PDC World Championship: Phil Taylor beats Chris Dobey to reach second round

Phil Taylor signed the back of the dartboard after his first round win

Sixteen-time world champion Phil Taylor has beaten Chris Dobey 3-1 in the first round of the PDC World Championship, the last event before he retires.

Taylor, 57, announced in January that 2017 would be his final year on the Professional Darts Corporation tour.

He took the first set 3-2 against fellow Englishman, and the second 3-1, before Dobey, got a set on the board.

Taylor was 2-1 down in the fourth, but came from behind to win 3-2 and take the match.

"It's the first one, there was a lot of pressure on me to get through," Taylor told the PDC after his match.

"I lacked a bit of energy against Chris tonight. it's not me, I am tired, I'm not used to feeling that.

"The fire has gone. I want to win, but it's just the old utensils are not working as good as they used to be. It's awful, it's killing me, I am gutted I can't play how I used to."

Elsewhere, Belgium's Dimitri Van den Bergh beat England's Stephen Bunting 3-1, while England's Rob Cross booked his place in the second round with a 3-0 victory over Japan's Seigo Asada.