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.
EARLY ROUNDS
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.
QUARTER-FINALS ROUND-UP
Jelle Klaasen won the all-Dutch first quarter-final with a 6-3 defeat of Michael van Gerwen. The duo shared the first four legs before Klaasen took the fifth with a 15-darter to secure the game's first break of throw.
Klaasen moved 4-2 up after beginning a second successive leg with a 180, and took a second break of throw in leg seven thanks to a 121 finish.
Van Gerwen landed double 16 in the next to stay in the game, but a miss at the same bed allowed Klaasen back in to seal the win.
Klaasen will play Phil Taylor in the semis, after the 13-time World Champion blitzed Vincent van der Voort 6-1.
Taylor kicked off the match with a 180, taking the opening leg in 15 darts and then breaking the throw immediately with a 12-darter to double his lead.
A 101 finish put him 3-0 up, and two missed doubles from van der Voort allowed Taylor back in for double top in the next for a 13-darter, with another 15-darter putting him with a leg of the win.
Van der Voort got off the mark by winning leg six against the throw, taking out double ten with Taylor sat on 57 after 12 darts.
But Taylor wasted no more time in taking the win with a 14-darter, finishing 70 in two darts to progress with an average of almost 108.
Colin Lloyd remains on course for a second successive Regional Final victory following his 6-3 defeat of Barrie Bates.
Lloyd, the winner in Taunton three weeks ago, took a 4-0 lead in superb style, including finishes of 102 and 108, before Bates fought back to 4-3.
But a 118 checkout settled Lloyd's nerves, and he sealed the win on double eight.
Wayne Jones earned a date with Lloyd in the last four following a 6-3 victory over Holland's Jan van der Rassel.
Jones took a 3-0 lead in the game, defying two maximums from the Dutchman in taking out finishes of 74 and 76 along the way.
A 121 finish put him 4-1 up after van der Rassel got off the mark, but the lead was soon whittled down to 4-3 as van der Rassel landed double eight and a 101 finish.
Van der Rassel missed three darts to level the game as Jones took out double 16 to move within a leg of victory, and a missed bullseye for a 121 finish in the next allowed the Wolverhampton man back in to seal with win - taking out 127 on the bull.
SEMI-FINALS ROUND-UP
Phil Taylor continued his dominance over the Dutch challenge in Brentwood with a 7-3 win over Jelle Klaasen in the first semi-final.
After averaging 107.8 in the quarters against Vincent van der Voort, Taylor hit a 107.7 average in seeing off his MasterDarts stablemate.
Taylor took a quick 3-0 lead, including a 142 finish for a break of throw in leg two that proved crucial as Klaasen mounted a fightback.
The young Dutchman held his throw to win three of the next five legs - in doing so becoming the first player to take more than one against Taylor during the event and hauling himself back into the game at 5-3.
But a 13-darter from Taylor saw him move to the brink of victory, and he kicked off a second successive leg with a 177 in the next before taking out 101 on double 16 for the win.
Colin Lloyd produced a fine display to book his place in the final with a 7-2 win over Wayne Jones.
Lloyd took the game's opening two legs before Jones hit back to level - only for the Essex thrower to delight his local crowd with five in a row to storm to victory.
Double top stopped Jones' fightback, while a maximum set up a 90 finish in the next as he moved 4-2 up.
Lloyd then landed back-to-back 14 darters to take a 6-2 lead, and sealed the win in 15 darts on double top.
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
Best of nine legs
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
Best of nine legs
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
Best of nine legs
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
Best of nine legs
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
Best of nine legs
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
Best of 11 legs
Semi-Finals
Phil Taylor 7-3 Jelle Klaasen
Colin Lloyd 7-2 Wayne Jones
Losers £1,600
Best of 13 legs
Final
Colin Lloyd 8-6 Phil Taylor
Winner £6,000
Runner-Up £3,000
Best of 15 legs