Daily Times

LONDON: Scotsman Peter Wright produced a gripping comeback against his English rival Michael Smith at the Alexandra Palace in London to claim his second World Darts Championship title on Monday. Wright, 51, nicknamed ‘Snakebite’, backed up his 2020 title with a 7-5 victory over Smith in a tense final to win the Sid Waddell Trophy. It was a scrappy match with neither player reaching their usual standard but the Scot, ranked number two in the world, produced his best darts when it really mattered, winning nine of the last 10 legs to get the better of his younger opponent. “I’m over the moon. I’ve done it, but obviously me and Mike didn’t perform how we can,” Wright told Sky Sports. “I can’t explain what went wrong for 90 per cent of the match. I just kept swapping darts trying to find something.” Smith, 31, who lost the 2019 final, was leading 5-4 and had the darts at 2-0 to go within a set of a maiden major title. But Wright, who did not get to bed until the early hours of Monday after an epic semi-final win over Gary Anderson, turned on the style to win a tournament that looked at one point as if it might not go on after coronavirus forced the withdrawal of several players. Smith was inconsolable but did have the minor consolation of creating a little bit of history, having thrown a record 83 180s, more than any other player in a single tournament.