“If a couple of beers help him relax, so be it” – Former world number one defends Nathan Aspinall after World Grand Prix admission

Nathan Aspinall caused quite a stir at the World Grand Prix in Leicester by celebrating his victory over Ryan Joyce at length with his father and several close friends.

The Englishman enjoyed a few beers and even joked that he planned to stay awake until six in the morning. That was despite facing Gerwyn Price in the semi-final the following day. Former professional darts player Colin Lloyd, however, sees no problem with it at all.

Aspinall reached the semi-finals of the World Grand Prix last week, but lost 5-2 to Price. His way of unwinding after the quarter-final sparked debate. Would the 35-year-old Englishman not have been better served by getting some extra rest before his next match?

According to Lloyd, a former World Matchplay winner, that is far too simplistic a conclusion. On the Love The Darts podcast, he defended ‘The Asp’s’ approach.

“Each player, they've got their own routine. Nathan already sets out his routine, and like you say, you're possibly not going to change him,” Lloyd said.

The former world number one also recognises something of his own celebrations in Aspinall’s approach. “But every player, listen, I used to love coming down and get a big win, come back to the hotel, shower, back downstairs, just have a couple of relaxers. But not everyone is like that, and I'm talking back in the year dot. But players have their own way.”

According to Lloyd, every player has their own way of dealing with the tension and emotions of a match. “I don't want to say coping mechanism, but their own winning mechanisms, their own make up, as they say.”

He also explained how differently players can spend their evenings after a match. “If they want to come back, you'll see a Deliveroo or something get in, you'll see a player come out, and he's just got his flip flops on, his shorts, grab it. Everyone like, boom, back upstairs. Relaxing, bit of food, bit of telly.”

Lloyd therefore sees no reason to criticise Aspinall for preferring a sociable evening. “If Nathan wants to go down and have a couple of beers and just have a social, if that helps him relax, and it helps him push on in tournaments, so be it, and good luck to him.”

Lloyd also finds it difficult to say whether the lack of sleep played a part in the defeat to Price. He believes all kinds of circumstances during a darts tournament can disrupt a player’s sleep pattern.

“Different matches, different times in a match, different rounds of a match, of a tournament, I should say, it can upset your sleep patterns.”

Lloyd also revealed that Aspinall had struggled with significant health problems earlier in the World Grand Prix. The Englishman was reportedly extremely ill before his second-round match against Luke Woodhouse. “I mean, one thing I was going to say about Nathan Aspinall was before his game against Luke Woodhouse in the second round, he was so ill. It was outrageous. He just, to the toilet, to the toilet, to the toilet. I think he was being physically sick and he couldn't get off the pan.”

Nevertheless, Aspinall won the match and, according to Lloyd, even impressed with his performance. “But he got through that game playing really, really well. But then he got back to the hotel straight to bed because he knew he was under the weather.”

Remarkably, Aspinall was back on the golf course the following day. Lloyd believes that also fitted perfectly with the way the Englishman prepares for his matches. “He was out on the golf course the following day because he knew that he had a day off getting himself fresh, getting some fresh air in his lungs. Playing another game that he absolutely loves and he knows he's good at because it's good for his mental wellbeing.”

Despite his semi-final defeat at the World Grand Prix, Aspinall can look back on a strong season. Earlier this year, the Englishman won the German Darts Grand Prix and also reached a ProTour final.

Those results have brought him close to returning to the world’s top ten. Aspinall is currently ranked eleventh and needs just £8,750 to close the gap on the player in tenth.

Moreover, ‘The Asp’ has relatively little prize money to defend in the coming period. Two years ago, he lost in the first round of the European Championship and failed to qualify for the Grand Slam of Darts.