Premier League Darts Cardiff LIVE RESULTS: Michael Smith batters home hero Price in final after beating Luke Littler
MICHAEL SMITH thrashed home hero Gerwyn Price 6-2 to win the first night of the Premier League Darts in Cardiff.
Smith narrowly got past teen sensation Luke Littler in the semi-final, beating the 17-year-old 6-5.
Though wonderkid Littler did batter World No 1 Luke Humphries 6-2 in the quarter-final to put two points on the board.
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Gerwyn Price 2-5 Michael Smith
Price takes out 100 to stay in the match.
Smith throwing to win Night One in Cardiff.
Gerwyn Price 1-5 Michael Smith
Sensational from Smith.
107 checkout and makes the mistake of drifting into T7 with his first.
He's quick with the maths and fires in T18 and D16 in emphatic fashion to clinch the leg on his throw.
One leg away now, Smith.
Gerwyn Price 1-4 Michael Smith
BREAK OF THROW!
Michael Smith looks back to his old self here!
He takes out a 120 finish in sublime fashion and Price has an uphill battle to get back into this one now.
Gerwyn Price 1-3 Michael Smith
A bounce out prevents a fifth successive 180 start.
But it doesn't matter to Smith who takes out 20 with Price alongside him on 16 and waiting on an opportunity.
Smith not giving him any at the minute and it's silenced the crowd once again!
Gerwyn Price 1-2 Michael Smith
BREAK OF THROW!
Michael Smith with a break having started with yet another 180 in his first visit of the leg.
He's on 75 when Price leaves himself 146 and puts a bit of pressure on.
Smith ends up with one dart at tops and nails it.
Gerwyn Price 1-1 Michael Smith
Smith again starts with five out of six perfect darts and leaves himself 76 after nine darts.
Price is left behind on 299 when Smith couldn't take take out the 76.
Pressure then comes when he can't take out the 20, busting himself after leaving himself on 5.
He gets another visit and takes it out on D5 this time.
Gerwyn Price 1-0 Michael Smith
Smith opens with a 180 in response to Price's first though.
He can't capitalise on that with two low shots to leave himself 90 after 12 darts.
Sloppy scoring from Price is matched by poor set-up play by Smith finding a T1.
Price takes out 80 to clinch the opening leg.
Here we go!
The Cardiff final is here - Price with the darts.
Receptions
The pair all smiles as they shake hands on stage and share a laugh.
That came after a huge ovation for Price and loud boos for Smith.
The crowd had been half asleep for the previous hour but are slowly lifting the atmosphere ahead of this one.
Latest odds
Home advantage has Gerwyn Price just ahead in the betting for this one.
But Smith isn't all that far behind as the walk-outs get set to begin.
- Gerwyn Price - 4/6
- Michael Smith - 6/5
Time for the final...
The two best players on the night meet for the five Premier League points - and the cool £10,000 bonus that goes with it.
Gerwyn Price has home support and Michael Smith has beaten MVG and Luke Littler already tonight.
It should be a good one...
View of SunSport's Rob Maul inside Cardiff's Utilita Arena
Luke The Nuke is out but he had missed double 15 by millimetres to move into the final.
Littler had beaten six world champions over the past six weeks.
Christian Kist, Raymond van Barneveld, Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price (twice), Michael van Gerwen and Luke Humphries (twice) have all lost to the teenager since December 20.
Smith wins their first meeting and avoids being added to that scalp list.
Bully Boy was also targeted by the Welsh whistlers and when he won, he did a neck slitting sign to the culprits, saying: Keep quiet.
He was angry with what was going on and Littler did not seem impressed either.
Why did the referee not say something?
Michael Smith 6-5 Luke Littler
What a tense final leg - with both players having match darts!
Littler on 94 throws a stray dart into 7 before composing himself for T19 to leave D15 - next door to his favourite double.
He hits the wire but just the wrong side.
Smith - who had an unlucky bounce out on previous visit - returns to take out 55, hitting 15, miss, D20 to take the victory and reach tonight's final.
He turns round to take a pop at the whistlers in the crowd - he looks absolutely raging!!
Smith vs Price to come....
Michael Smith 6-5 Luke Littler
GAME SHOT AND THE MATCH - MICHAEL SMITH!
Michael Smith 5-5 Luke Littler
We're into a deciding leg!
Littler this time misses when trying to clear up 40, missing D20 and D10.
He gets another visit though as he's well ahead in the leg and clears up with D5.
Michael Smith 5-4 Luke Littler
Rapid-fire leg that one as Smith takes out 68 with Littler on a finish but on 164.
He puts himself a leg away from today's final.
Michael Smith 4-4 Luke Littler
We're level again as Littler takes out 40.
Not by design but he leaves his favourite D10 after hitting the 20 and takes it out in the next throw.
Security staff are dotting about looking for the whistlers who are trying to spoil things.
Michael Smith 4-3 Luke Littler
BREAK OF THROW!
He's back within a leg again, Littler!
Littler takes out the bullseye to take out 85 with Smith just behind him and it's right bang in the middle of the board.
He'll need another of those...
Michael Smith 4-2 Luke Littler
BREAK OF THROW!
Littler left 170 and couldn't take it out, leaving 40.
Bully Boy is on 81 after nine darts and Smith pounces, taking it out in a three-dart combination to take the break!
Michael Smith 3-2 Luke Littler
Six perfect darts from Smith leaves him 150 from the finish.
His seventh misses and it's a bit drab the next two visits and still leaves himself just 40.
Littler is on 153 so still a bit of breathing room as he comes out and takes the 40 out in his next visit.
Michael Smith 2-2 Luke Littler
Littler responds to level it back up again.
Again, a pretty comfortable hold.
Michael Smith 2-1 Luke Littler
The idiots whistling haven't stopped here as Michael Smith is on 20.
It's made ever more obvious by the pretty dead atmosphere here all of a sudden.
Smith manages to compose himself to take it out, with Littler leaving himself on 100.
Michael Smith 1-1 Luke Littler
Better from Littler who leaves himself 84, with Smith left back on 292.
Plenty of time then for the Nuke to take this out.
He doesn't need time, taking it out in the next visit to level things.
Michael Smith 1-0 Luke Littler
The atmosphere has died a little in the arena.
That first leg won't have done much to get folk off their seats either.
Smith scrambling home to take out D15 with his final dart in that visit with Littler on 16 beside him.
Smith 0-0 Littler
Michael Smith has the darts and gets this semi final underway....
