"I’ve been doing three or four hours a day" - Adrian Lewis putting in the hours on the board as he ponders return to the sport

Adrian Lewis stated that he will decide his darting future in January after being one of the many stars to attend the 2025 Target Launch in Manchester. The two-time World Champion was astounded by the growth of the sport, staggered at the number of people turning up to the event.

"Do you know what, like I was just saying to Dan Dawson before, 15 years ago if somebody had said to me we’d have a Target pop-up shop in the middle of Manchester, you’d have laughed at them wouldn’t you?" Lewis said in an interview with Online Darts. "Honestly it’s crazy. It’s absolutely fantastic. What a place, yeah. And the turnout as well has been incredible. Unbelievable – people are still coming through the doors now.

"Loads of laughs really. Been talking to Johnny Mac about old stories, and Phil Taylor being Phil, winding me up. It’s just nice to see everyone. Everybody’s happy, everybody’s enjoying it."

Lewis was like a kid in a candy store eyeing up all of the darts, citing a certain set that he highly recommended. "I love looking at new darts, I always have done. The Elysian ones are £600 a set I think. If you don’t make it world champ with them, you won’t make it with anyone."

Jackpot teamed up with Steve Beaton to compete in the Modus International Pairs. It was an exciting moment for darts fans, who get to see Lewis step onto stage for the first time in 29 months, abruptly ending his elongated hiatus from the sport. It was a mixed night in terms of results, with the pair winning and losing four matches, just missing out on the top three.

"I certainly do. It was different than I expected," Lewis said. "When I was down at Modus with Steve, we didn’t play great on the first night, but we certainly did on the second night. We both averaged 90, which in a pairs format – where sometimes you’re only throwing once every three turns – is pretty decent really. I couldn’t really base it off the doubles. But I enjoyed it, I enjoyed the experience. We’ll just have to wait and see after the singles. I’m still hoping come January my mind’s decided on having a proper go."

With this return to competition, Lewis stated that he had started putting time on the board again, racking up the hours to slowly progress back to the level he once was at. "Just enjoying it again. I’ve started to put a lot of practice in at home as well – probably nobody knows that – but I’ve been doing three or four hours a day some days, just getting myself right," Jackpot said.

Despite what he had previously achieved in the game, Lewis was notched down a peg or two after being humiliated by 13-year-old Jayden Walker. Lewis had nothing but priase for the highly touted youngster, as he commented on a possible changing of the guard.

"He did! What a great little lad he is – certainly one for the future. He’s just rapid, isn’t he?" he said. "The time you’ve even looked at one dart, the other two have already gone. But like I say, the future’s in good hands. He’s definitely up there [next darter to look out for], no question. As long as he stays dedicated, keeps his mind right, and keeps enjoying it – which I always go back to – he’s got a great chance.

"There are a lot of young lads coming through – that’s pushing the future forward. But is it a real change of the old guard? I’m not so sure. Littler’s been phenomenal, Michael [van Gerwen] is still winning, Gary [Anderson] can beat anybody when he wants to play, Steve is still going strong. I think everyone’s still got the game to beat anybody."

It has not been plain sailing for Michael van Gerwen these last year ot two, only recently ending his drought for a major title as he overcame Luke Littler to win the World Series of Darts Finals for a record-breaking sixth time. With this victory came unanimous praise and relief from many darts fans to see that the Green Machine has still got the performance up his sleeve, and no more pleased than his old rival Lewis.

"I was happy for him. Everybody’s been writing him off, but he’s shown he’s still got it in his locker," Lewis said. "Having his kids there as well gave him that extra boost. When you beat Josh Rock, Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Rob Cross on the way to victory – that’s some CV. He’s done it the old way, and hopefully he can push on from there. That’ll be a massive confidence boost heading into the Grand Prix, the Grand Slam, and the Worlds.

When asked whether he was excited to see him commence his rivalry against Littler Lewis said; "Definitely. I think between him and Luke Humphries as well – that’ll push him to do the work and make sure he’s right for the back end of the year."