‘Bully Boy’ on target

British darts superstar Michael Smith made quite a mark in the kingdom after being crowned the first-ever Bahrain Darts Masters champion.

The 32-year-old nicknamed ‘Bully Boy’, who only a few weeks ago had claimed his first World Championship title, put on a master-class performance in the kingdom at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) Dome tent.

 “I’m delighted,” said the World number one, who defeated reigning World Series of Darts Finals champion Gerwyn Price 8-6 in an exciting final.

“I’ve got my third World Series title and my wife told me to bring this trophy back, and I’ve finally got it. I was far from perfect, but I’ve got to take my chances when they come.

“I thought it might not be my time but I dug deep and came back.”

In the previous rounds of the two-day competition, which attracted large crowds throughout, donned in all kinds of colourful costumes and fancy dress, Smith needed to battle back from an early deficit to edge two-time winner from last year’s World Series of Darts Dimitri Van den Bergh 6-4 in their best-of-11 legs quarter-final match-up.

Price, meanwhile, beat former Premier League and World Cup of Darts champion Jonny Clayton with a similar 6-4.

Elsewhere in the round of eight, five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld narrowly overcame rising star and world number five Luke Humphries 6-5, while former World Champion Rob Cross beat world number two Peter Wright also 6-5.

This major event, which was broadcast live to a TV audience reaching more than 200 million people in more than 185 countries worldwide, was the opening round of the 2023 PDC World Series of Darts calendar held in partnership with the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority (BTEA).

In the best-of-13 semi-finals, Smith and van Barneveld squared off with Smith taking the contest 7-5, while Price set up the final head-to-head with a 7-3 win against Cross.

The Bahrain Darts Masters clincher was played best-of-15 legs.

“Congratulations to Michael Smith and the rest of the players for putting on a spectacular show over the past two days here at BIC,” said BIC chief executive Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa.

“Our first Bahrain Darts Masters was an absolutely spectacular event and we were not only treated to a world-class display of darts by the biggest names in the game, but also enjoyed an incredible atmosphere like we had never experienced before.

“We thank all those who joined us for this historic occasion as well as all who made it possible, including our partners at the BTEA, the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), CBX, DSV and The Gulf Hotel.

“We look forward to welcoming back the World Series of Darts next year and to help continue building the sport in Bahrain and in this part of the world.”