Monday, January 03, 2022
“Bully Boy” versus “Snakebite”
Smith and Wright make it to the darts finals
The finalists have been determined: At this year’s Darts World Championship, Michael Smith and Peter Wright will face each other in the fight for the cup. Both professionals already know what finals feel like.
The English world-class player Michael Smith and Scotland’s ex-world champion Peter Wright contest the final of the Darts World Cup in London. On Sunday evening, the 31-year-old Smith defeated his compatriot James Wade clearly 6: 3 and thus gets his second chance at the Sid Waddell Trophy after 2019. Three years ago the “Bully Boy”, as Smith is called, lost the final 3: 7 against Michael van Gerwen from the Netherlands. Wright won the second duel 6: 4 against his compatriot Gary Anderson.
World number ninth Smith has played an outstanding tournament so far and has successively promoted Welsh co-favorites Jonny Clayton, defending champion Gerwyn Price (also from Wales) and now ex-European champion Wade from the tournament.
The semi-finals at Alexandra Palace turned into a show of force, the self-confident Smith gave his opponent virtually no chance. Wade, nicknamed “The Machine”, had previously had a little luck with the draw and also benefited from a Corona failure by Dutchman Vincent van der Voort.
“Snakebite” Wright, as always brightly coiffed and dressed, showed his best tournament performance one day after the 5: 4 against England’s Callan Rydz. As on the day before, the 51-year-old played eight perfect darts and then failed on double 12 – for which he set a world record with 24 shots of 180 points.
“I will win the World Cup. Whether this year or in the next ten years. I will be world champion, 100 percent,” Wade said before his fourth semi-final. Smith, however, subsequently assured in the Sport1 interview that he had only shown “70 to 75 percent” of his skills. For Wright it will be the third World Cup final after 2014 (defeat against van Gerwen) and 2020 (win against van Gerwen).