Colin Lloyd: Former world number one darts player on the World Darts Championship

The PDC World Darts Championship got underway last week and will continue through to the start of January 2026.

Colin Lloyd is a former professional darts player who spent nearly two years ranked number 1 in the world. He joined D'Arcy to give a tournament update as it enters week two. 

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News Talk SEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
The PDC World Darts Championship underway last week is going
right the way through to the start of January. Third
of January, Parry. It always finishes on the third of January.
That's a constant. Colin Lloyd, former pro darts player, spent
two years ranked number one in the world. He joined
us last year. He's joining us again now to give

(00:31):
us an update into how the tournament is going as
it enters Week two. Huge huge prize money, huge field morning, Colin.
The quality of this tournament so far, I think you'll
agree it's been eye opening. There's been some fantastic garrows.

Speaker 3 (00:46):
Isn't there that has my Yeah, very good morning to yourself,
Darcy and all the New Zealand. Yeah. I think we've
chatted before on the terms with the PDC. They've always
said Barry Huan always said years ago that he wanted
to make it a million pound first prize. Well this
year we've got it. And the Professional Dance Corporations have

(01:08):
also said it's all about opportunities, and you know the
opportunities that have been taken this week, Darcy, you've been
watching it. You've been watching it all and people become prepared.
A million pounds that's such a price tag to be
playing for as an individual, and it's life changing, absolutely
life changing. So listen, a word of warning to the

(01:29):
big guns. The newbies are coming, they.

Speaker 2 (01:32):
Are, and I think the amount of first round winners
debutants has been also extraordinary. Look Kiwi's happened Donny Tata,
But we keep seeing I mean, how's the boilover of
Munya yesterday when he beat Mike the Deck of the
twelfth seed? And where did that come from?

Speaker 3 (01:51):
Listen? This is the thing mate, I think sometimes Darcy,
some players they go into games. I'm not saying that
Mike the Deck had done that at all, but when
you're going into an unknown and you don't know anything
about the guy, you sometimes you're there on the stage
and you think yourself, well, I'm a major champion, you
know I should win this game. As soon as you

(02:12):
start thinking like that, your brain sort of switches off
and then all of a sudden it can go so
so wrong. And unfortunately for Mike, that's what happened. I
know on social media and we've been looking at it
today is blamed the crowd. But do you know what,
the crowd don't throw your darts. You throw your darts.
It's not pleasant, Don't get me wrong, it's not pleasant.
But the one thing I will say about the crowd

(02:33):
at Alexander Palace, they do love the underdog and they
will support the underdog. But it's down to you primarily
to get the job done. And unfortunately for Mike the Decker,
he kept leaving the door open and he stepped through it,
thank you very much.

Speaker 2 (02:46):
And when we're not talking the polite nature of golf,
well maybe not the Americans or Tenise either. They make
a noise so they're extra pressure around what they're doing
right now. The better play through that or separate that out.
I mean, your world number one for a while, you
know exactly what that was like. Do you have a
method at all?

Speaker 3 (03:03):
Or listen, mate, You've just got to get your self
in the zone and you've got to stay in the zone.
There's always going to be noise. There's always noise at
the darts and the fans rightly so, the fans have
their favorites, and if you're not the fans' favorites, you're
going to get it, and that's part and parcel of
the game. Mate. Unfortunately, it's never going to stop. It's

(03:24):
just the way it is. Don't get me wrong. I
used to react to the crowd. I did. You used
to react to the crowd, but I never blamed them.
His point is blaming the crowd. At the end of
the day, if you get turned over, it's on you.
Did you prepare yourself right? Were you playing well enough? Well?
Obviously not, because you've got beat and now your World
Championships has done and dusted, and you've got to look
forward to the season ahead, and other people get to

(03:44):
look forward to trying to go even deeper into the
biggest darts tournament in the world.

Speaker 2 (03:50):
Out of the pros, there the people that should be winning,
that necessarily will win. Who, if you particularly like, does
anyone looking like they're settling into a rhythm that might
be there towards the point at end?

Speaker 3 (04:00):
I think you've said this moment in time. I mean,
obviously Luke Letter sent a bit of anchmark in one
hundred and one average and whatever, but you expect that
from Luke. I think a lot of the top players,
because they know how good they are they'll go there
with the right game plan, they'll get through the early rounds.
I don't want to say comfortably. They've got to be

(04:21):
on their game, but I think there's still too many
players yet, and too many rounds are too many games
to go to start pointing at fingers, pointing fingers at
who could potentially lift the trophy and that million pounds prize.

Speaker 2 (04:34):
Fun And today you've just been watching anything big ten
around the sou afternoon over there at Elie Pelly.

Speaker 3 (04:41):
No, I think there's just Leonar Gates has just beaten
Mickey Mansel three sets to two. No, there's not been
any Listen, there's been a couple of big names go out.
I mean, like you say, Mike the deck has gone out.
A former major champion, Joe des Joe Desso, has not
only just gone out of the World Championships, he's actually

(05:01):
lost his tour card. Now if he wants to get
back on tour again, he's got a Ques Cool. So
are they shocks in some ways yes? In some ways no,
because they're both major champions. But Joe Sojososa hasn't really
done a lot since winning the Grand Slam. And if
I'm brutally honest about Mike the Decker. Mike hasn't really

(05:22):
done anything since winning the World Grand Prix, so in
my eyes, they're not massive shocks. But if you're a
dark fan and dark enthusiastic it in you'd think she's
a four major champions gone out and major champions gone out.
Like I say, I just think, I just think going
back to a few big names and whatever. I don't
think we're gonna have too many more shocks. I think,

(05:43):
not not for another round or two anyway. But the
one game that does stand out to me, Darcy, I
don't know how you felt about that, is uh, Daryl Gurney,
two time major champion up against Bo Grees. I think
that could be an absolute hunting of the game.

Speaker 2 (05:57):
Fantastic. So Somemer for me used to be about the
boxing day test, but we haven't got one anymore. Somemmer
for me was that and darts now it's just dark.
So I'm so looking forward to the rest of this
tournament as you are as well. Come on, Lloyd, thanks
so much for your time. Really appreciate it, and I'll
probably tap you up in a couple of weeks near
the final. A what do you reckon?

Speaker 3 (06:16):
No worries, Darcy, Thanks very much mate. All the best
and Merry.

Speaker 2 (06:19):
Christmas to you all and to yourself as well.

Speaker 1 (06:22):
For more from the Your Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
listen live to News Talk set be on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio