Players Championship 18 highest averages | Ross Smith leads the way with 111.68 as De Decker & Bunting impress

Ross Smith produced the highest average of Players Championship 18 with a blistering 111.68 in his opening-round victory over Cor Dekker. The 36-year-old Englishman looked in fine form early on, but his campaign came to an abrupt end in the last 16 after a 6–0 defeat to Belgium’s Mike De Decker.

Smith’s performance led a long list of standout displays in Leicester on a day filled with ton-plus averages across the board.

Second on the day’s average leaderboard was Danny Noppert, who posted a 110.68 in a 6–1 win over fellow Dutchman Jelle Klaasen. Remarkably, Klaasen also averaged over 100 in the match, but had no answer to Noppert’s scoring power. 'The Freeze' bowed out in the last 32 following a 6–1 loss to De Decker.

Ryan Searle took third spot with a 108.97 average in a commanding 6–1 victory over Martijn Dragt. The 37-year-old then fell in a tight last-16 clash against Jermaine Wattimena, losing 6–5.

Mike De Decker was one of the most consistent performers of the day, appearing three times in the top 15 averages. The Belgian accounted for both Noppert and Smith on his way to the quarter-finals, underlining his growing threat on the Pro Tour.

Stephen Bunting may have taken the title on the day, but his averages also told the story of a dominant run. ‘The Bullet’ appeared three times among the highest 15 averages, including a 106.43 during his charge to an 8–5 victory over Wattimena in the final.