Ross Smith (born 12 January 1989) is an English professional

darts Darts or dart-throwing is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small sharp-pointed missiles known as darts at a round target known as a dartboard. Points can be scored by hitting specific marked areas of the ...

player who plays in events of the

Professional Darts Corporation The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) is a professional darts organisation in the United Kingdom, established in 1992 when a group of leading players split from the British Darts Organisation (BDO) to form what was initially called the Wor ...

(PDC). He is the winner of the 2022 European Championship.

Career

Smith began playing in

events in 2005 and made his debut in the Vauxhall Spring Open, reaching the last 16. Smith then reached the final of the WDF Europe Youth Cup, losing to Dutchman Johnny Nijs. Smith had little success afterwards on the PDC circuit and switched to the BDO in 2007. He reached the last 16 of the 2008 British Classic and the 2008 Czech Open. Smith qualified for the

2009 BDO World Darts Championship The 2009 Lakeside World Professional Darts Championship was the 32nd World Championship organised by the British Darts Organisation. Mark Webster was the defending men's champion having won the title for the first time in the 2008 final against ...

, winning one of five places in the qualifiers in

Bridlington Bridlington is a coastal town and a civil parish on the Holderness Coast of the North Sea in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is about north of Hull and east of York. The Gypsey Race enters the North Sea at its harbour. The 2011 Cen ...

. He gained victories over

Stuart Kellet Stuart Kellett (born 12 August 1981) is a former English darts player. BDO career Kellett reached the last 16 of the 2007 Winmau World Masters, having beaten Andy Fordham among others on the way to the televised stages. He lost 1-3 in sets to ...

Kevin Simm Kevin Ian Simm (born 5 September 1980) is an English pop singer. He won '' The Voice UK'' on 9 April 2016. Simm was in the group Liberty X from 2001 until their split in 2007, and is currently the lead singer of the group Wet Wet Wet. Early ...

and Henny van der Ster before beating Scotland's Don Haughton to qualify. He faced

Scott Waites Scott Waites (born 17 February 1977) is an English professional darts player who plays in tournaments of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). He is a two-time BDO World Darts Champion having won the 2013 tournament and 2016 tournamen ...

in the first round, losing 3–0. In the 2011 BDO World Darts Championship, he beat

Tony O'Shea Tony O'Shea (born 9 May 1961) is an English professional darts player. His squat figure has resulted in the nickname "Silverback". O'Shea has reached the finals of seven British Darts Organisation (BDO) major darts tournaments, but to date h ...

3–1 in the first round and

Willy van de Wiel Willy van de Wiel (born 15 April 1982) is a Dutch former professional darts player. BDO career Van de Wiel won the 2008 Norway Open, beating Dave Chisnall, Stephen Bunting and John Henderson, before beating Paul Hanvidge in the final. He a ...

4–1 in the second round, before losing to eventual champion Martin Adams 1–5 in the quarter finals. It was announced at the end of the 2012 BDO World Championship that Ross would be one of many players to compete in the rival

PDC PDC may refer to: In science and technology Chemistry, biology and medicine * Phosducin, a human protein and gene in the retina * Pyridinium dichromate (Cornforth reagent), a chromium-based oxidant * Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, an enzyme ...

's 'Q School' the following season. He earned a tour card through the qualifiers

Order of Merit The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by ...

. His best result of 2012 came just one week later as he reached the quarter-finals of the second Players Championship and lost 3–6 to

Justin Pipe Justin Pipe (born 9 November 1971) is an English former professional darts player who has played in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He was a former top 10 player. Playing career Pipe was a boxer in his youth, and, as a staunc ...

. Smith qualified for three of the five new European Tour events, but lost in the first round on each occasion. He came very close to defeating world number 5

Simon Whitlock Simon Whitlock (born 3 March 1969) is an Australian professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) tournaments, having also played in the British Darts Organisation (BDO) between 2004 and 2009. He uses the nickname T ...

in the third event, the European Darts Open as he led 5–2, but went on to lose 5–6. Smith headed into 2013 ranked world number 79, and reached his first semi-final on the PDC tour in April at the seventh UK Open Qualifier, where he lost 6–3 to

John Part John Part (born June 29, 1966) is a Canadian former professional darts player and current commentator. Nicknamed Darth Maple, he is a three-times World Champion, having won the 1994 BDO World Darts Championship on his world championship debut, ...

. At the

UK Open The Cazoo UK Open is a ranking major darts tournament held annually at the Butlins Minehead Resort by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) in England. Often referred to as the "FA Cup of darts", the UK Open replicates the abolition of see ...

itself, he fought back from 7–4 down in the third round against

Jelle Klaasen Jelle Klaasen (born 17 October 1984), nicknamed The Cobra, is a Dutch professional darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and World Darts Federation (WDF) events. In 2006, he became the youngest darts player to win th ...

to level at 7–7, before being edged out 9–7. He threw a

nine-dart finish A nine-dart finish, also known as a nine-darter, is a perfect leg or single game in the sport of darts. The object of the game is to score a set number of points, most commonly 501; in order to win, a player must reach the target total exactly an ...

in the second round of the Gibraltar Darts Trophy against

Adrian Lewis Adrian Lewis (born 21 January 1985) is an English professional darts player currently playing in the PDC. He is a two-time PDC World Darts Champion, winning in 2011 and 2012. He is nicknamed Jackpot, as he won a jackpot gambling in Las Vegas ...

, but lost 5–6; this remained the last nine-dart finish achieved on the PDC European Tour until June 2018. Smith won four events on the PDC Challenge Tour during 2013 to top the Order of Merit which has earned him a place in the Grand Slam of Darts and the 2014 World Championship and also a two year PDC tour card which includes all of his 2014 entry fees. In the Grand Slam he lost each of his three games to

Wes Newton Wesley Newton (born 27 August 1977) is an English professional darts player. Darts career Newton's first PDC major was the 2003 UK Open where he lost 8–6 to Mark Thomson in the last 32. He was beaten in the semi-finals of the Eastbourne Op ...

and Mark Webster to finish bottom of

Group G Group G may refer to: * A set of international motor racing regulations used in touring car racing * One of eight groups of four teams competing at the FIFA World Cup ** 2022 FIFA World Cup Group G ** 2018 FIFA World Cup Group G ** 2014 FIFA World ...

. He played Whitlock in the first round of the World Championship and was beaten 3–0 in sets. He began 2014 at 54th place in the rankings meaning he rose 25 positions during the previous year. He lost 9–5 in the third round of the

Kim Huybrechts Kim Huybrechts (born 16 November 1985) is a Belgian professional darts player currently playing in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He made the final of a major TV event, the 2012 Players Championship Finals, losing to Phil Taylor 13 ...

. Smith's only quarter-final showing of the year came at the 19th Players Championship where he lost 6–3 to

Gerwyn Price Gerwyn Stephen Price (born 7 March 1985) is a Welsh professional darts player and former professional rugby union and rugby league player. Nicknamed "The Iceman", he competes in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), where he is cu ...

. He missed out on qualifying for the 2015 World Championship by just £500 on the Pro Tour Order of Merit. Smith saw off Kevin Thomas at the German Darts Championship and came from 4–1 behind against Peter Wright in the second round to force a deciding leg in which he missed one match dart to lose 6–5. 2015 proved to be a difficult year for Smith as he could only record one more last 32 finish out of the events he played in. Smith explained that the birth of his child and starting a new job had left him with no time to practice. He fell to 74th on the Order of Merit meaning he needed to enter 2016 Q School. Smith hit a nine darter on the first day and on the final day eliminated seven players, concluding with a 5–4 victory over Mick McGowan to win a new two-year tour card and stated that his goal was to get in the top 40 in the rankings. He failed to qualify for the

2016 UK Open The 2016 Coral UK Open was a darts tournament staged by the Professional Darts Corporation. It was the fourteenth year of the tournament where, following numerous regional qualifying heats throughout Britain, players competing in a single eliminati ...

and reached the last 32 of an event for the only time this year at the fourth Players Championship event by beating Peter Wright and Dennis Smith, before losing 6–2

Rowby-John Rodriguez Rowby-John Rodriguez (born 27 March 1994) is an Austrian professional darts player currently playing in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Career In 2010, as a 16-year-old, Rodriguez won the Austrian National Championship by bea ...

. He reached the main draw of the Gibraltar Darts Trophy and Austrian Darts Open, but was eliminated in the first round of both. After 2017, during which he took a break from playing darts, he lost his PDC Tour card. In 2018 he won his Tour card back and in 2019 he reached the world championship where he defeated Paul Lim in the first round, but lost to

Daryl Gurney Daryl Gurney (born 22 March 1986) is a Northern Irish professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. Gurney is a winner of two majors, having won the World Grand Prix in 2017 in his native Ireland, and the ...

in the second round. He also qualified for the UK Open in 2019 where he reached the quarter finals after defeating

Dawson Murschell Dawson Murschell (born 23 November 1995) is a Canadian former professional darts player who played in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events from 2017 to 2019. Career Murschell first appeared in a televised darts tournament in 2017, when ...

, Yordi Meeuwisse, Alan Norris, Steve West and

James Wade James Martin Wade (born 6 April 1983) is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). He became the youngest player to win a major PDC title, when he won the 2007 World Matchplay at the ...

. In the same year, he also qualified for 2019 European Championship and he defeated in the first round the first seed and the current world number one,

Michael van Gerwen Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player. He is currently PDC Order of Merit, ranked number 3 in the world, having been number 1 from 2014 to 2021. He is also a three-time PDC World Darts Championship, PDC ...

5–6. In the second round he lost to Ricky Evans. For the first time since 2013, he also qualified for

2019 Grand Slam of Darts The 2019 BoyleSports Grand Slam of Darts was the thirteenth staging of the tournament, organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. The event took place from 9–17 November 2019 in Wolverhampton, England, and like in 2018, it took place at ...

when he was successful in PDC Qualifying Event. He was unable to win any match in his group that also contained Michael van Gerwen,

and Jim Williams. For the second time in a row, he also qualified for 2019 Players Championship Finals, but he was eliminated in the first round, losing to

Brendan Dolan Brendan Gabriel Dolan (born 2 August 1973) is a Northern Irish professional darts player from County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He is best known for becoming the first player to hit a ...

. Smith qualified for 2020 PDC World Darts Championship as the 10th highest ranked player via Pro Tour Order of Merit. However, he lost 0–3 to the debutant Ciaran Teehan from Ireland. After the championship, Smith placed 48th in PDC Order of Merit, his highest year end ranking ever, and secured his Tour card for another season. He was seeded into the third round of

2020 UK Open The 2020 Ladbrokes UK Open was a darts tournament staged by the Professional Darts Corporation. It was the eighteenth year of the tournament where players compete in a single elimination tournament to be crowned champion. The tournament was held fo ...

, but lost in his first match against Jamie Lewis 5–6. Even though the European Tour was cut short due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

, he qualified for 2020 European Championship, but lost in the deciding leg to Michael Smith. Smith had his best run in

2020 Players Championship Finals The 2020 Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals was the thirteenth edition of the PDC darts tournament, which saw the top 64 players from the Players Championship events of 2020 taking part. The tournament took place from 27–29 November 2020 at ...

, reaching the third round after wins over

and Nathan Aspinall, before losing to

Damon Heta Damon Heta (born 10 August 1987) is an Australian professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won the Brisbane Darts Masters in 2019 and also, in pair with Simon Whitlock, World Cup of Darts in 2022. ...

. At the end of 2020, he qualified for his third world championship in a row,

2021 PDC World Darts Championship The 2021 PDC World Darts Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the 2021 William Hill World Darts Championship) was the 28th World Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it separated from the British Darts Org ...

, as fourth highest ranked player from Pro Tour Order of Merit. In October 2022, Smith reached his first televised major final, defeating Michael Smith 11–8 to win a first major title at the 2022 European Championship. During the group stage of the 2022 Grand Slam of Darts, Smith hit nine 180s in his victory over Michael van Gerwen, a record number for a group stage for the Grand Slam. Smith's year ended with a Third Round

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

defeat to

Dirk van Duijvenbode Dirk van Duijvenbode (born 30 June 1992) is a Dutch professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He is known for his energetic walk-on, combined with hardstyle music. More recently, he has become known for ...

in a sudden death leg, having missed five match darts. The match featured 31 180s, a record for a best of seven set match, nineteen of which from Smith which equalled the individual record for a match of this format.

World Championship results

BDO

* 2009: First round (lost to

0–3) * 2011: Quarter-finals (lost to Martin Adams 1–5)

PDC

* 2014: First round (lost to

0–3) * 2019: Second round (lost to

0–3) * 2020: First round (lost to Ciaran Teehan 0–3) * 2021: Second round (lost to José de Sousa 1–3) * 2022: Third round (lost to

3–4) * 2023: Third round (lost to

3–4)

Performance timeline

BDO PDC ''PDC European Tour''

PDC major finals: 1 (1 title)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Ross 1989 births Living people Sportspeople from Dover, Kent People from Deal, Kent English darts players European Championship (darts) champions Professional Darts Corporation current tour card holders