Canadian ‘Silenced’ at world darts finals

LONDON — Chris (Hollywood) Dobey rallied from a two-set deficit to oust Jeff (The Silencer) Smith of Canada 3-2 in second-round play Wednesday at the World Darts Championship.

The 22nd seed from England had some bumps early on but was clinical in his finishing as the match wore on.

The 30-year-old Dobey rallied from two legs down in the first set to even it at 2-2 but Smith won the set with a bull’s-eye. The 45-year-old from Hampton, N.B., took the second set before Dobey rebounded to claim the third and fourth sets.

Dobey won three straight legs in the fifth to take the match.

“Hard loss yes, but what a game to be part of,” Smith said via social media. “(Dobey) played with some mega-grit, determination, and heart to pull that back. I’ll be rooting for him.

“I was willing to stay, but I will now I get a Christmas with my girls. Can’t thank you all enough for the support.”

Smith, runner-up at the 2016 BDO World Darts Championship, earned $25,830 as a second-round loser. He downed Irish teenager Keane Barry 3-1 in his opening match Tuesday.

Fellow Canadian Matt (Ginga Ninja) Campbell, a 31-year-old welder from Hamilton, faces Scott Waites, a former Grand Slam of Darts winner and twotime World Darts champion, in firstround action Saturday.

The 2.5-million-pound ($4.3 million) tournament runs through Jan. 3 at London’s Alexandra Palace. The winner earns 500,000 pounds ($860,565).

Ninety-six players from 29 countries are represented in the field.