New world champion and No 1 Michael Smith returns as the Premier League roadshow heads to a venue near you! The SSE Arena in Belfast hosts the first of 17 individual venues from Thursday, February 2 with the Play-Offs returning to The O2 in London on Thursday, May 25
Thursday 5 January 2023 15:27, UK
Michael Smith fell off his bike and broke his hip on the way to school. The rest, as they say, is history! As the new world darts champion would say: 'Never write off a saint'.
There must be something in the water up in St Helens. Predominantly a rugby league town with a penchant for darts - they're currently enjoying a trophy-laden era.
The Saints are 17-time Super League champions and since the turn of the millennium they've been the dominant force, winning the title eight times, including the last four.
They now have a world darts champion in the shape of Smith to show off his shiny new trophy at the Totally Wicked Stadium.
Smith knows a thing or two about drama with his nine-darter in Tuesday's final against Michael van Gerwen going down as the greatest-ever leg in one of the best-ever matches to have graced the Alexandra Palace stage.
'Bully Boy' recalled how Jack Welsby's last-ditch opportunism helped St Helens to an equally dramatic victory over Wigan Warriors in the 2020 Grand Final.
"Obviously with the trophies we won in St Helens last year, along with the ones I've won, we're just bred different! We're born winners - well, we are now," said the 32-year-old, who became the world champion - and also world No 1 - for the first time after the remarkable 7-4 win over Van Gerwen.
"You watch any videos of St Helens and you can never write them off. You can score last-minute tries or drop goals when we've won Grand Finals in the last minute - it's a never-say-die attitude and I think it is bred in you from a young age.
"I had messages from almost all the players. All the boys are chuffed and they just can't wait for me to get back home now and have a world champion in town! I just want to get home, I want to enjoy that for a couple of days."
Smith finally got his hands on the Sid Waddell Trophy at the third time of asking, having previously lost to Van Gerwen in 2019 and then to Peter Wright 12 months ago.
That contributed to a run of eight successive major final defeats before he stopped the rot in November by winning the Grand Slam of Darts and followed it up with the big one in north London.
It all started at the age of 15 for Smith, when he fell off his bike and broke his hip on his way to school.
The incident put him on crutches for several months and it was during that time Smith ditched his dreams of playing rugby and began playing darts. He hit his first 180 on crutches and a year later had won his first youth tournament for £100.
"After I won that and didn't drop a leg, I was like 'do you know what, I might give this a shot!'," revealed Smith.
"At 17 or 18 I'd come over to the PDC within three years of playing. Within 12 years of playing on the PDC I'm now world No 1."
"Obviously with the trophies we won in St Helens last year, along with the ones I've won, we're just bred different! We're born winners"
Despite all the heartache Smith can't wait the enjoy time with his family, as well as put that star on his shirt knowing he has finally made it into the history books, achieving a lifetime ambition.
"I start back again in five days, something like that, but it's the price you get for winning," Smith said just a day after his Ally Pally triumph.
"If that's the price I've got to pay, then I'm happy to keep doing it.
"People always say to you that when you win the worlds, a lot of things come with it. Now just having that title next to my name, it doesn't matter if it's only for 12 months, but in 20 years' time when I retire I won't be remembered as a runner-up, I'll still be remembered as a world champion.
"Hopefully when I do retire, it'll be as a multiple world champion as well.
"If another one comes in 10 years' time, as long as another one comes…you can't pick and choose when you win! It happens, it's fate, it's destiny and Tuesday was my time."
Next up for Smith is the Premier League and a chance for redemption having finished as runner-up in 2018 to Van Gerwen.
The new format seems to be to Smith's liking, despite 'Bully Boy' enduring a difficult campaign last time out where he finished outside the play-off spots and only collected one victory on night 16 in Newcastle.
"I love the Premier League but 16 weeks is a long slog," Smith said. "Maybe two days a week at home, but if they gave me the choice of 'do you want it or do you not?', I'd take it every single time.
"The new format is good. The best of 11 if you go on to your next one and next one and hopefully, this year, I get to show my true potential now I'm there."
The new Premier League Darts season will begin at the SSE Arena in Belfast on Thursday, February 2, the first of 17 individual venues to host the 2023 Premier League, which will be staged on Thursday nights from February to May - live on Sky Sports!
