"I've been verbally attacked, abused. My family has come in for it as well and Mardle is bang out of order, for me"
Sunday 24 December 2017 18:51, UK
Justin Pipe has hit back at Sky Sports' darts pundit Wayne Mardle over accusations he deliberately coughed during his first-round match against Bernie Smith at the World Championship.
Pipe has already denied claims he put off opponent Bernie Smith by coughing during their clash and the incident has been referred to the Darts Regulation Authority.
New Zealander Smith had two darts at the double for a place in round two, but after he went low with his effort at double 20 and only found the single, Pipe was seen coughing heavily as the unseeded player missed his second match-winning opportunity.
The Taunton man went on to win the match, only to go out on Saturday night, suffering a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of 16-time world champion, Taylor.
The 'cough-gate' incident caused plenty of negative reaction on social media while Mardle called it "despicable behaviour".
But Pipe had responded to the accusations by hitting back at his critics, including 'Hawaii 501', following his exit from the tournament.
I held that cough back. I didn't hide my body movements. Wayne Mardle could not wait to jump onto that.
"I've been verbally attacked, abused. My family has come in for it as well and Mardle is bang out of order, for me," said world No 27 Pipe.
"It's totally wrong. You do not jump to the conclusion that somebody has heard something when they haven't.
"I held that cough back. I didn't hide my body movements. Wayne Mardle could not wait to jump onto that.
"I have been playing darts on TV for 10 years. I know where the cameras are. There are microphones on the stage. Nobody heard anything. And it is wrong."
Taylor averaged 99, hit two 180s, took out 54 per cent of his doubles and hit a 10-darter as he overcame a testing atmosphere inside Alexandra Palace to set up a last-16 meeting with Keegan Brown.
"I've had 30 years of experience and I've never played in a game like that in my career, it was very, very strange," said Taylor, referring to the reception Pipe received from the crowd.
"You couldn't keep the crowd out. They were just booing him and jeering him and calling him all names under the sun."
The 2018 World Championship from Alexandra Palace continues after Christmas on Wednesday, December 27 with the likes of Simon Whitlock, Peter Wright, Raymond van Barneveld and Michael van Gerwen in a bumper double session. Coverage gets underway from 12.30pm on Sky Sports Darts and ending with the final on New Year's Day.
Keep up to date with the news as the PDC celebrates 25 years on Sky Sports. So get all the latest at www.skysports.com/darts and join in the conversation @SkySportsDarts - don't forget to use #LoveTheDarts
