Lewis on impact of Taylor friendship: "They couldn't beat Phil so they try and take it out on me"

Adrian Lewis has always been known as a natural darting talent albeit despite winning two World titles as a player who has underachieved slightly.

Speaking on the Darts Show Podcast, he discussed his prior career goals being on the books at Crewe Alexandra before stumbling upon darts.

"Probably still in the building trade to be honest. Started playing darts when I was 17 and basically used to finish work on a Friday afternoon, go to the pub with the lads and that's where I first started playing. I wanted to go into the paratroopers, I was a fit lad back then," he said on The Darts Show Podcast.

"That's what I trained for everyday (football). That's where my mind was set. Never thought I was going to be a dart player. With the game being the way it is now, a lot of players are coming from abroad. That's where a lot of clubs invest money."

But going into the pub, the ability was on show and within months, he was winning big youth tournaments.

"I could hit 180's when I first started throwing darts. All the people who were playing in the pub team at the time they couldn't get me off the board. So I joined their team and my Mum entered me into the Teenage Youth. I won that. I'd been playing for eight months. Wade, Bunting were all in that and that's where I met those lads."

Turning up to tournaments, Lewis spoke about having to play the big boys and the turning point when he wasn't overawed anymore.

"When you turn up at a floor tournament and you see the likes of (Colin) Lloyd, Phil (Taylor) those kind of lads and you're thinking I'm here with these lot, it's going to be tough. After six months of being with them, I thought I've got a good chance of being with them."

Relationship with Taylor

He discussed his relationship with Phil Taylor and how he became a target due to his friendship with the legendary Power.

"It was difficult. I qualified for a couple of TV tournaments before I met Phil. Winning the Teenage Youth put me in the World Masters then qualified for the UK Open. With me practicing with Phil, that brought extra pressure because they couldn't beat Phil so they try and take it out on me so I was thrown into the deep end."

As well as how it came to be and the turning point where they had to stop practicing.

"It was at a charity do. I was playing Superleague for Maureen Flowers' team. He said I've heard a lot about you, would you to come up to mine for practice. I heard nothing for five or six months after that and my phone rang. It was a Bank Holiday Monday and he said are you up to anything. I said no, he said do you fancy coming up to mine for a practice."

"First two or three months it was difficult. Then I started to get closer. We used to play first to 18 legs and if I was winning, he'd say I've got to be somewhere at 2 o'clock. He'd never let you win, he'd beat his Nan at Tiddlywinks."

"It got to the stage where he'd beaten me in a couple of TV events and I'd broke into the top 16 as well. I thought I'm too close so I need to distance myself and that's when my game got better."