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

darts Darts is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small projectile point, sharp-pointed projectile, projectiles known as dart (missile), darts at a round shooting target, target known as a #Dartboard, dartboard. Point ...

player who competes in

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) events, where he is currently ranked world number fifteen; he reached a peak ranking of world number nine in 2024. Nicknamed "Smudger", Smith won his first PDC major title at the 2022 European Championship, defeating Michael Smith 11–8 in the final. He reached his second major semi-final at the 2024 Players Championship Finals. Smith has won a total of six PDC ranking titles in his professional career. Smith was a one-time quarter-finalist in the

British Darts Organisation The British Darts Organisation (BDO) was a darts organisation founded on 7 January 1973 by Olly Croft, and dissolved in 2020 under the stewardship of Des Jacklin. Made up of 66 member counties, it oversaw professional, semi-professional and ...

's BDO World Championship, reaching the last eight at the 2011 event.

Career

Early 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.

BDO

Smith reached the last 16 of the 2008 British Classic and the 2008 Czech Open. He qualified for the 2009 BDO World Darts Championship by winning one of five places in the qualifiers in

Bridlington Bridlington (previously known as Burlington) is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is on the Holderness part (Flamborough Head to the Humber estuary) of the Yorkshire Coast by the North Sea. The town is ...

. He gained victories over Stuart Kellet,

Kevin Simm Kevin Ian Simm (born 5 September 1980) is an English singer and songwriter. He was a member of Liberty X (2001–2007) and is the vocalist of Wet Wet Wet. Simm also won ''The Voice UK'' in 2016. Career 2001–2007: Liberty X In 2001, Simm a ...

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 Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He is a two-time BDO World Darts Champion having won the 2013 tournament and 2016 tournament. He is also ...

in the first round, losing 3–0. In the 2011 BDO World Darts Championship, he beat Tony O'Shea 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 als ...

4–1 in the second round, before losing to eventual champion

Martin Adams Martin Adams (born 4 June 1956) is an English professional darts player who plays in World Darts Federation (WDF) events. Nicknamed "Wolfie", he is a three-time BDO World Champion and three-time World Masters champion. He represents Cambridgesh ...

1–5 in the quarter finals.

2012–2017: Switch to PDC

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

Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...

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

Justin Pipe Justin Pipe (born 9 November 1971) is an English former professional darts player who competed in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won six PDC titles. Playing career Pipe was a Boxing, boxer in his youth, and, as a staunch anti- ...

6–3. 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 competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, having previously competed in British Darts Organisation (BDO) events. Nicknamed "The Wizard", he won th ...

in the third event, the 2012 European Darts Open as he led 5–2, but went on to lose 6–5. 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 29 June 1966) is a Canadian former professional darts player and current commentator, who competes in World Seniors events. Nicknamed "Darth Maple", he is a three-time World Champion, having won the 1994 BDO World Darts Champions ...

. At the

UK Open The Ladbrokes UK Open is a ranking major darts tournament held annually at the Butlins Minehead Resort by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) in England. The event is often referred to as the "FA Cup of darts" as it has an unseeded open dr ...

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 competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He previously participated in British Darts Organisation (BDO) tournaments, where in 2006 ...

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 a ...

in the second round of the 2013 Gibraltar Darts Trophy against

Adrian Lewis Adrian Lewis (born 21 January 1985) is an English professional darts player who formerly competed in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. Nicknamed "Jackpot", he is a two-time PDC World Champion, having won the title in 2011 and 2012. ...

, but lost 6–5; 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 The Grand Slam of Darts is a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation and is known as the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts for sponsorship purposes. The PDC used to invite the best performing players from its rival, the Briti ...

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 Touring car racing is a motorsport road racing competition that uses race-prepared touring cars. It has both similarities to and significant dif ...

. 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 competing in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He was runner-up in the 2012 Players Championship Finals, losing to Phil Taylor 13–6. He also made the fin ...

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

Gerwyn Price Gerwyn Price (born 7 March 1985) is a Welsh professional darts player and former professional rugby union and rugby league player. He competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world ...

. 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 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. 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.

2018–2021

In 2018 he won his Tour card back and in 2019 he reached the world championship where he defeated

Paul Lim Paul Lim Leong Hwa (born 25 January 1954) is a Singaporean professional darts player. Nicknamed "the Singapore Slinger", Lim was the first player to hit a perfect nine-dart finish during the Embassy World Darts Championship, which he achiev ...

in the first round, but lost to

Daryl Gurney Daryl Gurney (born 22 March 1986) is a Northern Irish professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked world number twenty-five; he reached a peak ranking of world number thre ...

in the second round. He also qualified for the UK Open in 2019 where he reached the quarter finals after defeating Dawson Murschell, Yordi Meeuwisse, Alan Norris, Steve West and

James Wade James Martin Wade (born 6 April 1983) is an English professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked world number nine; he reached a peak ranking of world number two in 2010. ...

. 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, who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world number three; he was ranked world number one from 20 ...

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 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 who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He was the first player to hit a nine-dart finish in a "double-to-start" event (where a pla ...

. 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 ...

, 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 the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

, 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, reaching the third round after wins over

and

Nathan Aspinall Nathan Aspinall (born 15 July 1991) is an English professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world number six; he reached a peak ranking of world number ...

, before losing to Damon Heta. 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 PDC World Darts Championship, World Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it split i ...

, as fourth highest ranked player from Pro Tour Order of Merit.

2022: European Champion

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 The 2022 Cazoo Grand Slam of Darts, was the sixteenth staging of the Grand Slam of Darts, organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. The event took place at the Aldersley Leisure Village, Wolverhampton, 12–20 November 2022. Gerwyn Price w ...

, 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 competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He is known for his energetic walk-on, combined with hardstyle music. More recently, he has become known f ...

in a sudden death leg, having missed five match darts. The match featured 31 180s, a record for a best of 7 sets match, nineteen of which from Smith which equalled the individual record for a match of this format.

2023–2024

Smith won a second PDC ProTour title in March 2023 with victory at Players Championship 5, defeating Gary Anderson 8–6 in the final. The win took him into the Order of Merit's top 16 for the first time in his career. He won a second ProTour title of the year in October 2023 at Players Championship 28, ensuring his position as the third-most in form player in the world over the previous 200 legs played ahead of his European Championship title defence in Germany. At the 2024 European Darts Grand Prix, Smith survived ten match darts across the tournament as he reached a first European Tour final, where he lost 8–6 to Gary Anderson. He won a first title of the year at PC13. Smith reached the last 16 at the 2024 World Grand Prix, after defeating Gian van Veen 2–0 in sets in the first round. At the 2024 Players Championship Finals held in November, Smith reached his second televised ranking semi-final, after beating Scott Williams 10–3 in legs in the quarter-finals.

2025

At the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship, Smith suffered a shock exit as he was defeated 3–0 by Paolo Nebrida in the second round. Smith won a sixth PDC title at PC16, winning twenty-four consecutive legs en-route to lifting the title as he secured whitewash victories from the quarter-final onwards. He also became just the third player ever, behind Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen, to hit two nine-dart finishes in the same day.

World Championship results

BDO

* 2009: First round (lost to

0–3) * 2011: Quarter-finals (lost to

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 José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced ...

1–3) * 2022: Third round (lost to

3–4) * 2023: Third round (lost to

3–4) * 2024: Third round (lost to Chris Dobey 2–4) * 2025: Second round (lost to Paolo Nebrida 0–3)

Career finals

PDC major finals: 1 (1 title)

Performance timeline

BDO PDC PDC European Tour PDC Players Championships

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