Michael Smith sealed the last spot in the Premier League Darts play-offs on his way to winning the final league-stage night in Sheffield.
The 2023 world champion secured his progress with a 6-3 win over Nathan Aspinall in the quarter-finals.
Smith and Aspinall, who are close friends and recently went to Las Vegas together, went into the night in fifth and fourth respectively, knowing the winner of their match would progress to London’s O2 Arena on 23 May.
That tie was nip and tuck initially but ignited in the seventh leg when Smith checked out a superb 136 to edge ahead on throw.
The key leg followed as a brilliant 132 checkout helped Smith to break and then he closed out for the win.
Smith then beat Luke Littler and world champion Luke Humphries to win the night.
“I’m crying more than I did when I won the Worlds,” Smith told Sky Sports after his win over Aspinall.
“When that 136 went in, and then the 132, I knew that would have hurt him.
“I wanted to do cartwheels, backflips and everything, but with it being Nathan I had to keep calm and just apologise to him. I do feel sorry for him – I want him there as well as me. It was hard.”
Smith will face 17-year-old Littler in the play-off semi-finals after the teenage Premier League debutant confirmed top spot with a 6-4 win over Peter Wright in Thursday’s first quarter-final.
An opening-round win for seven-time winner Michael van Gerwen sealed third, and he will face Humphries in the last four next week.
The final, which is played over 21 legs, is on the same evening with the winner taking home £275,000 in prize money.
“Luke Humphries is the player to beat,” said world champion semi-finalist Wayne Mardle on Sky Sports.
“He becomes even more difficult to beat over the longer format. The other players are up and down and Humphries is the only player that isn’t.
“It will come down to fine margins though. It always does in the Premier League.”
2024-05-16 22:23:43
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