“He genuinely believes the player can't play and it's a shame they gave him a spot” – Hilarity over James Wade’s ice-cold reaction after beating a local player in New Zealand

The New Zealand Darts Masters delivered the title for Jonny Clayton, but the World Series event in Auckland also sparked plenty of debate. In the Darts Draait Door podcast, Vincent van der Voort looked back at the tournament. He discussed the curious final between Clayton and Gerwyn Price, the display from Gian van Veen, the strong run of Raymond Smith, and the struggles of Stephen Bunting and Josh Rock.

Clayton beat Price in the final, but one moment stood out. The Welshman had the chance to seal it on the bullseye, yet opted to leave tops on double 16 instead. Price, meanwhile, still had 56 left.

According to Van der Voort, it was not a deliberate tactical ploy. Clayton said afterwards he had a brief blackout at that point. “It was as if he thought: I don’t want to win 8-1, let’s give him a few legs,” Van der Voort joked. “But no, he wouldn’t have thought that. He’s far too driven for that.”

Clayton eventually wrapped it up in style with a 124 checkout. Van der Voort felt it was clear the eventual champion was fully locked in on the title. “When it’s flowing and everything clicks, you naturally get more fired up. With a few others, you didn’t see the emotion or irritation they usually show.”

Clayton faced Gian van Veen in the quarter-finals. The Dutchman lost 6-3, but Van der Voort thought the scoreline didn’t quite reflect Van Veen’s level. “I actually thought Gian was a touch better,” he said. “But Clayton finished everything. That’s what happens.”

Van Veen had swept aside Jonny Tata in round one. Van der Voort felt that showed why it’s vital to put a local qualifier under pressure from the first leg. “Against Tata he never let it become a match. If you’re on it straight away and pull clear early, you see a player like that think: it’s not happening today.”

Van der Voort sees quality among several Oceania players but added a caveat. “There are certainly some decent players, but we’ve seen them all for years. From that group you don’t suddenly expect someone to say: now I’m taking the next step, going to the PDC and making a mark.”

Adam Leek produced a first-round upset by beating Ross Smith. In the quarter-finals, the Australian Tour Card holder then lost to Raymond Smith. It was mainly Leek’s approach to that match that Van der Voort disliked.

“Smiling and then waiting after a 180, as if it were an exhibition,” came the criticism. “This was finally a chance to show himself. For him, it was a golden opportunity.”

Van der Voort felt Leek should have treated the tie with Raymond Smith far more businesslike. “He’s a Tour Card holder; he should win that match. I had the feeling Raymond Smith was the Tour Card holder. He was serious and really wanted to win.”

Leek did secure a strong position towards the World Series Finals with his first-round win. According to Van der Voort, that doesn’t change the fact he may look back at the quarter-final with mixed feelings. “I think he’ll look back and think: if I’d taken it a bit more seriously, I might have been closer.”

Raymond Smith made an excellent impression in Auckland. The Australian beat Stephen Bunting 6-2 with a 99.81 average. He then took out Leek to reach the semi-finals.

Van der Voort has long seen Smith’s quality. “He’s simply a very good player. He’s just unlucky to have been born there, which makes it very hard to come over here. You get far fewer opportunities.”

He referred to the practical impact of a potential move to the full PDC circuit. For an Australian player, it effectively means relocating life to Europe.

“If he wants it, he has to leave everything behind and move to Europe. That’s not easy. If you’re eighteen or nineteen, it may be easier to say: I’ll give it a few years.”

Smith is now 46 and therefore faces a far more complex call, Van der Voort argued. “You have to leave everything. Quit your job, everything. And do you get that back afterwards? His options are simply much more limited than if you’re from around here.”

On the oche, Van der Voort has no doubts about his level. “He throws almost a hundred average twice. Then you can really play. Even when PDC players are switched on, you make life very hard for them.”

That Smith’s performances have also put him in a strong position for a World Series Finals spot in Amsterdam is fully deserved, says Van der Voort. “He absolutely deserves to be there, of course.”

Van der Voort still finds the route to the season finale puzzling. Under the current format, players can finish relatively high on the World Series ranking without actually winning a match.

“If you don’t win, how can you take part?” Van der Voort wonders. He would prefer a system that requires at least one win to qualify for the Finals via the ranking.

He also sees scope to reshape the World Series Finals. As the event does not count towards the world ranking, it could, he suggests, be used to give other players television experience. “At tournaments like this, you should really let those players in. Then they can build some TV experience.”

Van der Voort finds it odd anyway that some World Series Finals entrants have never played a World Series event before. “It feels very strange that some people play the World Series Finals but have never played a World Series. If you then go on to win it as well, that’s quite odd.”

Josh Rock also drew extensive discussion. The Northern Irishman beat Simon Whitlock 6-4 in Auckland, but again failed to fully convince, according to Van der Voort. “He’s in a phase where nothing comes naturally. Very laboured. He still made the World Matchplay quarter-finals with a lot of effort, but it’s all not great.”

Against Whitlock, relief was the overriding emotion after the win, Van der Voort felt. “It’s not terrible what he’s doing, but you can see he’s really struggling. Whitlock really should have made it 5-5. Then you win 6-4, but it’s more relief than something you can really build on.”

The concerns are even greater around Stephen Bunting. The Bullet went out immediately to Raymond Smith and has endured a disappointing World Series campaign so far. Van der Voort, however, stops short of calling it a crisis. “That goes too far for me. There are just a lot of very good players. No need to panic.”

He does think Bunting might benefit from a different schedule. “Maybe it would be better for him to skip the Premier League next year and simply work on his ranking.”

Finally, James Wade came up. The Machine won 6-0 in the first round against Kayden Milne, who averaged just 68. Wade’s reaction afterwards stood out. Where many top players offer a few words of encouragement to a local qualifier, Wade kept it remarkably brief.

Van der Voort could see the funny side. “He’s not one for a chat after a game like that. But that’s just who he is. It’s not an act. He genuinely thinks the guy’s not up to it and that it’s a shame they gave him a spot. Those are the thoughts he has, and he showed them.”

That attitude can come across as gruff to some, Van der Voort admits, but with Wade everyone knows where they stand. “I know a lot of people have a problem with him, but you know what you’re getting. It’s not like he’s suddenly going to hug him next time. That’s just who he is.”