The Top Dart Players: Adrian "Jackpot!" Lewis
Adrian "Jackpot!" Lewis He is one of darts great natural talents and Adrian Lewis knows it is time to deliver the big titles.
He has come close and the achievement of reaching the prestigious Premier League in both 2007 and 2008 speaks volumes for the young man they call ‘Jackpot’
He oozes natural darting ability and he has the chance to dominate the sport over the next two decades….Unicorn certainly believes he can do just that! Lewis is now desperate to turn talent into titles. It was an impressive run to the quarter-finals of the 2007 World Grand Prix that cemented 6th spot in the PDC Order of Merit and that automatic place in the Premier League roadshow for a second successive year.
Lewis was unlucky to lose his quarter-final against Raymond Van Barneveld - beaten in the last leg of the deciding set - and all that on the same day he underwent major dental surgery in Dublin….but he had done enough to join the Premier League party! Adrian has also taken the big decision to start practicing again - on an ad hoc basis - with one-time mentor Phil Taylor and he believes it will help to take him to the next level.
However, there was frustration for Lewis at the first ever Alexandra Palace World Championship. After an easy 1st Round win over Dave Askew, he beat Vincent van der Voort and then staged an amazing 3rd Round comeback against Tony Eccles. Lewis lost the first eight legs of the match before finding his form... Eccles missed four darts for the match, before Adrian finally won it in a final set tie-break! But disappointment followed in the Quarter-Finals, when he was well beaten by Kevin Painter. He is close though, very close to winning a big one!
He has become a major force in the top 10 after his debut in the Premier League in 2007. Now it’s all about the Unicorn Maestro taking that next big step by winning his first TV ‘Major’. In 2007, Lewis matched his best ever TV performance by reaching the semi-finals of the World Matchplay Championship. He had beaten Barney in the quarter-finals with a brilliant display. He came from 6-9 down to hold his nerve, winning 16-14 in the tie-break.
But in the semi-finals, he ran up against Unicorn stablemate and eventual Matchplay winner James Wade, who was running hot. Lewis actually averaged 101.26 but could only stand and watch as Wade produced a near-perfect display of finishing. At one stage, Lewis was only 7-9 behind, before Wade won eight consecutive legs to clinch victory.
The Blackpool week though, once again proved the perfect platform for Lewis to display his immense talent and a ‘Major’ win surely isn’t that far away. For three years, Lewis was supported by 13-times World Champion Phil Taylor. He was ‘The Power’s’ protégé, before the pair decided to go their separate ways… now the pair are back in business. Lewis also practices a lot with fellow Unicorn star Colin Osborne.
Back in May 2007, Lewis displayed his darting talents to a whole new audience at the International Darts League in Holland. He had a brilliant run to the IDL semi-finals, where he was beaten by Gary Anderson but he played some of the best darts of his life and he is getting ever closer to the first big title. Also in 2007, Adrian reached the final of the Stan James Players Championship in Gibraltar but lost to Barneveld and he was beaten by Taylor in the final of the Bobby Bourne Players Championship in Blackpool.
Lewis reached his first major TV final in 2006….against guess who?! At the World Series of Darts in Connecticut, he had a brilliant run, before losing to Taylor in the final - you could say another bit of his darting education! He is now one of the most recognisable faces in darts - appearing in every ‘Major’ on Sky Sports and on his day, he is one of the most entertaining players in the world.
At the end of 2005, Lewis became only the second man - after Taylor - to win both tournaments on a big darting weekend. He scooped £9,000 after clinching the Scotland PDPA Players Championship and the UK Open Scottish Regional. He made his World Championship debut in 2006 and looked destined to meet Taylor in the final, before he was undone by Team Unicorn’s Peter Manley at the quarter-final stage.
It was a controversial match, with Lewis walking off stage after angry words were exchanged between the two players. Lewis first shot to prominence at the 2005 World Matchplay Championships in Blackpool. As a qualifier, he enjoyed a fairytale run to the quarter-finals and came so close to beating Colin Lloyd, before being edged out in a thriller. That is when Unicorn made its move and signed Lewis up to a long-term contract.
“It came as a huge surprise that the most famous and biggest darts manufacturer in the world wanted me on board. To say it is an honour is an understatement!” Lewis revealed. Lewis has also won the Holland Open and reached the latter stages of many tournaments in his young career. In the last 18 months, he has reached a host of quarter-finals and semi-finals to add to all his victories.
He said: “Phil was and still is a massive hero for me. I learnt a lot but we felt it was probably a good time that I went out on my own, tried something new and gave it a real go. I will forever be grateful for what he has done to help me.” The first tournament Lewis ever entered was the British Teenage Open. He won it and has never looked back, as he strives to be the best.
His parents Steve and Yvonne - both good darts players in their own right - have also been a steadying influence on Lewis. “They encourage and support and criticise when it’s needed! Obviously the dream is become World Champion. I want to achieve that in the next three years. It may sound over ambitious but I have to set goals and targets. I just get that buzz from winning.”
At the 2005 Las Vegas Desert Classic, young Adrian hit the headlines after winning over £40,000 on a slot machine but he didn’t get the prize because he was only 20. Lewis didn’t know US gambling laws say you have to be 21 to play! “That’s where the nickname ‘Jackpot’ came from!” he explained. “I can smile about it now but it was a blow at the time!”
All the experts are confidently predicting that Lewis will hit the darting jackpot very soon. He is one of the heaviest scorers on the circuit and he now looks ready to repay the faith.
For Adrian Lewis, the time is now!
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