We are counting down the days until the 2018/19 William Hill World Darts Championship gets under way at the Alexandra Palace as 96 of the best players in the world battle it out for the coveted Sid Waddell Trophy in a tournament that is sure to provide a multitude of thrills and spills.
While the action on the oche will take centre stage from December 13 there have been some memorable and somewhat hilarious goings-on at the Alexandra Palace in recent years, and none more so than when Colin Lloyd decided to take his frustration out on the dartboard itself in his first round match against German star Andre Welge at the 2011 World Darts Championship.
Struggling to find the form that once saw him rocket to number one in the world, Lloyd was drawing two sets each with Welge and was beginning to get more and more angered with his performance. Starting the second leg of the deciding set, Lloyd - nicknamed Jaws - failed to capitalise on a paltry score from Welge by only scoring 55 points of his own. But, as he walked up to collect the darts with his left hand, the Englishman unleashed a right-hook on to the unsuspecting board and fired his anger out Anthony Joshua style in front of a shocked Bruce Spendley, who was refereeing the match.
Lloyd managed to find a way to defeat Welge and book a second round spot, but 'Jaws' was beaten 4-2 by Mark Hylton in the second round and saw his quest for World Championship glory disappear days later.
Lloyd's antics saw him propel into the darting limelight for all the wrong reasons, but his on-stage hissy fit will live long in the memory and is certainly worth another look ahead of next week's showpiece event.
