Jeff Smith enters the knockout stages of the PDC Home Tour | Darts News

‘The Silencer’ Smith lands 10-dart legs against Christian Bunse and Martin Atkins before winning Group 16 thanks to a fabulous final of 147

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A look back at the history of Group 16 on the PDC Home Tour, which saw a little less conversation, a little more action …

Canadian Jeff Smith produced two 10-dart stretches before scoring a sensational 147 checkout on the final stretch of the night to get into the knockout stages of the PDC Home Tour on Saturday.

Smith bested favorite Ricky Evans in the final match, finishing in style with a 147 out out, to ensure he finished at the top of the group, ending the hopes of world number 103 Martin Atkins, who needed an emphatic victory. Evans to progress in the leg difference.

“I really didn’t have much of a choice,” Smith said of his final bloom. “They were great darts again. Ricky fought well, but I’ll take that victory every day. That’s how tight the PDC is. There are 128 players and each player can beat you.”

The fastest player in the world of darts Evans, who played in his garage in Kettering, had a slow start of 18 darts and the trend continued after he lost four darts in D5, which cost him a break on leg three. . Atkins then hit D10 on the shot for a 3-1 lead.

Evans narrowed the gap to one by shooting 40 on two darts, and after missing D10 by a finish of 140, Atkins punished him with a fabulous 79 checkout to pull one leg away from victory. And the world number 103 completed a 5-2 win after landing D18.

Calling from New Brunswick, Canada, in the second game of the night, former North American Championship winner Smith faced the young German Bunse.

Canada’s Jeff Smith produced two 10-dart legs at night

Nicknamed ‘The Silencer’, Smith pulled 62 on an opening 18-dart leg. He quickly extended the lead thanks to a second break before D5 gave him a 4-1 lead. The world number 96 completed an emphatic 5-1 victory after going straight to the bull’s eye for an impressive 10-dart leg.

It was the second best leg of the tour to date, surpassed only by Luke Woodhouse’s nine darts on the second night of action.

Smith, who regained his PDC Tour Card earlier in the year, returned to calm when he faced Atkins when the two winners of the night came face to face in a stupendous match.

The pair was averaging 106 when Canadian No. 1 Smith hit his second stretch of 10 darts at night, starting with six perfect darts and ending with D8, for 2-2. It was cut down to a decisive in the final leg and Atkins held back to finish a magnificent 12-darter for a 5-4 win and two wins in two games.

Ricky Evans saw his slim chances of progression fade into the final game of the night.

Evans then faced Bunse in a game that he must win for both players. World number 29 let Bunse go 3-0, playing from a guest room at his home. A 96 checkout gave Evans the lead in the first leg and won 5-3 to stay on the hunt.

Atkins faced Bunse again knowing that a third consecutive victory would bring him victory in Group 16, but the Diemelsee-based player had other ideas. He checked 84 on the bull before stretching his lead to 4-0. Despite a late fight from Atkins, the 25-year-old closed the game with a double eight in the seventh for a 5-2 victory.

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Ricky Evans posing as Elvis, who shook everyone

The former Lakeside Smith finalist faced Evans in the final game of the night with both players knowing they could still survive. The Canadian knew that any kind of victory would allow him to lead the group, while Evans could not afford to lose more than two legs. Any other result would give Atkins a step.

In a crucial fifth leg, Evans lit the rear burners for the first shot break of the game, but Smith responded with a fabulous 121 on target to finish Rapid Ricky’s hopes. In a lanky seventh stretch, the 44-year-old landed D2 to pull away a stretch of victory, but Evans went up to 4-4 with 137 highs and final highs.

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Smith won Group 16 with a 147 checkout in the final leg of the night

Smith had the launch in the last shooting and completed the victory with an extravagant 147 checkout to win the group.

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