SMITH BATTLES ILLNESS TO LAND TENTH PDC TITLE

ROSS SMITH shrugged off a nasty illness to win Players Championship 20 in Milton Keynes.

Smudger clinched a THIRD ranking crown of the season after defeating William O’Connor 8-5 in the final to pocket the £15,000 top prize.

The Dover thrower produced a clinical display in the event showpiece, averaging a blistering 107.01 and landing eight of his 11 attempts at double to deny O’Connor and claim a TENTH PDC title.

The world No.14 edged past Challenge Tour top-up Henry Coates 7-6 in a dramatic semi-final, having earlier dispatched Andy Boulton 6-2 in the quarter-finals.

Smith later joked to interviewer Niall McCaughan that the victory belonged to his sniffles and warned him to wash his hands after holding the microphone.

He said: “I am buzzing, to be fair. I am in double figures now. Ten years ago, I never thought I would have got to double figures.

“So, I am happy as Larry. We are in June and I have won three bloody titles this year. A runner-up on the Euro Tour as well.

“I am having a great year. I can’t grumble at all. I just wish this cold would bugger off. I am knackered but absolutely buzzing.

“For me, it is just about staying in that top 16 and pushing towards the higher end of it. You have to give yourself goals and keep pushing, otherwise there is no point.

“I just know how important it is to stay there for the rankings.

“I am really happy beating Willie because he is a fantastic player and an absolute gentleman.

“I think he let me off in a few places here and there in the final. But that is darts for you.

“I got lucky in the semi-final. I missed a few match darts and Henry missed three against me.

“It’s great to see these youngsters come through. Henry is 19 years old. I have been with him at the Unicorn launch days with the same manufacturers.

“He is a really lovely kid. He could maybe show a bit more aggression because I would have had the right hump there.

“He has got a hell of a career ahead of him.”

Elsewhere, Nathan Aspinall saw off Beau Greaves 6-4 in round two, while Gary Anderson crashed out following a 6-3 defeat to Lukas Wenig.

Cameron Menzies also suffered an early exit, losing a deciding-leg thriller 6-5 to Charlie Manby in round one.

O’Connor then claimed a major scalp in round four, stunning top seed Wessel Nijman 6-4 despite the Dutch star firing in a ton-plus average.

Dimitri Van den Bergh suffered back-to-back first-round exits on the ProTour after falling 6-4 to Wesley Plaisier.

Image by Taylor Lanning.