ROSS SMITH reeled off the craziest ever Players Championship stats – to clinch PC16 with TWO nine-darters and three straight whitewash wins.
But the English oche ace‘s verdict on his performance was even more astonishing than his figures.
GettyRoss Smith took 24 legs in a row to win Players Championship 16[/caption]
GettyNorthern Ireland’s Brendan Dolan was beaten 8-0 in the final[/caption]
No player has ever been more dominant in this tournament than Smith was in triumphing at Hildesheim in Germany.
But the 36-year-old claimed: “I don’t actually think I played that well!”
The Kent star Smith, 36, reached World No. 9 last year and has now won six PDC rankings events.
And although that’s a useful pedigree, no-one could have predicted his record-breaking feats on Tuesday.
Smith sealed the crown by winning 24 legs in a row.
In fact four of his five opponents failed to win a single leg.
And only legends Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen have ever bagged more than one nine-darter at the same Players Championship event.
Smith said: “I know I can be one of the best in the world. Consistency is a big thing, but I know I can win tournaments on a regular basis.”
RexSmith says he is convinced he will now win more major titles[/caption]
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The 2022 European champion opened with a 6-0 defeat of Dylan Slevin, then dispatched Chris Landman 6-3 in the last 16.
Landman briefly fought back to level at 3-3 – but from that moment Smith never lost another leg all day.
He next sunk Danny Noppert 6-0 and Luke Woodhouse 7-0 in the semis.
And he demolished Brendan Dolan 8-0 in the final – with an average of 104.5.
Smith humbled the Northern Irishman with legs of 14, 12, 13, 14, 12 and 14 darts.
His joy in Germany means he has jumped up to World No. 14.
Smith said: “I’m so happy with the win.
“I’ve got the little plaques at home with the scoresheets from my Players Championship wins. They’re my little trophies, and they mean a lot to me.
“I’m going to add another one to the wall today, and it’s another incentive when I’m at home practising, because I want to win all the time; who doesn’t?
“If you’ve won a major title you can win anything. I honestly believe I’m going to win more, but I need to keep working hard.”
Leicester’s Mattioli Arena will host the PDC’s Players Championships 17 and 18 on June 17-18.
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