Merseyside-born darts star Michael Smith has reached the World Darts Championships (WDC) final following his victory last night.
Smith, dubbed "Bully Boy" by fans, came close to glory last year as he reached the 2022 World Championship final, where he was defeated by Peter Wright. The 32-year-old will hope to go one better tonight as he takes on Michael Van Gerwen. The WDC are held annually in London from December to January, with the champion taking home £2.5m in prize money.
Born in St Helens in 1990, Smith began playing darts as a teenager - and after falling off his bike on the way to St Cuthbert's School at age 15, he was left on crutches for months. During this time, Smith threw his first ever 180.
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The nickname Bully Boy actually has nothing to do with darts, as Smith explained a few years ago. He said: “I used to work on a cattle farm in Littleborough and I loved it, but it was hard graft and I wouldn’t do it for a living. That’s where I got my Bully Boy nickname – it was nothing to do with darts. When the cows gave birth, the farm owner – who used to be a bouncer at my auntie’s pub – got me to help with tagging the new-born calves."
“For 35 minutes, I got slammed in cowpats and cow’s muck. They didn’t always like it and I had one on its back, my fingers in its nose, legs in the air. He called me a bully, and that’s how the nickname stuck.
By 2012, he was a professional dart player, taking part in the World Championships that same year, however he would exit after defeat in the first round. Bully Boy would fail to advance past the third round until 2016, when he reached the quarter finals.
He then finished runner up in both 2019 and 2022. All of St Helens will be hoping the darts ace can go one further against Dutch Van Gerwen tonight (January 3).
During Monday's semi final, the class of Smith shone through, as he just about edged the world No. 25, Gabriel Clemens, out to claim the lead. Smith looked to back this up straight after, as he pinned in a stunning 161 finish in the fourth set which even earned the admiration of this opponent.
In the end, Michael Smith outclassed his German opponent 6-2, booking his place in the final on January 3 at 8pm at London's Alexandra Palace. The final can be viewed on Sky Sports Darts.
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