watching Taylor and Barney fall by the wayside and edging out Michael van Gerwen in a thriller - the title was Lewis’s for the taking. When asked if becoming European Champion was a potential turning point in his career, an astute Lewis responded: “You never know what’s going to happen; obviously I’m full of confidence, that’s a good sign for me.” “I’ve just got to keep producing this sort of form on a regular basis and take each game as it comes.” “I’m in good spirits, I know I’ve got a lot more to give in the game - it’s just about getting up there and doing it. I’m putting the work in and believing in myself a lot more,” he added. There was now a pattern emerging. The Stokie seemed to be performing well on happy hunting grounds - twice a winner at Ally Pally, and after losing out in two previous European Championship finals - he had now clinched that accolade. So could he now eclipse his best ever run at the World Matchplay after reaching the Semi-Finals on two occasions? A self-confessed believer in “third time lucky” Lewis made it happen. Admittedly his scrappy defeat of Ronny Huybrechts was a slow start, but the Jackpot juggernaut was off and running, and from then on in - the power-scoring continued, the doubles didn’t look like missing, and narrow defeats of Andy Hamilton and MVG in epic contests displayed the true grit and class of a two-time World Champion as he marched into a maiden Blackpool final. On any given day, a 106 average in a major final would be more than