Adrian Lewis rolled back the years with a stunning nine-dart finish during an exhibition match against Stephen Bunting at the Gordon Craig Theatre in Stevenage last night. The two-time world champion produced the perfect leg in the headline match of the MDA exhibition, sending the crowd into raptures as he went on to complete a 6-2 victory over Bunting.
Lewis was in superb form throughout the evening. He opened the night with a 3-1 win over Nathan Aspinall, then later defeated Fallon Sherrock in his second match. The nine-darter came in the final against Bunting, capping off a memorable night for the Stoke-on-Trent star. The exhibition also featured Damon Heta, who beat Sherrock 3-2 after coming from 2-0 down, and Stephen Bunting, who whitewashed Raymond van Barneveld 3-0 in a battle of former BDO world champions. Heta then saw off Aspinall before the golden match between Lewis and Bunting.
Lewis recently confirmed he would not be attending Q-School and had only returned for exhibitions, stating he would only come back to try and win a third world title. But after this display, many will wonder if the nine-darter could be a catalyst for a fuller comeback. The nine-dart week continues, with Nathan Aspinall also having hit a perfect leg in Bolton against Chris Dobey.
Sherrock, meanwhile, will be in action today at the Women's Series, making the exhibition a perfect warm-up against top-class opposition. With ProTour action on Monday followed by the International Darts Open in Riesa next weekend, players have a free weekend for exhibitions — but one thing is certain: Adrian Lewis has still got it.
