth on the 2025 Women’s Series order of merit, stepped up to seize the third set and battled to a deciding leg in the fourth before Rock belatedly got the job done with an 81 checkout.
American showman Lenny Gates joined Rock in round two after chiselling out a 3-2 win over another Northern Irishman, Mickey Mansell. Mansell won a marathon 33-dart leg to take the first leg of the fourth set, but despite taking the tie into a decider, he could do nothing to stop Gates dancing to a popular victory.
Ryan Meikle had no trouble dispatching Argentina’s Jesus Salate 3-0, while Dutchman Kevin Doets came from a set down to defeat Matthew Dennant 3-1.
