Adrian Lewis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Adrian Lewis (nicknamed Jackpot) (born 1 January 1985) is a darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation(PDC). He was born in Stoke-On-Trent. His television debut was in 2004 when he burst on to the darting scene at the Budweiser UK Open. Since then he has reached the quarter-finals of the 2006 World Darts Championship, crashing out in a controversial and dramatic match against Peter Manley. He is currently being taught by good friend and darting legend Phil Taylor. Not only has his good form resulted in his being named 16th in the current world rankings, he has also been tipped by many as a future World Champion.
In Lewis' World Championship campaign last year, he defeated Dave Honey 3-0 in the first round, before beating the great Dennis Priestley (The Menace), a two-time world champion. He kept the band-wagon rolling with another thriller in the next round, this time beating Roland Scholten (The Tripod) 4-3. Scholten was the 4th seed and now the pundits were licking their lips at the prospect of a momentous Taylor/Lewis final. Lewis' spirits were crushed in the quarter finals though, in a hot-heated match full of tension against Peter Manley. Manley was the eventual finalist, losing to Taylor 7-0.
Lewis recent rise to 16th in the World Rankings means that he, along with the 15 other PDC players in the top 16, competed against 16 American qualifiers in the World Series of Darts. This tournament took place in May and was broadcasted on the American Sport's Network ESPN.
Lewis' performance in this tournament has made others refer to him as a major threat in years to come.
Among Lewis's best achievements are reaching the last 16 of the UK Open in 2005 and the last 8 of the World Matchplay in that same year. In this brave and exciting run in the Matchplay, he saw off Kevin Painter (The Artist) and Denis Ovens (The Heat), who are both established top 16 players in the PDC.
Lewis improved his credentials by making the quarter-finals of the Budweiser UK Open in 2006. He beat Wayne Mardle 11-10 in the last 16, although was beaten by John MAGowan 11-8 in the next stage.
Lewis is certainly someone to watch out for in the next 5 years, a man with the swagger of a champion who could become a fan's favourite in years to come due to his confidence on the oche. He could also prove to be the man that takes darts to exciting new levels.
His nickname of "Jackpot" derives from the fact that whilst competing in the Las Vegas Desert tournament one year he won the jackpot in a casino but was unable to collect his winnings because he was under age.
Not to be confused with the other Adrian Lewis from Stoke-on-Trent who recently won $1250 on Ladbrokes Poker he was fortunately old enough to keep the money.
