Number One
WORLD No.1 Michael van Gerwen will head Down Under next month in the unusual position of not having won a World Series of Darts title so far this year.
The PDC World Championship runner-up, who has won 15 titles on the PDC tour this year, will want that to change on the Oceanic leg of the series in Auckland, Melbourne or Brisbane as he looks to make the World Series finals in Vienna in November.
Van Gerwen has not won since taking out his third straight Premier League crown in May, losing to eventual runner-up Dmitri van den Bergh in Germany, James Wade in Las Vegas and Michael Smith in the last event in Shanghai.
World champion Rob Cross has come closer than the man he beat in the world final in January, losing 8-4 to Gary Anderson in the Las Vegas final after being 4-1 up and first-time winner Smith in the Shanghai decider.
That victory gave Smith, who was runner-up to van Gerwen in the Premier League, his 10th senior PDC title and his first big win in a televised tournament.
“I have just won on stage and it feels amazing,” Smith said after beating Cross in China.
“It’s my third title of the year and after the Premier League I was getting doubts in my head whether I would get another chance to win a TV title, but I got it today.
“I didn’t play my best, but I was battling all the way, didn’t let my head drop and kept my spirits high.”
Rob Cross has been in great form during the World Series but once more was the bridesmaid in Shanghai.
“In fairness, Michael deserved that – I was useless,” the 27-year-old former electrician said after the 8-2 defeat.
“At the same time, I can’t be disappointed… I felt knackered when I started and come the final I just didn’t have the energy left, I thought I was lucky to hit the dartboard – but fair play to Michael.”
Cross added: “I’m feeling happy with my game at the moment, but today was just about having no energy – there just wasn’t enough there to carry me through.”
The World Series of Darts will roll into Auckland on August 3.
PDC chief executive Matt Porter will be hoping the crowds continue to turn up in great numbers as they have throughout this year’s campaign.
A record-breaking 20,210 watched Austria’s Mensur Suljovic defeat van den Bergh in the final at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen.
That crowd figure was the best to watch a darts event, beating the world record of 14,354 who turned up to see the London and South Divisional final of the News of the World Championships in 1939.
I FELT KNACKERED WHEN I STARTED AND COME THE FINAL I JUST DIDN’T HAVE THE ENERGY LEFT
Rob Cross