However, Mason’s bold attack on Taylor does not extend to the oche, where the world No 15 has already given up any hope of victory after watching his next opponent ruthlessly defeat Mick McGowan 4-1 at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet, Essex, on Tuesday.

“Taylor is too patronising,” Mason, who was Taylor’s opponent when the 13-times world champion recorded the first televised nine-dart finish in 2002, said. “I do not like him. He says one thing and he means another. I am fed up with him and I think everyone else is, too. He is never rude to your face, but things get back to you. It is an arrogance.

“It is all about his celebrity friends: ‘David Beckham rang me up for a ticket and I could not get one.’ Who cares? Or how he could not get his table and chairs in his Bentley. He is rubbing everyone’s noses in it.”

Mason reached the semi- finals of the British Darts Organisation’s World Championship in 1999 and 2000 but has not realised the potential that earned him the nickname “Prince of Dartness”. Now known as “Mace the Ace”, he has been reformed after a year in prison for attacking a scaffolder with a hammer during a row over a dog four years ago.

Mason, 37, has beaten Taylor only in minor tournaments. “He leaves you with so many scars when you play him and they are hard to shake off,” Mason said. “I will get my bum smacked, probably 5-0, and improve for next year.”

Dennis Priestley, one of only three men to have beaten Taylor in a world championship, remains on target to face the champion in the semi- finals after fighting back from 3-1 down to defeat Per Laursen, of Denmark, 4-3.

Roland Scholten, the No 4 seed from the Netherlands, joined Priestley in the last 16 after beating Alex Roy, of England, on a final-leg shoot-out.

Raymond van Barneveld needed just 25 minutes to defeat Rico Vonck, his compatriot from the Netherlands, 4-0 and become the first man into the quarter-finals.

63,000: The approximate number of pints of beer sold so far to the 800 daily spectators

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