Michael Smith hit back at comments from Peter ‘Snakebite’ Wright and admitted talk from the two-time world champion spurred him to victory at the World Cup of Darts.
Smith partnered world No 1 Luke Humphries for the pairs event in Frankfurt, where England defeated Austria 10-6 in the final to claim a fifth World Cup title.
They were top seeds for the four-day event but had come under scrutiny pre-tournament about whether they would work well together in the team event, while Wright said ahead of their semi-final clash that Scotland would “smash up England”.
Smith and Humphries saw off the Scottish pair 8-4 to secure their spot in the final, where they claimed the first England win since Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis in 2016, with ‘Bully Boy’ criticising Wright’s form in his World Cup winners’ press conference.
“Before the semi-final, Peter Wright walked past, asking Luke how his shoulder,” said Wright. “The guy’s just averaged 78 and he’s tried giving me s***?
“I was like, ‘what are you doing?’ And then had an argument, or not an argument, but tried to give a bit of banter behind the stage. It’s just the same as everything else.
“That guy should have some strong shoulders because he’s been holding the Premier League up for two years.
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Referee Kirk Bevins ruled that Gary Anderson stepped over the oche throwing his final dart leading to confusion in Scotland’s World Cup semi-final against England
“He annoyed me today and I think that spurred me on in that semi-final. I’ve never given it that large ever.
“I needed to get that out because it really annoyed me.”
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The title favourites raced into a 5-1 lead over 2021 runners-up Rowby-John Rodriguez and Mensur Suljovic, Humphries taking out 151 in the sixth leg and 121 in the next before Austria hit back to reduce their deficit to 6-4.
A 180 from Humphries then set up Smith, who had struggled with his doubles early on, to take out double 15 before finishes of 130 and 112 from Humphries took England to the brink of victory.
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Luke Humphries slammed in 151, 121, 130 and 112 checkouts as he shone during England’s victory in the World Cup of Darts final against Austria
Suljovic took out 98 to keep the match alive but Smith sealed the win on double eight in the next leg.
“I felt the biggest buzz I’ve had since the Worlds,” Humphries told Sky Sports. “We really wanted this, we really believed we could win it. You’ve got a cheat code, the world No1 and No 3 against the field, it’s quite tough for everyone else but after that first game we played and we clicked.”
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Humphries and Michael Smith share their reaction after their World Cup of Darts triumph against Austria which saw the champions end an eight-year wait for the title
Smith was full of praise for team-mate Humphries, adding: “How good was this man in the final? He hit everything. My [double] tops was non-existent and every single shot I left him, bang, bang, bang…. thank you so much mate, you’ve just got me the gold medal.”
What’s next on Sky Sports?
The 2024 Betfred World Matchplay will take place from July 13-21 at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool. The iconic summer tournament will see 32 of the world’s top stars battling it out across nine days for the Phil Taylor Trophy and £800,000 in prize money.
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