Michael Smith desperate to beat Luke Littler to £275k Premier League Darts jackpot after being hit with mammoth car bill
MICHAEL SMITH is driven to claim the £275,000 Premier League Darts jackpot on Thursday – after splashing out on an expensive car bill.
Bully Boy, 33, takes on Luke Littler, 17, in the semi-finals of the Playoffs on Thursday night at the O2 Arena in London.
Luke Humphries, the world No.1, tackles Michael van Gerwen in the other semi, which is the best of 19 legs.
Last week, going into the penultimate Prem night in Sheffield, Smith had an emergency appointment with a local mechanic when he suffered a tyre blowout.
The St Helens thrower recalled: “I got a nice screw through my tyre and they couldn’t fix it.
“When they told me I only had two millimetre on every tyre, it cost me £1,400 for four new tyres.
“The Audi had to go in for a service on the same day and that cost me another £1,400. It’s not been easy!”
Smith became PDC world darts champion for the first time in January 2023 when he threw a nine-darter in a 7-4 win over Michael van Gerwen at Ally Pally.
By his own admission after that, he took his eye off the board – he partied hard, reduced the practice sessions and his game suffered as a result.
Smith said: “Last year was my own downfall, I took eight months out of the game. That was my own fault.
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“Coming into this year’s Premier League opener in Cardiff, I said: ‘Let’s put the record straight now.’
“After the Worlds it wasn’t the greatest year I’ve had.
“This year there’s no focal point on me now.
“I’m not saying I want the focal point back because it wasn’t nice doing nine interviews a day!
“But everything about it I want back and I’m trying my best.”