Adrian Lewis: Reigning world championADRIAN LEWIS TARGETS TOP SPOT Premier League 2012 Winner. Click here to bet.
Adrian Lewis has set his sights on being the world number one by the end of the year.
To achieve his goal, the 27-year-old must dethrone fellow Stoke thrower and 15-time world champion Phil Taylor.
But Lewis has made a flying start to 2012, successfully defending his PDC world crown as he beat another rival from the Potteries, Andy Hamilton, 7-3 in the final at London’s Alexandra Palace earlier this month.
‘Jackpot’ still has his critics despite winning the world title twice, but knows that if he can claim the no.1 ranking and oust Taylor then there will be no disputing his status in the game.
“I went into the world championship with plenty of people doubting me – even though I was the defending champion,” Lewis told sportinglife.com.
“So what a great way to start the year – being world champion again and shutting up all those people who had written me off.
“I’ve heard people say its fine getting to the top, but staying there is the hardest thing and I would agree with that.
“But it’s the goal I’ve set myself … I want to be world no.1 by the end of the year.”
Lewis had a rollercoaster ride during the world championship, coming desperately close to being eliminated in the first round by Nigel Heydon and being bitten by a wasp during a break on his non-throwing hand.
His semi-final with James Wade was held up as a mysterious draught blew across the arena due to a door being opened, but Lewis pulled off one of the greatest fight backs in the history of the game as he trailed 5-1 before winning five sets in a row and sealed victory with a 161 finish.
“Never a dull moment!” he said. “There was a lot of pressure on me this time as I was the defending champion and, along with Phil Taylor, I was the one everyone wanted to beat.
“I was lucky to get through against Heydon as I didn’t play every well and then the game against Wade didn’t finish until the early hours.
“The draught was a real problem as my darts are only 21g so it was affecting them. James was the first to notice it. I could see by the look on his face something was wrong so we both agreed to off the stage until they could sort it out.
“But I got there in the end and to be world champion again is fantastic. It does feel different to last year but I’m going to enjoy it.”
It promises to be another hectic 12 months for ‘Jackpot’, with added media requests alongside a busy darts calendar.
“I just take one event at a time. next up is the World Cup in Germany where Phil and myself will be representing England and we really want to do well in that,” he said.
“And then the Premier League will start again. It’s a very enjoyable event with massive crowds and a great atmosphere wherever we go.
“I’m told 80 per cent of tickets have been sold and in Glasgow the darts sold out quicker than take That!
“I am going to be busy but that’s fine with me. I want to win as many events as I can.”
E-mail Article 
Print-Friendly
Subscribe to RSS Feed 
Post to del.icio.us Facebook
Click here to send us your sporting feedback
Latest PDC Stories
ADRIAN LEWIS RETAINS WORLD TITLE LEWIS COMEBACK STUNS WADE ANDY HAMILTON REACHES WORLD FINAL LEWIS FUMES AT CROWD’S BEHAVIOUR ADRIAN LEWIS HOLDS OFF RAGING BULL SIMON WHITLOCK POWERS INTO SEMIS JAMES WADE EDGES PART IN a CLASSIC ANDY HAMILTON TITLE DREAM LIVES ON CHISNALL THRASHED BY HAMILTON HUYBRECHTS DUMPS OUT NICHOLSON
<a href="http://www.sportinglife.com/darts/pdc2012/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=others/12/01/25/manual_190956.html&BID=10310tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.sportinglife.com/darts/pdc2012/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=others/12/01/25/manual_190956.html”>ADRIAN LEWIS TARGETS TOP SPOT
