Two-time PDC world champion Adrian Lewis was once pelted with coins by a rowdy Glasgow crowd as the Premier League returns to Scotland. While 'Jackpot' Lewis is out of the professional game at the minute, he was once a reigning world champion, taking on strong home favourite Gary Anderson in front of thousands of his adoring compatriots. Darting crowds have had their fair share of criticisms, but in March 2011, the line was well and truly crossed as Englishman Lewis returned to thwart Anderson - the man he had bested in a world final three months prior.
Guilty spectators were seen throwing coins and pints of lager to put Lewis off, with the 40-year-old darts star labelling the situation "awful". Lewis has opened up about the incident, admitting that the PDC came away from the ruckus with much to learn. "I think obviously I'd beat Gary in the world final, hadn't I?" Lewis recalled. "And then this was like a few months later after that. Playing against Gary in Scotland was never an easy task. I think also playing as the last game on in the evening didn't really help matters. The PDC learnt a lot from that game.
"Also, Glasgow Rangers had lost to PSV I think as well. So that obviously gave them time for their fans from there to come over. So yes, it didn't go too well at the end. There were a few coins throwing. The thing was, I mean, them coins could have gone anywhere. "Gary was on the stage next to me. We could both hear them all thudding against the stage. Yes, it wasn't the best experience, let's put it that way.".
Though Lewis bested Anderson 8-3, it was the Flying Scotsman who would have the last laugh, revenging his Ally Pally loss to best Lewis 10-4 in the final of the Premier League later that year, lifting his first major trophy. Yet, despite reaching the final that year, Lewis admitted that the tournament can sometimes be quite difficult to endure, and it adds to an already packed schedule for many of the premier throwers.
“It's a bit more difficult than most things,” Lewis revealed when discussing the Premier League. “Because you're away five or six days a week, having to be there on a Wednesday and then Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday you're playing. “That was probably the most difficult part of it really, because it's nearly like five whole days, isn't it? Out of your life, basically. So that's a difficult period for any player. Certainly now, obviously, now the tournaments are coming thick and fast, aren’t they?”.
Surprisingly, Lewis wasn't entirely scathing of the various crowds that pack in to watch the Premier League, though, Glasgow considered, such audiences are far from his favourite. “I enjoyed the crowds and that,” Lewis concluded. “Would it have been my favourite crowds? No. I'd say the Matchplay was my favourite. Proper darts fans.”. Starting this year, the MODUS Super Series Darts debuted exclusively on Pluto TV. The new channel “MODUS Super Series Darts” features around the clock darts programming, including Super Series Tournaments, 104 Live Matches every week, in-depth features and documentaries that explore the journeys and stories of darts personalities, and more. The channel promises to be the ultimate destination for darts enthusiasts and newcomers alike, celebrating the sport in all its glory.
