Michael Smith during day fifteen of the William Hill World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, London. Picture date: Sunday January 2, 2022.
WORLD No.4 Michael Smith will be taking nothing for granted when the Professional Darts Corporation’s flagship roadshow event, the World Series of Darts rolls into Townsville and Wollongong next month.
Smith, who won the US Masters at a packed Madison Square Garden in New York, last month, was one of six seeded PDC stars to be knocked out in the first round of the Dutch Masters in Amsterdam by the home-based qualifiers.
The 31-year-old lost 6-4 to Martijn Kleermaker, with fellow PDC stars Peter Wright, Fallon Sherrock, Gerwyn Price, Jonny Clayton, and Michael van Gerwen also failing to make it past the first round.
James Wade and rising Belgian star Dimitri Van den Bergh were the only seeded players to make the second day’s play, with Van den Bergh, eventually defeating Dirk van Duijvenbode 8-2 to take the title at the Ziggo Dome.
World Cup winners Damon Heta and Simon Whitlock will be flying the Australian flag when the World Series returns Down Under after a three-year enforced break due to Covid-19.
They will be joined by fellow PDC professional Gordon Mathers and four other Australian qualifiers and one from New Zealand.
Smith expects another tough two days in Townsville and Wollongong as it was in Amsterdam, but is relishing the challenge from the best players on our shores.
“I think when you play in places like Holland, Australia, and New Zealand, you are not just playing qualifiers, you are playing top professional players on the tour,” he said.
“It showed at the Dutch Masters that anyone can win.
“It’s going to be the same in Australia with Damon, Simon, and Gordon Mathers representing the home side, plus all the other top qualifiers.
“It’s not going to be easy and nor should it be.
“It’s the World Series of Darts and we want really good games all the time.”
Smith said it was important that even though the World Series was primarily an exhibition tournament, it was also key that matches were hotly contested to improve the game globally.
“That’s what we want as professionals are hard matches,” Smith admitted.
“We don’t want easy rides or easy games.
“Obviously, you want to win every game. But the crowd will be coming along hoping to see the home players win.
“They don’t just want to see me winning 6-0 or the other tour players like Michael van Gerwen winning easily, they want to see some drama to bring interest into the matches and get hooked by it.”
Smith said the World Series events in Australia and New Zealand were key to the continued popularity of darts worldwide.
The two-time world championship runner-up said he loved playing at the world-famous Madison Square Garden when he won the US Masters in June and he said the success of that tournament showed that other events could be staged in places such as America, Australia, and New Zealand in the future.
“Eventually we want TV ranking tournaments in those places,” Smith said.
“That’s why we are all doing it and some people don’t get that. They think eight players are just gifted victories but we are actually trying to make money for the players down the rankings because eventually there will be tours in America, Australia, and New Zealand and that’s what we all want.
“They would not be a world series but a tournament where you have top 32 and the Australian boys fill up the rest of the field.
“I think it could work. We just need to see the packed-out stadiums and then we could move to bigger venues.”
Smith said his three-week trip to Australia and New Zealand for the World Series would be part work part holiday time.
His wife, former darts player Dagmara Malczewska, will fly south along with their two children, Michael Jnr (8) and Kasper, who will turn five in September.
Smith said he will get to spend a few days with the family but will have to still work hard if he is to achieve his goal of winning at least one of the World Series events in Australia and New Zealand this year.
“The wife and kids will be coming too,” he said.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime holiday for them. I will be working but I am sure they will have fun.
“I am no longer playing for myself.
“If it were just me on my own and I wasn’t married with two kids, I would not give a toss if got beat or won.
“It’s not just for me, it’s for my kids’ futures, so that’s why I do get annoyed when I get beaten.
“I am going away for three and a half weeks. If I don’t come back with one title I will be disappointed.
“I want to win at least one and keep the No.1 seed going into the World Series finals in Amsterdam.
“As long as I play well, if they play their best game to beat me then you can’t be angry at that.”
Smith said his experiences at the US Masters in New York would inspire him to do as well or even better Down Under as would having his wife and children on tour.
“It’s a lift having the wife and kids with me,” he said.
“Being away for three and a half weeks I get homesick very quickly, so having them with me in Australia will be great.
“Madison Square Garden was unreal. Growing up as a kid I watched singers or comedians on TV at the venue and I never thought I would play there. I just didn’t want to lose that first game. I wanted to be the first person to win a tournament there and luckily enough I did.”
Smith said the World Series was an important event for him and he was determined to carry on his top form when he arrives in Australia next month, otherwise, he could see himself getting dropped for the next visit.
“I want to perform wherever I go,” he said.
“If you don’t perform at these events you can get dropped from them very easily. It’s no longer about if your face fits. If you are playing well then you will get chosen.
For me, it’s important that I play well because I know what I can do.
“I am getting sick and tired of not doing what I know I am capable of.”
The Queensland Darts Masters runs from August 12-13 at Townsville Entertainment and Conference Centre with the NSW Darts Masters on August 19-20 at the WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong
By PHIL DILLON
About Author
