Darts: Lloyd sorry for punching dartboard

Colin LLOYD apologised for letting his frustration get the better of him during his contest with Andree Welge after eking out a 3-2 victory in the first round of the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace last night.

By The Newsroom

Published 28th Feb 2019, 14:03 GMT

The 37-year-old from Colchester punched the board when the German fought back from 2-0 to draw level at 2-2, drawing blood and stunning the referee and crowd, before holding his nerve to seal a dramatic victory.

"The PDC and Sky TV say to us 'show your emotions'. From 2-0 up that shouldn't have been 2-2," he said.

"Nothing against Andree, he played fantastic. The next two sets, he ripped me - 3-0 3-0. Fair play to him. And I let it get to me. I apologise to everyone that's watching the game but I'm showing my emotion. This is how much this tournament means to me. I shouldn't have done it but I want to be the Ladbrokes.com world champion.

"I'm disappointed at myself for doing that because Andree's a lovely player, a lovely person.

"I think I possibly put him off a bit so I apologise for that."

Scotland's Ronnie Baxter was also successful, defeating Dutchman Roland Scholten.