RL’S TWO REFS AIM
Smith: My nickname comes from days when I did mucky work on farm.. not hitting the dartboard MICHAEL MICHAEL
BULLY BOY Michael Smith began the biggest week of his life with a shock confession – his nickname comes from rolling around in cow’s muck, not the centre of a dartboard.
When former cattle farmhand Smith takes on Michael van Gerwen in the PDC World Championship final, he will be a buffalo soldier for underdogs.
Yes, his favourite checkout will still be the red dot in the middle: Ox marks the spot.
But a shoot-out with MVG, the best player on view at London’s Alexandra Palace over the last 27 sessions since December 13, is not the only big date in Smith’s dairy. On Saturday, he
gets married to long-time fiancee Dagmara, and claims he will not be delivering a groom’s speech. In other words, he will be seen but not herd.
Sailors at the annual regatta around the Isle of Wight may disagree, but for Smith there’s only one Cows Week – and it starts tonight.
He said: “I used to work on a cattle farm in Littleborough. I loved it but it was hard graft and I wouldn’t do it for a living. That’s where I got my Bully Boy nickname – it was nothing to do with darts.
“When the cows gave birth, the farm owner – who used to be a bouncer at my auntie’s pub – got me to help with tagging the new-born calves.
“For 35 minutes, I MVG
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Mighty Mike Seven Nation Army 2
33 £6,644,417
17 got Age Nickname Walk-on music World titles TV Major titles Career prize money Career 9 darters SMITH 28 Bully Boy Shut Up and Dance 0 0 £1,315,147 3
slammed in cowpats and cow’s muck. They didn’t always like it and I had one on its back, my fingers in its nose, legs in the air.
“He called me a bully and that’s how the nickname stuck. For the record, I’m not a bully or an aggressive person by nature – far from it – but when I needed a nickname, that’s what came to mind.”
Although he never fancied chasing tractors for a day job, it looked as if Smith would become a joiner – until he walked the plank for bunking off a key exam. He said: “When you
come from St Helens, rugby league is the only game in town. I played rugby as a teenager but I broke my hip and I couldn’t do it any more.
“I’m not glad I got injured but the darts are coming on now. And I’ve no regrets about skipping my final joinery exam at college to go and play darts.
“On the day of my exam, I went to play in a PDC event instead. I got beat 6-0 in the first round by Phil Taylor. The next day I lost 6-2 against Andy Hamilton and I thought I’d thrown my life away.
“But I just wanted to play darts and skipping the exam was one of the best choices I ever made.”
At Smith’s only previous meeting with Van Gerwen in a SUPER LEAGUE will trial a two-referee system this year with a view to introducing it permanently from 2020.
The competition will today unveil a host of new rules for 2019, which includes a move to Golden Point in regular league matches if the game finishes as a draw after showpiece final, the Dutchman was in unplayable form at the Premier League play-off final last May, winning 11-4 with an immense 112.37 average.
MVG has averaged 100-plus in 18 consecutive appearances on the Ally Pally stage, so no wonder the bookies make him 4-1 on to complete a triple crown. But Gary Anderson, the man who lost to him in the semi-final, believes underdog Smith can cause an upset.
“I think Van Gerwen is up against it,” said Anderson, Smith’s mentor. “If Michael plays the way he did in his semi-final, we’ve got a new world champion on our hands.
“I’ve been telling anyone who will listen for the last 10 years that this kid is the real thing.”
‘I skipped a joinery exam to play Phil Taylor and got beat 6-0... I don’t regret it’
80 minutes. Full details of the introduction of a shot clock will also be outlined, aimed at speeding up the game.
Golden Point will see teams play two five-minute halves if games finish in a draw, with the first scoring point ending the match.
The number of subs teams can use is being cut from 10 to eight.