Colin Lloyd insists it is time for Ian White to deliver on the biggest PDC stages
"He should be making some semis and finals because we all know he is a class act."
By Josh Gorton
Last Updated: 01/05/19 2:15pm
Ian White continued his strong start to 2019 by reaching the German Darts Open final last weekend and Colin Lloyd believes the time has come for 'The Diamond' to deliver on the biggest PDC stages.
The Stoke-on-Trent ace was appearing in his second ranking final of the season in Saarbrucken, but he was denied another European Tour title by an irrepressible Michael van Gerwen, who ran out an 8-3 winner to scoop his 31st European Tour crown.
White lifted his first European Tour title in September 2018 after defeating Ricky Evans in the final of the Dutch Darts Championship, which marked his first 'stage' title within the PDC and took his haul of ranking titles into double figures.
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The 48-year-old has forged a reputation for being one of the most consistent performers on the floor over recent years and that's reflected in the rankings, as he currently occupies second spot on the Pro Tour Order of Merit.
White also topped last year's Players Championship Order of Merit after winning two Players Championship titles, but now the challenge is to replicate that form in the major televised events.
The World No 12 has appeared in seven major TV quarter-finals but remarkably, he has never gone beyond this stage.
He came agonisingly close to making the last four at the 2017 UK Open, spurning match darts against Gerwyn Price before 'The Iceman' took out a spectacular 160 checkout to prevail.
"To have never gone beyond the quarter-final of a major, for someone of Ian's pedigree, it's not quite good enough."
Lloyd on White's TV form
However, speaking on the Darts Show podcast, Lloyd admitted the next step for White is to produce the goods in the biggest televised tournaments.
"Ian [White] knows that. It's not as if he goes up there not trying to do that, it just doesn't seem to happen for him.
"To have never gone beyond the quarter-final of a major, for someone of Ian's pedigree, it's not quite good enough."
White, who is seeded second at this weekend's Austrian Darts Open, suffered last 128 and last 64 exits in the midweek Pro Tour double-header in Barnsley, but Lloyd believes he has the potential to break new ground this year.
"He should be making some semis and finals because we all know he is a class act. He's a class player but Ian will still feel that could happen this year."
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