| Colin
Lloyd
2006 could well be a defining year in the career of Unicorn's
World No.1 ... and Colin Lloyd is ready to take on the
challenge. He is one of the most dangerous and respected players
on the world stage and 'Jaws' is set to prove
it all over again.
In the last 12 months, Lloyd has celebrated the highs and
suffered the lows of life on the oche. He produced the best
darts of his life to win the 2005 Stan James World Matchplay
at Blackpool but endured the heartache of losing in the 1st
Round of the Ladbrokes.com World Championships.
And his record in the major TV tournaments since then hasn't
been that spectacular. By his very high standards, the 2006
Premier League was disappointing. He managed to scrape through
to the semi-finals, where he lost to Phil Taylor 11-3. His
big success came in Holland, where Lloyd reached the final
of the International Darts League, eventually losing to Raymond
Van Barneveld.
He lost to Adrian Lewis in the 2nd round of the World Series
of Darts and was beaten 11-2 by Taylor in the 5th round of
the UK Open ... Lloyd is yet to beat Taylor in a 'Major'.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment was a 6-1 defeat to Chris
Mason in the 1st round of the Las Vegas Desert Classic.
But Lloyd is still World No.1 - a position he deserves ... they
say form is temporary and class is permanent ... well,
Lloyd oozes class with the tungsten.
Away from the TV screens in 2006, Lloyd has won the Irish
Masters with a magical 9-darter against Dennis Priestley in
the final. He also won the Players Championship event at Hayling
Island.
There is no doubt that the best is yet to come from Colin
Lloyd, who was beaten by qualifier Gary Welding at the 2006
World Champs, when many people were predicting a Lloyd/Taylor
showdown in the final.
"It is all systems go for Mr.Lloyd!" he said.
"My goal is to stay world number one this year and keep
on winning tournaments. I am determined that by the time we
get to the next World Championships, I will be in the best
shape of my life."
Lloyd won 9 tournaments during 2005 and was runner-up to
Unicorn's Phil Taylor in the Premier League and SkyBet
World Grand Prix in Dublin.
The man they call 'Jaws' has certainly found
his bite since hooking up with Team Unicorn in 2004.
Lloyd has won more than 20 titles in the last two years to
catapult him to the world summit. He has smashed through the
magical 500 point barrier in the World Rankings and all the
blood, sweat and tears were rewarded with his first two major
TV titles.
In October 2004, he won his first 'Major' when
he was crowned World Grand Prix Champion - beating close
friend Alan Warriner in the final in Dublin.
Then came what Lloyd describes as "the biggest moment
of my career" as he won the Stan James World Matchplay
title in front of 2,500 darts-crazy fans at Blackpool's
Winter Gardens in July 2005.
And Lloyd did it in style, creating darts history in the
final against Team Unicorn stablemate John Part.
He became the first man to start and finish a major final
with a maximum. That night in Blackpool, his 18gm Unicorn
Maestro Darts were like magic wands in Lloyd's hand,
as he kicked off with a 180 and then in the match-winning
leg, he produced a sensational 170 finish to sink the Canadian.
He also smashed the record of 180s hit at the World Matchplay
Championships, which was held by Team Unicorn's Phil
Taylor at 38. Lloyd notched up 40 maximums during the tournament,
including 15 in the final, when he also averaged more than
100 over 30 legs of darts.
"That week, I really stamped my authority. It was the
best I have played in a big tournament and it was reward for
all the hours hard work," he said.
"It had been a boyhood dream to be recognised as World
No.1," he said: "The rankings speak for themelves
and it was 21 years in the making!"
He was bitten by the bug as an 11-year-old growing up in
Essex. Lloyd explains: "My family all used to throw
a dart and I just became hooked, spending every waking hour
pounding the dart board. I would get up early in the morning
and throw the darts. Then I would do a paper round, come home
and throw some more before school. When I got back home, it
was darts, homework, tea and more darts!"
Signing up with Team Unicorn was a big turning point in Lloyd's
career: "It gave me the kick I needed to give up my
job on a building site," he said
"I turned professional and to be honest, I haven't
looked back. Unicorn are the biggest Darts manufacturer in
the world and I am proud to be associated with the company."
Lloyd has worked hard to get where he is today and he is
managed by former World No.1 Rod Harrington.
"He has made a huge difference. His advice is invaluable
and he also talks up the positives but he is never shy to
criticise when its needed! More than that, he takes away all
the hassle. Rod sorts out all my flights, hotels, exhibitions
and stuff like that. I play darts and leave the rest to him.
It's a great partnership."
Lloyd is now making a big effort to get fitter. He is in
the gym and swimming three times a week and also plays a lot
of golf.
The ultimate aim is to join Unicorn's band of World
Champions and that star burns even brighter now, after the
shock defeat to Welding in December: "I am 32 now and
the driving ambition is to win at least two World Championship
titles by the time I am 40. I really do believe I have the
ability, so now it's up to me to deliver."
A true professional in every sense of the word, Colin still
lives in Witham in Essex and always has time for the darts
fans. "That is so important to me. It doesn't
matter how many people want photos signing and autographs,
I will sign every one of them."
He is one of the good guys in the game but Lloyd will stop
at nothing to achieve his ultimate goal…... . to
be called Colin Lloyd - PDC World Champion.
Read Colin's
Lifelines and Achievements Here
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