PDC Tour star Dom Taylor will return to action in Milton Keynes today after serving his one-month ban for a failed drugs test. Just hours before he was set to take on Michael Smith in the Players Championship Finals last November, it was announced the 24-year-old had been suspended from competition.
His case was then heard before the DRA Disciplinary Committee in December, where the Englishman admitted breaching anti-doping rules.
In addition to the event in Minehead, he was also forced to miss the World Championships at Alexandra Palace, meaning he lost a minimum of £10,500 in prize money.
But he’s now eligible to compete in the Winmau World Masters, with the preliminary rounds taking place today before the main draw gets underway on Thursday. Having started the year as the world no.67, the one-time PDC Challenge Tour winner will be seeded for the group stage in qualifying.
Should he make it through to the first round, Taylor will take home at least £5,000. The overall prize fund for the tournament is 500k, with 100k going to the overall winner.
Although Taylor’s positive test was deemed to be in-competition, the committee were satisfied that the ingestion of the banned substance took place outside of competition. It substance was also not judged to be performance enhancing.
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Confirming his suspension, the DRA said: “In the circumstances, the committee determined that Mr Taylor will be subject to a one-month ban. This is conditional on his completion of an appropriate UKAD approved treatment program.
“Should Mr Taylor not complete this course within the next four months, then the ban shall be extended by an additional two months. Mr Taylor should also be liable for the costs of these proceedings.”
In January last year, Taylor came through qualifying school to secure a two-year tour card. He also reached the last eight of a Players Championship event last year, where he was beaten by Gary Anderson.
During 2024, he also claimed wins over the likes of Stephen Bunting, Nathan Aspinall, and Raymond van Barneveld. The player himself has yet to comment publicly on his failed test or his ban.
The event at the Marshall Arena will culminate on Sunday. Bunting will go in as the defending champion after beating Michael van Gerwen 11–7 in the 2024 final.
