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Michael Smith sealed the final spot in the Premier League Darts play-offs with a 6-3 win over Nathan Aspinall on the final league stage night in Sheffield.
The pair, who are close friends and recently went to Las Vegas together, went into the night in fifth and fourth respectively with the winner knowing they would progress to London’s O2 Arena on 23 May.
The tie was nip and tuck initially but ignited in the seventh leg when Smith checked out a superb 163 to edge ahead on throw.
The decisive leg followed with a brilliant 132 checkout helped Smith break and then he closed out for the win.
Smith, who was world champion in 2023, was in tears as he embraced Aspinall.
“I’m crying more than I did when I won the Worlds,” Smith told Sky Sports.
“When that 136 went in, and then the 132, I knew that would have hurt him.
“I wanted to do cartwheels, backflips and everything but with it being Nathan I had to keep calm and just apologise to him. I do feel sorry for him – I want him there as well as me. It was hard.”
Smith’s opponent in the best-of-19 play-off semi-final will be decided over the course of Thursday evening.
If he finishes fourth, the position he now occupies, then 17-year-old Luke Littler awaits after the Premier League debutant confirmed top spot with a 6-4 win over Peter Wright in Thursday’s first quarter-final.
Smith could still finish third, above seven-time winner Michael van Gerwen, depending on results and face world champion Luke Humphries in the last four.
The final, which is played over 21 legs, is on the same evening with the winner taking home £200,000 in prize money.
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