| Adrian Lewis | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Lewis in 2019 | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Jackpot | ||||||||||||||
| Born | (1985-01-21)21 January 1985 (age 40) Stoke-on-Trent, England | ||||||||||||||
| Darts information | |||||||||||||||
| Playing darts since | 1995 | ||||||||||||||
| Darts | 22g Target Signature | ||||||||||||||
| Laterality | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||
| Walk-on music | "Reach Up (Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag)" byPerfecto Allstarz | ||||||||||||||
| Organisation (seesplit in darts) | |||||||||||||||
| BDO | 2003 | ||||||||||||||
| PDC | 2004–2024 (Tour Card: 2011–2024) | ||||||||||||||
| WDF major events – best performances | |||||||||||||||
| World Masters | Last 128:2003 | ||||||||||||||
| World Trophy | Last 16:2005 | ||||||||||||||
| PDC premier events – best performances | |||||||||||||||
| World Championship | Winner (2):2011,2012 | ||||||||||||||
| World Matchplay | Runner-up:2013 | ||||||||||||||
| World Grand Prix | Runner-up:2010 | ||||||||||||||
| UK Open | Winner (1):2014 | ||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam | Semi-final:2011,2013 | ||||||||||||||
| European Championship | Winner (1):2013 | ||||||||||||||
| Premier League | Runner-up:2011 | ||||||||||||||
| Desert Classic | Quarter-final:2007,2009 | ||||||||||||||
| PC Finals | Runner-up:2014,2015 | ||||||||||||||
| Masters | Runner-up:2013 | ||||||||||||||
| Champions League | Group Stage:2016,2017 | ||||||||||||||
| Other tournament wins | |||||||||||||||
Players Championships (x12)
UK Open Qualifiers (x4)
European Tour Events
World Series of Darts
| |||||||||||||||
Adrian Lewis (born 21 January 1985) is an English professionaldarts player who formerly competed inProfessional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. Nicknamed "Jackpot", he is a two-timePDC World Champion, having won the title in2011 and2012. Lewis has also two other major televised PDC titles; theEuropean Championship in2013 and theUK Open in2014. He won a total of twenty-six PDC titles in his career.
During the early part of his career until 2007, Lewis was aprotégé of 16-time world championPhil Taylor, with whom he practised in their home city ofStoke-on-Trent. He made his television debut in 2004, aged 19 at theUK Open. In addition to his two world Championships, Lewis is also a four-time winner of thePDC World Cup of Darts, partnering Phil Taylor as part of theEngland team.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, Lewis has been described as one of the most naturally talented darts players of all time.[1][2][3]
Lewis was born inStoke-on-Trent and had shown his potential at the age of 18 by winning the 2003 British Teenage Open.[4][5] His professional career began in theBritish Darts Organisation (BDO) events but he only competed in one major tournament, the 2003Winmau World Masters, losing in the last 128.[6] Lewis then joined theProfessional Darts Corporation (PDC) without ever qualifying for theBDO World Championship.[6]
Lewis reached a semi-final of the regional qualifiers for theUK Open in 2004, which provided his opportunity for a television debut at the2004 UK Open in Bolton, where he narrowly lost 7–8 to Dennis Harbour in the last 64.[7][8] His next television appearance came against his mentorPhil Taylor at the2004 Las Vegas Desert Classic where he went out 0–2 in the first round.[7] He then went on to win his first match on television at the2004 World Grand Prix beating former world championRichie Burnett, before losing to Gary Welding.[7] His first professional ranking title came in September 2004, when he won the Chris de Roo Open after defeatingColin Lloyd in the final.[7]
He failed to qualify for the2005 World Championship, but back at Bolton for the2005 UK Open he produced one of the rare whitewashes in the tournament's history, beatingColin Monk 11–0 before falling 11–8 toChris Mason in the last 16.[7] In 2005, Lewis took on the nickname "Jackpot" as he won a jackpot gambling in Las Vegas that year, but he was unable to collect the money as he was 20 years old, below the US legal gambling age of 21.[9]
In late 2005, Lewis began to produce some promising results, including reaching his first major event quarter-final in the2005 World Matchplay, where he lost toColin Lloyd.[7] This result saw him break into the top 32 in the world for the first time.[7] He then became the first player to win bothPDC Pro Tour events during a weekend by taking the PDPA Players Championship and the UK Open Scottish Regional titles.[7][10]
Lewis made hisPDC World Championship debut in2006, reaching the quarter-finals by defeating Dave Honey,Dennis Priestley andRoland Scholten.[11] In the quarter-final Lewis was involved in a now infamous match againstPeter Manley. When 2–1 down, Lewis successfully hit a blind 180, turning to face Manley as the last dart was in the air. Manley won the set and then appeared to say something while Lewis was throwing, which caused Lewis to leave the stage. Lewis did return, but went on to lose the match 5–3.[12]
His biggest breakthrough came in May 2006 when he joined the 15 other PDC players in the top-16 competing against 16 American qualifiers in theWorld Series of Darts which was broadcast onESPN. Lewis' performance in this tournament made others refer to him as a major threat in years to come. He beat Lloyd 6–5,Denis Ovens 9–6 and Priestley 11–1 before falling in the final 13–5 to Taylor.[13]His ranking continued to rise by reaching the latter stages of the non-televisedPDC Pro Tour events during 2006 (including winning a Scottish Players Championship) as well as the last 16 of theUK Open, having beatenWayne Mardle 11–10 in the last 32, before losing toJohn MaGowan 11–6.[14][15]
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Between 2007 and 2010, Lewis produced inconsistent form and was often unable to follow up on big wins such as at the2007 World Matchplay in Blackpool where he beat the incumbent world championRaymond van Barneveld 16–14 in the quarter-finals before losing heavily 17–7 in the semi-finals toJames Wade.[16]
He lost toAndy Jenkins in the last 16 of the2007 World Championship, but was selected bySky Sports as a wildcard for the2007 Premier League.[17][18] Lewis finished seventh in the league, winning five of his fourteen matches.[19] Lewis also advanced to the semi-finals of theInternational Darts League, but was thrashed 9–1 byGary Anderson.[20]
He reached the quarter-finals of the World Championship for the second time in2008, but was defeated 5–2 byKevin Painter.[21]He fared much better in thePremier League this year by finishing fourth in the table to advance to the play-offs where Taylor comfortably beat him 11–1.[22]At the2008 European Darts Championship, Lewis played his first-round match againstHannes Schnier with three plasters on his non-throwing hand – having attempted to catch a falling glass backstage which shattered in his hand. After winning the match 5–2, Lewis was taken to hospital for checks on two deep cuts.[23] Lewis went on to beat Ovens 9–5 before producing at the time arguably the best performance of his career with a 9–2 victory over van Barneveld in the quarter-finals. An 11–7 victory over Manley set up a final with Taylor. Lewis lost 11–5 but his performance in the tournament guaranteed him a place in the2008 Grand Slam of Darts.[24][25]
Lewis was defeated in the second round of the2009 World Championship 3–4 byPaul Nicholson but did manage to end his title drought in September.[26] He won his firstPDC Pro Tour event in three years at the Austrian Players Championship, where he beatCarlos Rodriguez 6–4 in the final, which included anine dart finish. He dedicated his victory to his one-month-old daughter. He added another Pro Tour title the following month at the Irish Open Players Championship beating Andy Hamilton in the final by 6 legs to 4.
His form on television also improved during 2009 reaching the quarter-finals of the Las Vegas Desert Classic, World Matchplay and World Grand Prix. During 2010 he also made the last eight of the World Championship, Players Championships and UK Open before reaching his first televised final on Sky Television in the2010 World Grand Prix where he beatPhil Taylor for the first time on television in the semi-finals but lost toJames Wade in the final. There were further title successes in 2010, when he won Players Championships in Crawley and Germany to bring his overall Pro Tour title tally to seven.
Lewis reached the final of the2011 PDC World Darts Championship courtesy of victories overTony Eccles,Mark Dudbridge,Robert Thornton,Vincent van der Voort andMark Webster en route to the final, where he playedGary Anderson. The match-up ensured that, for the first time, the winner of the PDC World Championship would not have previously succeeded in the rivalBDO World Championship. Lewis himself became the only player to have reached the PDC final without playing full-time on the BDO circuit.
During the first set of the match, Lewis became the first player to throw anine dart finish in a World Championship final.[27] Lewis went on to win the match 7–5 and with it the championship,[27] guaranteeing him a place in the 2011 Premier League. He had also risen to his highest ranking of No. 2. In addition, at 25 years old Lewis became the fifth youngest player to win a World Championship, behindJelle Klaasen (21 in 2006),Eric Bristow (22 in 1980),Keith Deller (23 in 1983), andMark Webster (24 in 2008), as well as the youngest ever PDC World Champion.
In the2011 Players Championship Finals Lewis lost 6–4 toSteve Beaton in the first round.
He got off to a winning start in the 2011 premier league of darts by beating the 2010 champion Phil Taylor 8–2, only to lose to Taylor 8–3 in their second meeting. Week 4 saw him get his first heavy defeat of the 2011 campaign, losing 8–2 to Mark Webster. He went on to defeat Gary Anderson in Anderson's home country of Scotland after both players were distracted by the crowd. Lewis was being booed and coins were thrown at him but he went on to win the match 8–3 and both players stated their disappointment with the crowd. During his walk on he had beer thrown over him.[28] Lewis proceeded to make it to the final of the 2011 Premier League but lost 10–4 to Gary Anderson after beating Phil Taylor 8–3 in the semi-final in the same night.
Lewis was eliminated in the third round of the 2011 U.K. Open by Terry Jenkins, who took a 9–7 match. He lost 17–10 in the semi-finals of the 2011 World Matchplay to James Wade.He hit another perfect 9 dart leg on 31 July 2011 at the European Darts Championships against Raymond van Barneveld during their semi- final match which he won 11–10. He played Phil Taylor in the final and lost 8–11.[29]
In the 2011 World Grand Prix, he played John Part in his first round match. He lost 2 sets to 1 after leading 1–0 in sets and 2–0 in legs.
He reached the final of the first players championship in Derby and was defeated 6–2 by Jamie Caven.[30] In the Crawley Players Championship he was defeated in the final byPaul Nicholson 6–4 in a hard fought match, he had defeated Ronnie Baxter 6–5 in the semi-final.[31]
Lewis was now under the management of former World Champion Keith Deller and under his guidance he has appeared in several major finals, including his World Championship win.
Lewis became the third player, afterEric Bristow andRaymond van Barneveld, to successfully defend their first World Championship title in the2012 PDC World Championship, by beatingAndy Hamilton 7–3 in the Final.[32]
He almost exited the tournament on multiple occasions, beginning with his first round match againstNigel Heydon. He trailed 0–2 and was stung by a wasp during a break on his non-throwing hand, but nevertheless managed to claw his way back to 2–2. Heydon led 2–1 in the deciding set, but never had a dart for the match as Lewis won four of the last five legs to avoid an early exit.[33] More comfortable victories ensued overRobert Thornton (4–2) andWayne Jones (4–0), with Lewis seemingly heading for the semi-finals as he ledTerry Jenkins 3–0 in the last 8, having only lost 2 legs.[34] However, his opponent stormed back to level the match, before Lewis rediscovered his form to win the last two sets and clinch a 5–3 win. He said after the match that he had "lost his way" during Jenkins' fightback, but was delighted to be in the semi-finals.[35]
His semi-final match withJames Wade was hailed as one of the greatest comebacks of all time. Lewis trailed both 2–0 and 5–1, only to win the next 5 sets, including 10 straight legs, to incredibly win 6–5 and finished with a 161 checkout.[36] After the semi-final Lewis stated: "That was the best win of my career, definitely".[37]
The match eventually finished at 12:50am(GMT). However, Lewis managed to never trail against Hamilton and was a double 12 away from hitting a nine-darter in the final for the second successive year. Lewis clinched victory with his third attempt at the match winning double and said afterwards he believed he could win 10 World Championship titles.[32]The tournament victory took Lewis' career prize money above the £1 million mark,[10] and confirmed his number two status in thePDC Order of Merit.[38] His semi-final comeback was named PDC Televised Performance of the Year at the PDC annual awards ceremony on 3 January.[39]
Lewis maintained his form for his next tournament of the season as he represented England and won the2012 PDC World Cup of Darts, withPhil Taylor. The pair needed a sudden-death leg to see off Canada in the second round, before defeating the United States and Wales to reach the final where they played the Australian team consisting ofSimon Whitlock andPaul Nicholson. The final finished with the scores at 3–3 meaning that a sudden-death leg was required to decide the title. Australia missed four darts to take the crown and England two, before Lewis took out double 5 to win his first World Cup, stating that the victory meant more to him than his second world title won a month earlier.[40]
Lewis was an automatic entrant for thePremier League due to his Order of Merit ranking.[41] His first game was against Taylor, just four days after their World Cup win. Lewis led the match 6–1, before Taylor came back to draw 7–7.[42] Taylor averaged 112.79 which was until 2015 the highest televised average in a match without actually winning it.[43]Lewis drew his next two matches before succumbing to a heavy 1–8 defeat toGary Anderson. He had to wait until the 7th game of the season for his first win which came with an 8–3 defeat ofKevin Painter.[44] Lewis went into the final match knowing a victory over Simon Whitlock would guarantee him a place in the play-offs,[45] however he lost 6–8 to finish the season 6th in the table.[46]
Lewis lost in the last 32 of theUK Open 7–9 toWes Newton,[47] and in the final of the seventhPlayers Tour Championship of the season, 3–6 toRonnie Baxter.[48] Lewis entered theWorld Matchplay knowing that if he could progress further than Phil Taylor he would move to world number one for the first time.[49] He began with a 10–0 whitewash ofRobert Thornton and a 13–7 victory overAndy Smith,[50] but was then beaten 12–16 byTerry Jenkins in the quarter-finals to remain second in the world.[49] In September, Lewis won his first individual title since his World Championship win at the fourth European Tour event, theGerman Darts Masters inStuttgart. He dropped just three legs in his first three games before beatingTony West 6–3 in the quarter-finals and James Wade 6–1 in the semis to face occasional practice partnerIan White in the final. Lewis won 6–3 to claim his first European Tour title.[51] After losing his opening two games of theGrand Slam of Darts toTony O'Shea andJohn Part, Lewis failed to qualify from his group for the fourth time in the six stagings of the tournament.[52] After all 33 ProTour events of 2012 had been played, Lewis finished 11th on the Order of Merit to qualify for thePlayers Championship Finals.[53] Lewis had spent 24 hours with his wife Sarah as she went into labour, before travelling to the tournament inMinehead to faceRichie Burnett. With Lewis leading 5–3, the pair were involved in a heated argument on stage as Burnett accused him of clicking his darts while he was throwing. Lewis took out 116 in the next leg to take the match, before returning to Stoke where Sarah gave birth to a boy in the early hours of the morning.[54][55] Lewis once again returned to Minehead to face Taylor on only five hours sleep in 48 hours and lost 7–10.[56]
Lewis finally relinquished his World Championship crown in the2013 edition of the event. Despite not being at his best he comfortably made it through to the quarter-finals as he stretched his unbeaten run in the tournament to 15 games. There he facedMichael van Gerwen and what resulted was one of the greatest matches ever played in the tournament.[57] Both players averaged over 100 as Lewis came from a set down four times to level the tie at 4–4. In the deciding set Lewis needed 60 to win but missed two darts at double top, later explaining that he had blocked the bed with his first dart. Van Gerwen stepped in to win three successive legs and end Lewis' hopes of a hat-trick of consecutive world titles.[58][59]
Lewis retained hisWorld Cup of Darts crown withPhil Taylor in February. They survived two match darts from South Africa in the last 16 and one from Wales in the semi-finals to play the Belgian brothersRonny andKim Huybrechts in the final.[60][61] Lewis lost to Kim 0–4, but beat Ronny 4–2 meaning Taylor could secure the title by defeating Kim and he did so 4–1.[62] Lewis lost his first four games of the2013 Premier League, but in week five he beatMichael van Gerwen 7–4 to record his first win.[63] He narrowly avoided relegation after week nine,[64] and could only pick up a total of four wins from his 16 games to finish 8th in the table.[65] Lewis reached the quarter-finals of theUK Open for only the second time in his career, but lost 6–10 toPeter Wright.[66]
Lewis won his third major title at theEuropean Championship, his first that wasn't a World Championship. He beatMensur Suljović in the first round then averaged over 100 in his last four matches, including victory overMichael van Gerwen in the semi-finals, maintaining his high standard for 63 successive legs, which culminated in an 11–6 victory overSimon Whitlock in the final.[67] Lewis beatRonny Huybrechts,Brendan Dolan andAndy Hamilton at theWorld Matchplay to once again face van Gerwen in the semi-finals of a major event.[68] The match was played at a frenetic pace as the 32 legs took 52 minutes, with Lewis hitting 16 180's and fighting back from 14–15 down to win 17–15.[69] In his first Matchplay final Lewis playedPhil Taylor and averaged 105.92 and hit 19 maximums, but Taylor averaged 111.23 to take the match 18–13.[70] In October, Lewis won his first Pro Tour title in over a year at the ninthPlayers Championship as he came from 3–0 down in the final to beat Brendan Dolan 6–4.[71] Lewis almost pulled out of the inauguralMasters tournament due to a bout of flu before edging pastKim Huybrechts in the first round 6–5 and then thrashing home favouriteRobert Thornton 8–2.[72] His semi-final match withRaymond van Barneveld was the best of the event as he took out a 116 finish in the final leg to break throw and win 10–9. However, he only had 15 minutes to prepare for the final against Taylor and, although he averaged 108, he was 5–0 down at the first break. Lewis claimed his first leg of the final to trail 9–1 but the match was over in the next.[73] Lewis overcame Van Gerwen andKim Huybrechts in the last 16 and quarter-finals of theGrand Slam of Darts to meet Taylor in the semi-finals. What followed was the highest quality darts match ever played as Lewis averaged 110.99 over 25 legs to Taylor's 109.76 in a 16–9 defeat, the highest combined average ever recorded.[74] Lewis was 8–7 up but missed darts at doubles to lose eight successive legs including one where both players had left 160 with Lewis wiring the double top only for Taylor to step in and take it out. The match broke the PDC record for 180's with 32, beating the old record set in the2007 World Championship final where 31 were made in 32 more legs than this match.[75]
Lewis was untroubled in winning through to the semi-finals of the2014 World Championship as none of his opponents could take more than a single set off him.[76] He then scored similar to his opponentMichael van Gerwen, but hit only 28% of his doubles to suffer a heavy 6–0 loss.[77] Lewis reached the finals of the first and thirdUK Open Qualifiers but was defeated 6–2 byAndy Hamilton andPhil Taylor respectively.[78][79]
At theUK Open, he began his campaign with a 9–5 win overRonnie Baxter in the third round, before recovering from 7–3 down toRonny Huybrechts to progress 9–8.[80] More comfortable wins overRaymond van Barneveld (9–2) andMensur Suljović (10–3) followed before Lewis beatMervyn King 10–6 to playTerry Jenkins in the final.[81] Lewis thrashed him 11–1 with an average of 109.13 for his firstUK Open title and a fourth major win.[82] He had a strong start to thePremier League with 7–1 and 7–3 victories overSimon Whitlock andPhil Taylor in the opening two matches and was still in the top four after nine weeks of play. However, Lewis then lost four games in a row and went on to finish sixth in the table, to miss out on the play-offs.[83] Lewis and Taylor could not complete a hat-trick of successiveWorld Cup of Darts titles as they met the Netherlands in the final with Taylor losing 4–0 to Van Gerwen and Lewis being beaten 4–0 by Van Barneveld and 4–2 by Van Gerwen meaning the tie was over before Taylor's second singles match.[84]
Lewis was beaten 16–8 byGary Anderson in the quarter-finals of theWorld Matchplay.[85] From 2–0 up in sets in the second round of theWorld Grand Prix he lost 3–2 toKevin Painter and suffered a 6–4 defeat toJelle Klaasen in the first round of theEuropean Championship.[86] Lewis' season seemed to be fading dramatically when he lost to youngstersRowby-John Rodriguez andKeegan Brown at theGrand Slam of Darts which meant he had been eliminated from the competition before his final group game, but he returned to form at thePlayers Championship Finals.[87]Jamie Caven had one dart at the bull to defeat Lewis in the quarter-finals but missed and Lewis checked out 124 and 123 in successive legs to win 10–9 and then enjoyed a more comfortable 11–6 victory againstWes Newton to play Anderson in the final in an attempt to win more than one major in the same season for the first time. However, from holding a slender 4–3 lead, Lewis lost five successive legs and was defeated 11–6.[88]
Lewis threw anine-dart finish to win the opening set of his third round tie againstRaymond van Barneveld at the2015 World Championship. He went a set ahead three times but van Barneveld levelled on each occasion, with Lewis missing one match dart in the sixth set. Lewis lost his form in the deciding set to be defeated 4–3 failing to reach the quarter-final stage of the event for the first time since 2009.[89] On the opening night of thePremier League, Lewis set his highest televised average of 113.80 in beating van Barneveld 7–1.[90] A day later he claimed the firstUK Open Qualifier by beating van Gerwen 6–1 and said afterwards that his play signalled his intent for the year ahead.[91] He lost 6–5 in the final of the fifth event toMichael Smith.[92] Lewis'UK Open reign ended when he was beaten 9–3 byRaymond van Barneveld in the third round.[93] He took the thirdPlayers Championship with a 6–3 win overRobert Thornton in the final and lost 6–1 to Van Gerwen in the final of the next event.[94][95] A 6–5 victory overBrendan Dolan saw Lewis claim the fifth event and he lost 6–3 toKeegan Brown in the final of the eighth.[96][97] Despite his good start to the Premier League, Lewis could not win another match until the ninth week, which saved him from relegation by a point.[98] Lewis would ultimately finish sixth in the table with five wins from his 16 games, which resulted in him missing the play-offs for the fourth year in a row.[99] Lewis and Taylor advanced to the final of theWorld Cup and their match against the Scottish pairing ofGary Anderson andPeter Wright went to the final singles game in which Lewis beat Wright 4–1 to seal England's third title in the event.[100] He suffered a surprise 13–10 loss toGerwyn Price in the second round of theWorld Matchplay and was thrashed 11–3 by Taylor in the final of theSydney Darts Masters.[101] However, Lewis atoned for this soon afterwards by claiming his first World Series of Darts title at theAuckland Darts Masters as Van Barneveld missed five match darts in the final leg to allow Lewis to edge it 11–10.[102] Lewis failed to get past the second round of theWorld Grand Prix for the fifth year in a row as he lost 3–0 toMark Webster.[103]
Lewis held on from 9–6 ahead of Taylor at theEuropean Championship to edge through 10–9, but was then defeated 11–5 in the semi-finals byGary Anderson.[104] He also lost in the quarter-finals of theGrand Slam 16–11 againstMichael Smith.[105] An 11–1 thrashing ofMensur Suljović at thePlayers Championship Finals helped Lewis play in his only major final this year, but averaged 89.17 as van Gerwen saw him off 11–6.[106]
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A trio of matches without dropping a set saw Lewis cruise in to the quarter-finals of the2016 World Championship and he then overcamePeter Wright 5–2 and was 5–0 up onRaymond van Barneveld in the semis.[107] The Dutchman threatened a comeback as he reduced the gap to 5–3, but Lewis captured the set he needed to reach his third World Championship final.[108] In a rematch of the 2011 final he facedGary Anderson and Lewis lost 7–5, a reversal of the scoreline from five years ago. 34 180s were thrown which was a then-record in a professional match.[109] He won the firstUK Open Qualifier with a 6–2 victory overPhil Taylor with an average of 110 and was knocked out in the fifth round of theUK Open itself, 9–7 byJelle Klaasen.[110][111] Lewis endedMichael van Gerwen's 27 match wins in a row when he knocked out him 6–4 in the quarter-finals of the firstPlayers Championship event of the year. He then overcameGary Anderson 6–3 and was 5–3 ahead ofPeter Wright in the final, but lost 6–5 without getting a dart for the match.[112] Lewis advanced to thePremier League Play-offs for the first time in five years, which included a nine darter againstJames Wade in week 11, but he was easily defeated 10–4 by Van Gerwen.[113][114]
Lewis and Taylor won their fourthWorld Cup crown by overcoming the Netherlands in the final, with Lewis beating Van Gerwen 4–1 in the deciding match.[115] Anderson inflicted an 11–7 defeat on Lewis in the final of theAuckland Darts Masters and he lost 17–9 to Van Gerwen in semi-finals of theWorld Matchplay.[116] After the match Van Gerwen accused Lewis of trying to slow his game down because he was scared of him. Lewis said he was happy to reach the last four of such an event whilst playing his D-game.[117] His poor form at theWorld Grand Prix continued asRaymond van Barneveld knocked him out 3–0 in the second round and he also finished bottom of his group at theGrand Slam.[118][119]
There was never more than a set between Lewis andRaymond van Barneveld in the third round of the2017 World Championship, with Lewis narrowly losing 4–3.[120] He was beaten 6–4 byPeter Wright in the final of the firstUK Open Qualifier of the year and won the fifthPlayers Championship with a 6–3 victory overDave Chisnall.[121][122] He threw a nine-darter in week 11 of thePremier League whilst defeating Van Barneveld 7–4 with an average of 111.52.[123] Lewis played with Chisnall at theWorld Cup for the first time and they were knocked out in the semi-finals after failing to win either of their matches against the Dutch pair ofMichael van Gerwen and Van Barneveld.[124]
In the2018 World Championship,Kevin Münch caused a major upset by defeating Lewis, who had never before been beaten in the first round of a World Championship, in the first round with 3-1 in sets. The defeat saw Lewis fall to #20 in the Order of Merit, missing both theMasters and thePremier League for the first time.
On 2 February 2018 the Darts Regulation Authority ("DRA") released a statement that Lewis would be suspended with immediate effect pending an appeal following an incident withJosé Justicia in the firstUK Open qualifier. On 8 February 2018 Lewis was given a three-month ban suspended for six months after Lewis admitted he broke DRA rules
Lewis lost 4–1 toMichael van Gerwen in the fourth round of the2019 World Championship. At theGrand Slam of Darts he beatJames Wade 10–9 in the last 16 to reach the quarter-finals, before once again losing to van Gerwen.
In the2020 World Championship Lewis lost 4–3 in the fourth round toDimitri Van den Bergh despite at one point leading 3–1 in sets. In October, Lewis tested positive forCOVID-19 and was forced to withdraw from the2020 World Grand Prix.[125]
Lewis began his 2021 season with a shock 3–1 loss toDanny Baggish in the second round of the2021 World Championship.
At thePlayers Championship Finals he lost in the second round toPeter Wright, in a match mired in controversy after an altercation on stage after the match.
At the2022 World Championship, Lewis lost 3–1 in the second round toGary Anderson.
Lewis returned to the winners circle with his first title in 3 years by winning Players Championship 20.At the2022 World Grand Prix, Lewis beatJosé de Sousa in the first round before losing toChris Dobey.
In the2023 World Championship, Lewis lost 3–0 againstDamon Heta, falling at the second round stage for the third year in succession.
In April 2023, following withdrawals from multiplePDC Pro Tour events, Lewis announced he was taking a break from competing.[126]
In July 2024 it was announced Lewis would be partnering with MODUS Sports Management effective immediately and that Lewis will play on the MODUS Super Series in 2025.[127]
Lewis did not attend the PDPA's 2024/25 PDC World Championship TCH Qualifier.
On 28 August Lewis made his return to competitive darts in the MODUS Super Series International Pairs tournament alongside former BDO World ChampionSteve Beaton representing England.[128]
Lewis has been involved in several controversial matches during his career, including his debut World Championship in2006. During his quarter-final withPeter Manley he left the stage part-way through the match as he alleged Manley had been trying to upset him while he was throwing.[129]
In April 2008, he argued with Kevin Painter during their quarter final match at the Holland Masters. This resulted in a six-month ban for Lewis, as well as a four-month suspension and a fine of £400.
At the2009 World Grand Prix Lewis was playing Gary Anderson in the second round and during the first set the two players exchanged words after Anderson felt Lewis went into the exclusion zone while Anderson was throwing. Lewis won the match 3–2.[130]
During the2012 PDC World Darts Championship semi-final, both Lewis and his opponentJames Wade left the stage with Lewis trailing 2–0 in sets, after complaining of a 'draught' blowing across the stage. The 25-minute break seemed to provoke the crowd into heckling Lewis for the remainder of the game, Lewis went on to win the match 6–5.[131]
In February 2018, Lewis was suspended by the PDC after an altercation following his win overJosé Justicia at the2018 UK Open Qualifier 1.[132] Six days later Lewis issued a statement apologising for his actions and announced that he had been fined £3,000 and given a 3-month suspended ban.[133][134][135][136]
On thePDC Order of Merit – the PDC's world ranking system, Lewis has been ranked at a career high of second after beatingGary Anderson to win his first World Championship final. He has won more than £3,300,000 in prize money during his career.[10]
His daughter, Myla Niamh was born in August 2009,[137] with then girlfriend Katie-Adele Hughes, from whom he separated in January 2011.[citation needed] On 6 August 2012, he married Sarah Podmore (born 1987), who has three children from her previous marriage, and in December 2012 gave birth to their son Matthew.[56] They have two further children, born in June 2015 and August 2017 respectively.
He supports his local football teamStoke City.[138]
In 2012, Lewis, together with the other seven players who competed in thePremier League recorded a charity single withChas Hodges and his band called 'Got My Tickets for the Darts' which was written by Chas. It was released on 18 May, the night after the play-offs at the O2 in London, where it was premiered. Proceeds from the single were donated to the Haven House Children's Hospice.[139]
| Legend |
|---|
| World Championship (2–1) |
| World Matchplay (0–1) |
| World Grand Prix (0–1) |
| Premier League (0–1) |
| UK Open (1–0) |
| Masters (0–1) |
| Players Championship Finals (0–2) |
| European Championship (1–2) |
| US Open (0–1) |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score[N 1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 2006 | World Series US Open |  Phil Taylor | 5–13 (l) |
| Runner-up | 2. | 2008 | European Championship | Phil Taylor | 5–11 (l) |
| Runner-up | 3. | 2010 | World Grand Prix | James Wade | 3–6 (s) |
| Winner | 1. | 2011 | World Championship |  Gary Anderson | 7–5 (s) |
| Runner-up | 4. | 2011 | Premier League | Gary Anderson | 4–10 (l) |
| Runner-up | 5. | 2011 | European Championship | Phil Taylor | 8–11 (l) |
| Winner | 2. | 2012 | World Championship | Andy Hamilton | 7–3 (s) |
| Winner | 3. | 2013 | European Championship |  Simon Whitlock | 11–6 (l) |
| Runner-up | 6. | 2013 | World Matchplay | Phil Taylor | 13–18 (l) |
| Runner-up | 7. | 2013 | Masters | Phil Taylor | 1–10 (l) |
| Winner | 4. | 2014 | UK Open | Terry Jenkins | 11–1 (l) |
| Runner-up | 8. | 2014 | Players Championship Finals | Gary Anderson | 6–11 (l) |
| Runner-up | 9. | 2015 | Players Championship Finals |  Michael van Gerwen | 6–11 (l) |
| Runner-up | 10. | 2016 | World Championship | Gary Anderson | 5–7 (s) |
| Legend |
|---|
| World Series of Darts (1–2) |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score[N 1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 2015 | Sydney Darts Masters | Phil Taylor | 3–11 (l) |
| Winner | 1. | Auckland Darts Masters | Raymond van Barneveld | 11–10 (l) | |
| Runner-up | 2. | 2016 | Auckland Darts Masters | Gary Anderson | 7–11 (l) |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Team | Opponents in the final | Score[N 1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 2012 | World Cup | England – (withPhil Taylor) | Australia –Simon Whitlock andPaul Nicholson | 4–3 (m) |
| Winner | 2. | 2013 |  Belgium –Kim Huybrechts andRonny Huybrechts | 3–1 (m) | ||
| Runner-up | 1. | 2014 | Netherlands –Michael van Gerwen andRaymond van Barneveld | 0–3 (m) | ||
| Winner | 3. | 2015 | Scotland –Gary Anderson andPeter Wright | 3–2 (m) | ||
| Winner | 4. | 2016 | Netherlands –Michael van Gerwen andRaymond van Barneveld | 3–2 (m) |
| Date | Opponent | Tournament | Method | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 January 2011 | Gary Anderson | PDC World Championship | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | £10,000 |
| 31 July 2011 | Raymond van Barneveld | European Championship | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | |
| 30 December 2014 | Raymond van Barneveld | PDC World Championship | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | £10,000 |
| 14 April 2016 | James Wade | Premier League | 3 x T20; 2 x T20, T19; 2 x T20, D12 | |
| 13 April 2017 | Raymond van Barneveld | Premier League | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 |
| Average | Date | Opponent | Tournament | Stage | Score | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 113.80 | 5 February 2015 | Raymond van Barneveld | 2015 Premier League | Round 1 | 7–1 (l) | [140] |
| Tournament | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PDC Ranked televised events | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championship | DNQ | QF | 3R | QF | 2R | QF | W | W | QF | SF | 3R | F | 3R | 1R | 4R | 4R | 2R | 2R | 2R | |||||
| UK Open | 3R | 6R | 5R | 5R | 4R | 4R | QF | 3R | 4R | QF | W | 3R | 5R | 4R | 3R | 4R | 4R | 4R | 4R | 5R | ||||
| World Matchplay | DNQ | QF | 2R | SF | 1R | QF | 1R | SF | QF | F | QF | 2R | SF | SF | 2R | 1R | QF | DNQ | 1R | DNQ | ||||
| World Grand Prix | 2R | DNQ | 2R | QF | 2R | QF | F | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | WD | DNQ | 2R | DNQ | ||||
| European Championship | Not held | F | 1R | 1R | F | 1R | W | 1R | SF | DNQ | 1R | 1R | DNQ | |||||||||||
| Grand Slam | Not held | 2R | RR | RR | RR | SF | RR | SF | RR | QF | RR | DNQ | QF | DNQ | ||||||||||
| Players Championship Finals | Not held | 1R | QF | 1R | 2R | 2R | F | F | 2R | 3R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | DNQ | ||||||||
| PDC Non-ranked televised events | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Premier League | NH | DNP | 7th | SF | DNP | 7th | F | 6th | 8th | 6th | 6th | SF | 8th | DNP | ||||||||||
| Masters | Not held | F | QF | SF | 1R | SF | DNQ | 1R | QF | QF | DNQ | |||||||||||||
| World Cup | Not held | DNQ | NH | W | W | F | W | W | SF | DNQ | ||||||||||||||
| World Series Finals | Not held | SF | QF | 1R | DNQ | DNP | ||||||||||||||||||
| Past major events | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Las Vegas Desert Classic | 1R | 1R | 1R | QF | 2R | QF | Not held | |||||||||||||||||
| International Darts League | DNP | SF | Not held | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Year-end ranking | 50 | 18 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 24 | 39 | 34 | 52 | ||||
PDC European Tour
| Season | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | ADO WD | GDC 1R | EDO 2R | GDM W | DDM DNP | ||||||||
| 2013 | UKM SF | EDT DNP | EDO 3R | ADO WD | GDT SF | GDC 1R | GDM 2R | DDM 2R | |||||
| 2014 | GDC 3R | DDM 3R | GDM SF | ADO DNP | GDT QF | EDO 3R | EDG QF | EDT DNP | |||||
| 2015 | GDC SF | GDT DNP | GDM SF | DNP | EDT 3R | EDM DNP | EDG DNP | ||||||
| 2016 | DDM QF | GDM 3R | GDT WD | EDM 3R | DNP | ||||||||
| 2017 | GDC DNP | GDM 1R | GDO DNP | EDG 3R | GDT WD | EDM 1R | ADO WD | EDO WD | DNP | EDT DNQ | |||
| 2018 | EDO 2R | GDG 1R | GDO DNQ | ADO DNQ | EDG WD | DDM 1R | GDT F | DDO SF | EDM DNQ | GDC QF | DDC QF | IDO QF | EDT DNP |
| 2019 | EDO 2R | GDC SF | GDG 2R | GDO QF | ADO QF | EDG 2R | DDM DNP | DDO 3R | CDO 2R | ADC 3R | EDM 3R | IDO QF | GDT DNP |
| 2020 | BDC DNP | GDC 2R | EDG DNP | IDO 2R | |||||||||
| 2021 | HDT 1R | GDT DNQ | |||||||||||
| 2022 | IDO DNQ | GDC 1R | GDG DNQ | ADO WD | EDO DNQ | CDO 3R | EDG 2R | DNQ | GDO WD | BDO QF | GDT DNQ | ||
| 2023 | BSD 1R | EDO DNQ | IDO WD | DNQ | DNP | ||||||||
PDC Players Championships
| Performance Table Legend | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | Won the tournament | F | Finalist | SF | Semifinalist | QF | Quarterfinalist | #R RR Prel. | Lost in # round Round-robin Preliminary round | DQ | Disqualified |
| DNQ | Did not qualify | DNP | Did not participate | WD | Withdrew | NH | Tournament not held | NYF | Not yet founded | ||