Raymond Smith produced a brilliant display to dump out Jamie Hughes in the opening game on Saturday afternoon at the 2021/22 PDC World Darts Championship.
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Smith played two years ago against Alan Tabern which he admitted had consequences for his future.
"It's so good especially when I know so many people back home are watching it. It's very validating," said Smith post match.
"Last time wasn't that great, I remember I played Alan Tabern last time and for me it was if I win that first game, the money was going to help me buy a house and then the nightmare that sort of ensued after that."
But for Smith, his journey to the UK has been a nightmare as he has been joined by his son Ky and they have had issues even getting to the country barring Covid.
"We've fortunately been supported by the darting community back home but without them, we were sort of in a mess and people don't realise we paid nearly $1,000 in Covid tests alone just to get here."
"We haven't had a great time since we got here. We got caught up in a scam so we booked the hotel so we did our hotel quarantine, we got through our two day PCR test and then we moved to our hotel room which we booked and at 7 o clock on the Saturday night when we got here, they said we're not going to give you a refund or a hotel room. So we had to book somewhere. It's been a nightmare."
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Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
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