Raymond Smith averages over 108 en route to record breaking start to ANZ Premier League
PDCSunday, 27 September 2026 at 15:30
Raymond Smith shone on Night One of the 2026 ANZ Premier League, ripping up the record books with a 108.88 average ahead of taking down Ben Robb 5-1 to get his title campaign up and running in fine fashion.
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Smith had recently impressed in the World Series of Darts and will be one of the big favourites to clinch this title. Simon Whitlock is the reigning champion, but he succumbed to a semi-final defeat against Robb, who in turn had no chance against a rampant Smith in Canberra.
Smith bosses proceedings in Canberra
Smith had a tough task up first in the form of Brody Klinge. The Australian Darts Masters runner-up was not at his best, especially on the outer ring, and fell 5-3 to Smith who marched into the semi-finals.
He was mesmeric against a hapless Mal Cumming. Five 180's were registered by 'The Guru', who won legs in 11, 13 and 14 darts en route to battering his fellow countryman 5-3. Cumming was left with little chance despite a decent performance at his end. With a 108.88 average, Smith set a new ANZ Premier League record which will be very hard to beat.
Up next was Robb in the final. 'Big Rig' began with a confident 5-0 whitewash against fellow New Zealand darter Jonny Tata. The reigning champion, Whitlock, was up next. The former PDC World Darts Championship finalist came through a last-leg decider against Joe Comito but fell short against Robb in a 5-3 loss.
The stage was set for a highly anticipated final. It was a slow start to the match, but by the end Smith was motoring away. As Robb faltered, the Aussie won the last three legs in 40 darts to wrap up the first night in the Australian capital with a win.
"Brody is probably the best player in the country at the moment,” Smith stated after the win. "Mal's probably been the most in-form player in Australia in the last couple of months and then the Big Rig is always, always hard to beat.
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SMITH TRIUMPHS IN CANBERRA! 🎯
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) September 26, 2026
Raymond Smith has capped off his record-breaking night with a 5-1 win over Ben Robb in the final to open his 2026 ANZ Premier League campaign in style!
📺 https://t.co/PI1UXgmiPF#ANZPL | Night One pic.twitter.com/ZSyrziNzS7
ANZ Premier League Night One results
| Round | Average | Player | Score | Average | Opponent |
| Final | 94.67 | Raymond Smith | 5-1 | 79.70 | Ben Robb |
| Semi-final | 108.88 | Raymond Smith | 5-3 | 95.04 | Mal Cuming |
| Semi-final | 95.65 | Ben Robb | 5-3 | 89.39 | Simon Whitlock |
| Quarter-final | 82.33 | Mal Cuming | 5-3 | 86.14 | Tim Pusey |
| Quarter-final | 90.68 | Raymond Smith | 5-3 | 81.73 | Brody Klinge |
| Quarter-final | 88.82 | Simon Whitlock | 5-4 | 86.96 | Joe Comito |
| Quarter-final | 89.46 | Ben Robb | 5-0 | 78.56 | Jonny Tata |
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"This crowd, how good were they to give us this energy? I appreciate it. I've got a bit of form on the board, but it doesn't change the thinking. If I get these guys on my side, good luck to you! I'm not [usually] a 180 thrower. I throw 140s, but the crowd brought the energy for me tonight. My 180 count was pretty good, so thanks to these guys!”
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He collected the A$1000 nightly prize and five points to lead the standings in the very early stages. After losing in the final last year, Smith will be determined to get it right this time around. The ANZ Premier League continues on Saturday, 3rd October in Adelaide. Smith and Robb will instantly lock horns once more in a tantalising rematch to kick things off.
Lucas MichaelDarts Journalist
Lucas Michael is a darts journalist and reporter based in Cambridge, UK, and has been part of the DartsNews team since 2025. He covers professional darts through reports, analysis, round-ups, and live coverage, with a focus on clear context and accurate reporting across the PDC calendar.
A key part of his work is liveblogging major tournaments throughout the year, providing real-time updates, match coverage, and contextual reporting across the professional circuit. He also reports regularly from events on site and has covered the PDC World Darts Championship from the venue, delivering first-hand insight throughout the tournament.
Within the newsroom, Lucas works closely with the editorial team and supports coverage alongside Chief Content Officer Samuel Gill and reporter Kieran Wood.
Lucas holds a BA (Hons) in Sports Journalism. In his work, he places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating content promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- I believe he has it in him to qualify for the Worlds as he consistently wins matches, even if it is only one or two at a time, although his recent PC quarter-final run was somewhat encouraging in that regard. I think there is a lot of pressure for him to retire, people in the media accusing him of tarnishing his legacy. I think that is a ridiculous line of thinking. How ungrateful it is to attach terms and conditions to the amazing moments he has provided us over the course of his career. What position are we in to dictate to him how he should manage his career when it is he who achieved those successes in the first place? What's more, this is his life and the passion that sustains it, it is not for us to decide when his career is over when it is he who must bear the genuine ramifications of that decision. Since I'm sure money is not a concern, the only question on which the decision should rest is whether he truly continues to enjoy competing. He has retired once before, but the desire to compete is what brought him back. We see a lot of negative body language and he does genuinely look miserable when he is not playing well, but only he will know when he wakes up the next day whether he wants to go and do it all over again. If he wants to compete, he should, it's as simple as that, this is a decision that should not involve anyone else but him and his family. He should not retire to indulge the whims of the media or the public. What satisfaction would he receive by being forced into retirement? What closure would it bring to such a brilliant career? When Phil Taylor decided to retire, his decision was final and resolute. I believe RvB needs to get to this point himself, no matter how many 70 averages it might take. We see the likes of John Part continue to compete on a regular basis well past his prime, I say more power to him, and who knows, further glory could be around the corner, it's darts after all, you just never know. Sometimes I worry that RvB is acutely aware of the clamour for him to retire and that this pressure may even have an impact on his performances as he begins to question whether there is even a place for him in darts anymore, further compounding his poor form and creating a vicious loop. Perhaps to take his future into his own hands would provide him with a levity and freedom that would lend itself to better performances, not to mention an improved wellbeing. In any case, it is under these conditions that one can clear-headedly and definitively settle an issue so profound as retirement, not when you feel you're being rushed out the door. If his performances can no longer sustain his presence on the tour, so be it; as it stands his card seems safe for this year but is in serious jeopardy next year. He could always allow himself to drop off the tour naturally rather than forfeiting his place in the top 64, this could provide a sense of finality while offering a route back through Q-School if he so desired; after all, he's done it before. In conclusion, I just hope that RvB can play - or not play - for his own sake, rather than anyone else's, so that when the time comes he can be in no doubt as to his decision, leaving no lingering questions, so that he can reflect with no regret or uncertainty on the marvelous career he has had.Deduce635826-09-2026
- Luke Littler has been good for the sport of darts, no question. But he is not above it. For his sake and ours, he needs to be put in his place sometimes, rather than having his every whim catered to. That is not how you build a good person nor a good sporting organisation, and it's beginning to have consequences.Deduce635826-09-2026
- Extremely disappointing decision. It used to be that, along with major events and Euro Tours, the Players Championship series constituted one of three standards against which successful darts players could be measured, one of three challenges every successful darts player should be expected to master to consider themself among the elite. Now they are dead weight in the darting calendar, and player turnout and the standard of competitiveness will reflect that. The truth is that Luke Littler and other big names would rather play lucrative exhibitions than put in the hard graft that being a successful dart player requires. It undermines the authority of the PDC and the game in general. So what do they do about it? Give them exactly what they want. Of course, why wouldn't they? They are their star attractions. It is ironic that an organisation formed in protest by the sport's elite should be undermined and disrespected by their contemporary equivalents, but the PDC had a chance to stand up to them with a firm message: play 2 events all year and expect the final to be played without you. Instead, they caved in. These events will be hardly worth playing anymore and this decision may have grave consequences for the future of floor events at the elite level. Some may say the calendar is overstuffed, yet these elite players have more than enough time to play plenty of exhibitions. The Premier League in particular is gruelling, but busy players are not expected to play every event, they are expected to manage their playing schedule carefully in order to apportion their time and energy appropriately. Clayton and Humphries, for instance, both sit in the top 20 of the Players Championship and European orders of merit, in addition to competing in the Premier League; they have proven it is absolutely possible and this change is an insult to their efforts in effectively managing their calendars. I think we are seeing players who simply think they are too good for Pro Tour events, arrogance which should be punished rather than rewarded as we are seeing here. Furthermore, why should success in Euro Tours qualify you for the Players Championship Final? The PDC are blurring the lines between those three disciplines of darting excellence, and in so doing destabilising the very foundations upon which the organisation and its success is built. Some may say I'm overreacting, but this, in addition to the PDC's subservience and snivelling obsequiousness toward their biggest assets, makes me fear for the future of professional darts.Deduce635826-09-2026
- I guess this will mean the top players will turn up even less? Taken all the excitement of qualifying away I think. Wish they made it top 32 to qualify and the finals to last all week.Baphomet26-09-2026
- Great article - but not written by this site. It's taken wholesale from last Sunday's Observer with this interview published online on Saturday.Scoobedybop22-09-2026
- Such sad and pathetic little losers giving abuse to young woman for any reason, let alone who she is in a relationship with. Go Beau! An absolute star and comes across as a genuinely nice and kind person. Wish her nothing but the best.BandB22-09-2026
- I wouldn't mind if he quit now to be honest. He's not bigger than darts. Let's face it without darts he'd just be a normal fat gamer kid.medinabello22-09-2026
- You know,I said this,in a sentence,not 5 paragraphs!!rick6721-09-2026
- Oh dear,he lost. Well any competitive sport runs the risk of defeat. He is, currently,his own worst enemy. Wind the crowd up,and you get it back bigger. Put your dummy in kidrick6721-09-2026
- Does an exhibition count in the clean sweep though?BandB21-09-2026
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