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COLIN LLOYD defeated Phil Taylor 8-6 to win a second successive Blue Square UK Open Regional Final at the Brentwood Centre in Essex.
Lloyd claimed victory in Taunton three weeks ago, and took another £6,000 cheque with another solid display in his home county.
Taylor had won Saturday's Players Championship and had stormed into the final with more imperious form 24 hours later.
But his bid to take a clean sweep over the weekend fell short when Lloyd came from 5-4 down to edge to the win.
"I'm enjoying myself again and enjoying the competition," said Lloyd, who has started 2008 promisingly following a tough 18 months which saw him slip to the edge of the world's top ten.
"A lot of people wrote me off but I've been playing for a long time and I'm a good player, and I have got some self-belief back.
"It was a fantastic performance. Phil is no mug and he has proven his quality as a player and as a man over this weekend, he's phenomenal.
"I've won lots of tournaments in Essex before but this is the most special - it's a high-profile PDC ranked event and it doesn't get any better than winning it against Phil."
Lloyd opened the final with two 14-darters to lead 2-0, and also led 3-1 before Taylor powered in a 143 checkout in the fifth and then a 161 in the seventh in taking a 4-3 advantage.
Finishes of 124 and 129 saw Lloyd stay in the game at five-all before he took advantage of five rare missed doubles from Taylor to sneak back in front.
Taylor then missed double 16 in the next as Lloyd moved 7-5 up, only for Taylor to respond in 11 darts to stay alive.
But Lloyd wrapped up the win in style with a 138 checkout to claim his second title of the year.
Lloyd took five straight legs in winning his semi-final 7-2 against Wayne Jones, after hitting two ton-plus finishes in a 6-3 quarter-final win against Barrie Bates.
He came from 4-3 down to edge out Kevin McDine in the last 16, after earlier winning against Stuart Holden, Joey Palfreyman and Chris Thompson.
Taylor had not dropped a set in his Players Championship win on Saturday, and won his first three games without conceding a leg - hitting seven 180s in a whitewash of Dave Honey.
Chris Mason was 5-1 loser to Taylor in the last 16, while Taylor averaged almost 108 in wins over Dutch duo Vincent van der Voort and Jelle Klaasen to reach the final.
Klaasen was a 6-3 quarter-final winner over stablemate Michael van Gerwen, while another Dutchman - Jan van der Rassel - also fell in the last eight, to Wayne Jones.
For a second successive day, World Champion John Part was among the first round casualties, alongside Denis Ovens, Kevin Painter and Mark Dudbridge.
Steve Smith's run to the last 16 secured him a place in the televised finals at Bolton in June, while David Platt overcame Peter Manley, Steve Hine and Colin Monk in his best display of the Regional Finals so far.
Blue Square UK Open Southern Regional Final
Preliminary Round
Jamie Robinson 5-1 Sean Dowling
Robbie Newland 5-2 Lee White
Steve Musson 5-4 Steve Grubb
Simon Craven 5-0 Chris Sargeant
Tony Ayres 5-1 Mark Carter
Ian Walters 5-1 Darren Green
Jason Crawley 5-2 Jimmy O'Regan
Geoff Wylie 5-1 Graeme Stoddart
Darren Richardson 5-1 Geoff Daniels
Steve Cusick 5-4 Alan Priestley
Danny King 5-2 Pat Orreal
Andrew Gourlay 5-3 Martyn Turner
Stephen Hardy Bye (Colin McGarry)
Chris Allen 5-1 Darren Sutton
Dale Pinch 5-2 Ben Burton
Aaron Monk 5-1 Andy Mason
Ian Jopling 5-1 Sean Cain
Bob Crawley 5-3 Steve Johnson
Robert Watson-Lang 5-0 Gary Witcombe
Peter Walford Bye (Colin Ritchie)
Mark Jodrill 5-0 Daniel Cook
Dave Honey 5-3 Nick Fulwell
Steve Lane 5-3 Jim Leighton
Michael Smith 5-4 Chris Cooper
Jimmy Dunlop 5-3 Jonathan Overton
Danny Pinhorne 5-0 Peter Aleman
Matt Sheehan 5-0 Brian Whybrow
Sean White 5-1 Lee Holden
David Platt 5-2 Shayne Burgess
Alan Reynolds 5-2 Brian Jones
John Quantock 5-2 Richard Plowman
Paul Williams 5-4 Ricky Williams
Brendan Dolan 5-0 Ian Harford
Pete Allen 5-1 Ian Lever
Peter Wright 5-0 Darren Latham
Russell Mason 5-4 Tony Littleton
Darrell Townsend 5-0 Kevin Reade
Tom Martin 5-3 Michael Barnard
Stuart Holden 5-2 Chris Oprey
Lee Williams 5-3 Paul Knighton
Chris Thompson 5-1 Gary Noonan
Richard Foster 5-4 Ian Eames
Dave Ansell Bye (Shane Passey)
Ben Simpson Bye (Kevin Hill)
Simon Pratt 5-2 Daniel Sare
Rick Andrews 5-3 Stuart Stubbs
Kieran Leal 5-2 Matt Chapman
Simon Whatley 5-2 Karl Loiseau
Dave Smith 5-1 Chris Daglish
Yves Cottenge 5-1 Steve Cupitt
Lee Palfreyman 5-4 Andy Relf
Chris Hook 5-1 Gary Barnett
Richard McLaughlin 5-1 Peter Edmonds
First Round
Jamie Caven 5-4 Jamie Robinson
Robbie Newland 5-2 Rico Vonck
Kevin Dowling 5-0 Steve Musson
Steve Smith 5-2 Simon Craven
Tony Ayres 5-1 Alan Caves
Michael van Gerwen 5-2 Ian Walters
Gary Welding 5-2 Jason Crawley
Dennis Smith 5-4 Geoff Wylie
Jelle Klaasen 5-1 Darren Richardson
Steve Cusick 5-3 Alan Tabern
Danny King 5-3 Adrian Lewis
Jason Barry 5-0 Andrew Gourlay
Andy Hamilton 5-1 Darren Moulsley
Steve Beaton 5-1 Stephen Hardy
Kirk Shepherd 5-1 Chris Allen
Dale Pinch 5-0 Matt Clark
Vincent van der Voort 5-0 Kevin Harris
Aaron Monk 5-3 Dave Ladley
Ian Jopling 5-3 Alan Green
Bob Crawley 5-1 Mark Walsh
Wes Newton 5-1 Gary Blades
Andy Smith 5-4 Robert Watson-Lang
Alan Warriner-Little 5-2 Peter Walford
Mark Jodrill 5-3 Mick McGowan
Lionel Sams 5-1 Ian Critchett
Dave Honey 5-4 Dave Jowett
Phil Taylor 5-0 Steve Lane
Michael Smith 5-3 Darren Johnson
Carlos Rodriguez 5-4 Martin Burchell
Adrian Gray 5-1 Jimmy Dunlop
Danny Pinhorne 5-4 John Part
Chris Mason 5-1 Matt Sheehan
Peter Manley 5-1 Sean White
David Platt 5-2 Steve Hine
Wayne Mardle 5-1 Alan Reynolds
Colin Monk 5-2 John Quantock
Tony Eccles 5-0 Paul Williams
Brendan Dolan 5-3 Owen Caffrey
Mervyn King 5-3 Pete Allen
Barrie Bates 5-2 Peter Wright
Dave Askew 5-1 Darrell Thorpe
Mark Lawrence 5-0 Russell Mason
Kevin McDine 5-3 Darrell Townsend
Roland Scholten 5-4 Tom Martin
Joey Palfreyman 5-1 Mark Dudbridge
Colin Lloyd 5-3 Stuart Holden
Alex Roy 5-0 Lee Williams
Chris Thompson 5-2 John Ferrell
James Wade 5-1 Nigel Birch
Dan Olson 5-1 Richard Foster
Colin Osborne 5-1 Dave Ansell
Terry Jenkins 5-1 Ben Simpson
Wayne Jones 5-3 Jon Archer
Steve Brown 5-1 Simon Pratt
Gary Mawson 5-1 Rick Andrews
Steve Evans 5-2 Kieran Leal
Jimmy Mann 5-3 Dean Stewart
Simon Whatley 5-2 Kevin Painter
Jan van der Rassel 5-1 Dave Smith
Steve Maish 5-3 Yves Cottenge
Ronnie Baxter 5-3 Mick Savvery
Lee Palfreyman 5-3 Denis Ovens
John MaGowan 5-1 Chris Hook
Wayne Atwood 5-0 Richard McLaughlin
Second Round
Jamie Caven 5-1 Robbie Newland
Steve Smith 5-3 Kevin Dowling
Michael van Gerwen 5-1 Tony Ayres
Dennis Smith 5-3 Gary Welding
Jelle Klaasen def Steve Cusick
Jason Barry 5-2 Danny King
Andy Hamilton 5-3 Steve Beaton
Kirk Shepherd 5-1 Dale Pinch
Vincent van der Voort 5-0 Aaron Monk
Ian Jopling 5-2 Bob Crawley
Andy Smith 5-2 Wes Newton
Mark Jodrill 5-3 Alan Warriner-Little
Dave Honey 5-3 Lionel Sams
Phil Taylor 5-0 Michael Smith
Adrian Gray 5-4 Carlos Rodriguez
Chris Mason 5-1 Danny Pinhorne
David Platt 5-4 Peter Manley
Colin Monk 5-4 Wayne Mardle
Tony Eccles 5-3 Brendan Dolan
Barrie Bates 5-0 Mervyn King
Dave Askew 5-2 Mark Lawrence
Kevin McDine 5-3 Roland Scholten
Colin Lloyd 5-1 Joey Palfreyman
Chris Thompson 5-2 Alex Roy
James Wade 5-1 Dan Olson
Terry Jenkins 5-2 Colin Osborne
Wayne Jones 5-1 Steve Brown
Gary Mawson 5-1 Steve Evans
Jimmy Mann 5-3 Simon Whatley
Jan van der Rassel 5-4 Steve Maish
Ronnie Baxter 5-0 Lee Palfreyman
Wayne Atwood 5-2 John MaGowan
Losers £100
Third Round
Steve Smith 5-4 Jamie Caven
Michael van Gerwen 5-3 Dennis Smith
Jelle Klaasen 5-2 Jason Barry
Andy Hamilton 5-3 Kirk Shepherd
Vincent van der Voort 5-1 Ian Jopling
Andy Smith 5-0 Mark Jodrill
Phil Taylor 5-0 Dave Honey
Chris Mason 5-1 Adrian Gray
David Platt 5-0 Colin Monk
Barrie Bates 5-2 Tony Eccles
Kevin McDine 5-1 Dave Askew
Colin Lloyd 5-2 Chris Thompson
James Wade 5-1 Terry Jenkins
Wayne Jones 5-4 Gary Mawson
Jan van der Rassel 5-1 Jimmy Mann
Wayne Atwood 5-1 Ronnie Baxter
Losers £200
Fourth Round
Michael van Gerwen 5-2 Steve Smith
Jelle Klaasen 5-4 Andy Hamilton
Vincent van der Voort 5-1 Andy Smith
Phil Taylor 5-1 Chris Mason
Barrie Bates 5-1 David Platt
Colin Lloyd 5-4 Kevin McDine
Wayne Jones 5-1 James Wade
Jan van der Rassel 5-2 Wayne Atwood
Losers £400
Quarter-Finals
Jelle Klaasen 6-3 Michael van Gerwen
Phil Taylor 6-1 Vincent van der Voort
Colin Lloyd 6-3 Barrie Bates
Wayne Jones 6-3 Jan van der Rassel
Losers £800
Semi-Finals
Phil Taylor 7-3 Jelle Klaasen
Colin Lloyd 7-2 Wayne Jones
Losers £1,600
Final
Colin Lloyd 8-6 Phil Taylor
Winner £6,000
Runner-Up £3,000 |