Raymond Smith wins again in ANZ Premier League; veteran Simon Whitlock qualifies for playoffs

Raymond Smith once again confirmed his class in the ANZ Premier League Darts on Saturday night. The Australian crowned himself the winner of the seventh night of play on the Gold Coast by beating Simon Whitlock 5-4 in a thrilling final. With that victory, Smith solidifies his status as the man to beat ahead of next week's Finals Night in Brisbane.

In a replay of the second night's final in Newcastle - which Smith also won - 'The Guru' once again pulled off the win. It was his second evening win of the season and already his fourth final. The win not only earned him extra confidence, but also a bonus of 2,000 Australian dollars in prize money.

The final remained exciting until the last arrow. Whitlock produced a brilliant score of 177 in the deciding leg to put himself on 20, but Smith showed his coolness with a handsome 100 finish via double 16. "If I miss, I'm done," Smith responded afterwards. "I was very happy to hit that one, especially after missing two matchdarts last week. My Thursday night team was here, and that means a lot to me. This is my home, so I'm really extremely happy."

Smith had already secured his spot as number one in the standings before reaching the final. In the quarterfinals, he made short work of Jonny Tata (5-1) to remain unbeaten at that stage of the tournament. In the semifinals, he then upset Tim Pusey 5-2 thanks to a strong run of four consecutive leg wins.

For Simon Whitlock, it stuck to a second final place this season. The veteran finished third in the final standings, behind Smith and Tata. His victory over Ben Robb (5-3) in the quarterfinals earned him a spot in the last four, after which he defeated compatriot Brody Klinge by the same figures.

Despite the defeat against Smith, Whitlock was pleased with his performance. "I'm really happy with tonight," he said. "Just winning that first match was important. I knew I had to win to be sure of a spot next week, so that was huge. Ray is the best player in Australia right now, the benchmark that everyone is trying to meet. I haven't won a night yet, but who knows ... maybe next week will be it."

Tim Pusey also secured a place in the last four, although he had to wait a while for that. His narrow 5-4 victory over Bailey in the quarterfinals eventually proved sufficient, after Whitlock eliminated Klinge. For his part, Klinge had impressed with a 5-0 whitewash against Joe Comito, though that came too late to make a claim for the final night.

On Saturday, November 22, the ANZ Premier League will be decided in Brisbane. In the semifinals, Raymond Smith will take on Tim Pusey, while Jonny Tata will battle Simon Whitlock. The finalists will compete for the top prize of 30,000 Australian dollars as well as a spot at the World Darts Championship. The semifinals will be played over best of 15 legs, while the final will have a best of 19 format.