Players Championship 18 highest averages | Ross Smith leads the way with 111.68 as De Decker & Bunting impress
PDC
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.
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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.
Danny Noppert
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.
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Other standout performances came from Josh Rock (104.02), Callan Rydz (103.16), and James Wade (103.11), all of whom hit the 103+ mark in individual matches.
Later this afternoon, the third and final installment of this week's triple header of Players Championship takes place as the Pro Tour rolls on today in Leicester with Players Championship 19.
| Rank | Player | Average |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ross Smith | 111.68 |
| 2 | Danny Noppert | 110.68 |
| 3 | Ryan Searle | 108.97 |
| 4 | Ryan Searle | 108.65 |
| 5 | Stephen Bunting | 106.43 |
| 6 | Mike De Decker | 106.08 |
| 7 | Martin Schindler | 105.61 |
| 8 | Jermaine Wattimena | 105.30 |
| 9 | Stephen Bunting | 104.84 |
| 10 | Stephen Bunting | 104.63 |
| 11 | Josh Rock | 104.02 |
| 12 | Mike De Decker | 103.66 |
| 13 | Mike De Decker | 103.42 |
| 14 | Callan Rydz | 103.16 |
| 15 | James Wade | 103.11 |
Kieran WoodDarts Journalist
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
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