Michael Smith missed out on £50.000 in prize money: ''Had to hit two to get paid''

Back in 2020 Michael Smith hit the perfect leg of darts in Dublin as part of the Premier League. This was the first 9 dart finish in the Premier League since Adrian Lewis in 2017 three years earlier.

Everyone who has ever picked up a set of darts, dreams of scoring a nine darter and to do it on the biggest stage is something most of us can only dream about. Michael Smith spoke to MDA events to explain what the feeling is like to achieve perfection in front of millions.

''I hugged him (Daryl Gurney) and said ’50 g’s baby! I was proper chuffed. Got backstage and was told ‘nah you’ve got to hit two mate’… Its been four years since the last one was hit and I had to hit two to get paid!''

This was a time when there was a bonus for hitting the 9 darter in the Premier League, as well as the ranked tournaments which Michael was (rightly) excited about – what he didn’t realise that the terms and considitions that year were that players only received the bonus after hitting TWO nine darters in competition – as per terms of the agreement with the sponsor who was putting up the prize money.

So Michael Smith made history – but didn’t boost his bank balance! There was another bonus that Bully Boy got from that game though – his nine darter took attention away from what was a terrible Premier League game.‘''think it was, like, and 85 average or 86 average'', said Smith about that game.