Semi final match between Ross Smith and Andy Boulton
[Music] welcome to the semi-finals of Players Championship 13 the PDC Pro Tour where three of the four semi-finalists aren’t actually part of it Andy don’t have professional tour cards Andy Bolson one of them he’s taking on Ross Smith now the favorite to take this title in the other semi-final two of the topup players from The Challenge tour cam Crabtree and Wesley plazier going head-to-head for replacing what would be a first professional PDC final Andy Bolton finds himself in that position as well here against Ross Smith who is hoping to make the most of this opportunity and bounce back from that recent Euro to a final defeat however 2 despite the fact that they’re not even in the world’s top 100 Paul Nicholson any one of these three players is now a real Contender to take today’s title absolutely when you look at Wesley Pia’s numbers he’s averaging better than anybody who’s still in the tournament and that was the case coming into the quarterfinals as well but isn’t it funny how most of the day the narrative has been the race for the match player and that means nothing now 180 it means nothing it’s about whether Ross Smith can stop a fourth player from winning a players championship title without a two ACC cord Christopher tyi Joel minin and Scott Williams have done it before if Ross Smith does not win this match there will be a fourth name on that list yeah it’s remarkable it’s a fantastic point that Paul has just made because we did say the way that the seeds were tumbling early on it maybe somebody emerges wins a tournament catapults themselves into match play cont contention for all three of the players pleaser Crabtree and Bolton if they won both tournaments they still wouldn’t be anywhere near 121 so it’s not even in their thinking but what will be by the end of the day no matter what happens is getting to M head because someone from the other semifinal will be in a provisional spot at the end of the day that’s guaranteed Andy Bolton will be if he wins this match there’s not additional pressure on Ross Smith yet he just wants to win a tournament he just wants to hit tops he can’t hit it so Bolton gets a go at a similar finish to hold on to his throw in the opening leg [Music] beautiful first start double top for him 96 just comes out a little [Music] late and if you haven’t watched Andy Bolton on a stream anytime recently get used to him moving around and trying to loosen up he’s not loose at the start of this one he’s been tightened up by the fact that Ross has broken him immediately you see him doing his yoga routine in the background there andy Bolton they have had plenty of good battles this pair by the way seven meetings and it’s only 43 in Smith’s favor edging that head-to-head record I think we look at Andy Bolton as a nonto card holder at the minute but slightly differently to that of Pia and Crabtree 140 because he’s had a tour card before whereas pleaser and crab tree have never had one so we look at Andy as and I hate using this term but I haven’t thought of another way of putting it he’s a journeyman D player but he’s the epitome of a brilliant one I’ve said for possibly the last five or six years that he has not got the title that warrants his career that could change in the next hour he’s he’s having the the the time of his life isn’t he playing on every possible tour this year plays in the world seniors he plays on The Challenge to he’s topping up in the proo because of his success there we’ve seen him many times at the Modo Super Series as well 56 but never has he been in a [Music] position so likely to go and win a tournament yes he’s had semi-finals before but when you look at the competition he’s not running into a world number one or two is he he’s running into he has a very very strong player in Ross Smith but if he gets through him somebody else pretty much with the same stats as him absolutely the only only tour he’s not qualifying for as the development tour that’s because of his age why didn’t I say that you would have thought about it before me four challenge tour a titles to his name by the way including two this year and it wasn’t even that long ago he didn’t have any he’s getting better with ages like a 1982 shutle of feat looking for the double 74 failing to find [Music] it was it going to be 15s for Ross he does like that area of the board to approach how much does he like double five [Music] an awful lot start of the day ranked number 13 in the world 113 places in the world ahead of the next ranked player in the semi-finals lunacy 100 two up in this one Wesley pleaser already 4-1 to the good against cam Crabtree in the other semi-final which did get started a little bit before this [Music] one 99 winning the title today for Ross Smith it wouldn’t change his world ranking at all he would stay at 13 but if he was to do the double might get pretty close to going up a spot in the draw to the shagrin of Danny knet but he’s not thinking about that he doesn’t care where he his number is in the world match play Draw he just wants to go there as a winner [Music] a lot of people out there might think that the challenge to a players might start to tire at this stage I guarantee you that they won’t be cuz when they play challenge t a DTS they play more games in a day than the pro to it and they play two tournaments 98 has W titles in each of the last three years Ross Smith didn’t have any senior PDC titles until 2021 when he won his first then won the European championship of course he’ll be defending the ranking money from that tournament later this year and then two pro tour wins last year has been knocking on the door on the Euro tour as well as we’ve mentioned has reached the final of a couple of those events in 2024 but this would be his first title if he can convert the position he’s in Bolton though looking at Double 12 clipping the wire of it [Music] Smith finds this things are starting to get a bit cataclysmic I think that was a good change of plan now it’s an open bed at 18s at tops I do beg your pardon I was thinking like he was at d one he got it right and that’s the most important thing that was a brilliant finish and you want to know why he did that because in his previous match he had so much in the way of missed shots at double 16 that he’s had to change his plan just to have a fresh outlook on something like that shot [Music] 60 and just to go back to that point about challenge tour players and their engine for the day I think the perfect way of proving what these challenge T players can do these days is what Andy did on the 16th of March he won two events back to back that’s 16 games in a row one 47 yeah that is remarkable going particularly for a man who has constantly having to fre up his his body he obviously struggles with ay [Music] joints 140 this is where Ross Smith’s cardio effort on his pelaton and on the road when he runs this is where it comes into it don’t those extra bits of energy that you need this is all about what he does before he even throws a [Music] DOT 58 if you want to be a top player these days you’ve got a master best of 11 then best of 13 then you got a best of 15 but if you want to be top tier you’ve got to be able to double that best of 31 is where it’s at well leg after leg Bolton’s put himself in decent positions here but he hasn’t got anything to show for it in the semi-final 125 and every time Ross Smith is there ready to pounce are we going to see that same old story repeated in this leg not this time Bolton breaks Wesley pleaser is almost there he’s 61 up on Camp Crabtree and he’s averaging over 102 playing like a world master isn’t he you mentioned Andy Bolton winning backto back challenge two titles where’s the P here could win a challenge tour and then a pro tour back to back yeah but he’s not Christopher tyi who did everything the wrong way around he won the World Masters he won a players championship title and a challenge to but he won them in the wrong order yeah but remarkably talking about an unbeaten run in fact the last time wesy Pazer lost a match was a challenge to before the one he won against cam crab tree he would have won eight matches to win that challenge to before getting here today and then potentially another seven to take this title what about Kai Gothard he wasn’t even in the tournament till was it 36 hours ago no was Crabtree he got the call yesterday when you get the call take your spot you just never know it could be the biggest thing that ever happens to you as far as Andy Bon’s concerned he’s been to three semi-finals in Players Championships before he’s never made a final he like pia has made a semi-final on the European tour but he didn’t win that either this is make no mistake one of the biggest games that Andy Bolton’s ever played huge absolutely huge and he’s going to get a further opportunity 62 in this fifth leg I think there’s a flying object just gone whistling by there somebody get the net 72 Ross Smith can’t believe [Music] it Dam shot I lost that leg because a pigeon flew overhead your insurance company would never believe you there have been a couple of issues today couple of pesky pigeons finding the way into the venue somehow didn’t have the wristbands either they never have tickets do there the interfering things with wings the alip WASP the Milton keen’s pigeon the interesting thing about is Andy Bolton seems pretty unaware of it Ross Smith 100 might have just found a distraction here Andy Bon’s probably used to playing with pigeons in the background he is from up North 100 yeah officially uh Scotsman but he does hail from Stoke on Trent doesn’t he lives north of the border now 57 B called for pigeons up there penguins maybe I think there would be a disruption if Penguins started walking into Stadium M K that’s for sure 33 well 3-2 in this one 63 Crabtree has called his way back somewhat but pleaser remains a leg away 54 we shouldn’t underestimate the possibility of a comeback today after what James weade did against aspinal on this board five straight legs to keep his match play race alive and he’s very much in the driving seat for that now yeah five minutes that changed everything he won Kevin dues lost and Confirmation now that Wesley pleaser is through to the final lost in a last leg decider on the semi-finals of a European Tour event last year but he defeats cam Crabtree and he’s looking for back-to-back PDC titles on different tourers one match away who will he play I think Ross Smith needs something positive to happen earlier today when James Wade was playing against ROV van barnaville he hit this shot with a 25 of 57 and a ball he’s not going to take it so Bolton has an opportunity to get the impetus back [Music] 82 combination shots are part of his Arsenal this one isn’t 50 double 16 a little bit of daylight shot expertly pitched by Ross Smith that is a seriously good DT for a couple of reasons one it wasn’t easy and secondly he’s had trouble on it the fact that he backed himself to hit it on that occasion I applaud him he could have easily cowled away from it and gone 14 18 or 10 for Tops but when he’s been successful in his career double 16 has been really good to him and has returned 140 to make him the favorite for this match once again again you can see Bolton was limbering up in the background if Andy doesn’t win the tournament he’s got a a deal for an aerobics video in this future he could do it with Alan Norris he had that fantastic challenge to a success first five protos that he filled in on didn’t win a match won two last time out and he’s now won five today Andy Bolton 59 for a challenge to a player getting invites to things like this they could realistically say if I get enough opportunities I can squeeze into mine head at the end of the year and if I can also squeeze into the world championship that will be a wonderful season I think the draw fell for him though Paul Martin lukeman gwin price Kim H bricks Nathan rafy and Andrew gilding who gets a good draw making the semi-finals it’s the strongest pool of players that the PDC has ever assembled I mean how many players are genuinely not here 140 Michael Van and Luke humph it’s not as if there’s 20 players missing it’s two or three and this could be three beautifully pitched darts that is the wrong side of the wire and that could be the difference shot Bolton almost making the 147 clearance Ross Smith getting the break and now looking good for replacing the final himself yeah what could have been a one leg deficit now turns into three and that’s dots at its finest 108 that’s dots at its finest as well he’s playing with a degree of comfort even though he’s very uncomfortable after what’s happened with stuff flying above him a couple of Miss shots but this is just pure darting resilience and experience of which he’s gained over the last 10 years 95 he’s going to have a handful with Wesley pleaser the way we saw him perform all day in fact particularly in that semifinal when you look at the numbers however he does have the aura of a man who’s looked around him and decided Well I am the experienced operator out of the four here I’m going to go and get it there’s another thing as well if Ross can get through this match which is looking increasingly likely now there is game from his last tournament win that he can draw experience from when he played Dom Taylor in a semi-final he didn’t have a tour card at the time and he caused Ross Smith one heck of a problem in fact it should have gone to a last leg decider and it didn’t because Ross Smith found something very good after Dom Taylor missed a shot to take it that far this is not a situation that Ross has not been in before well it’s Bolton who needs to find something very good and he’s not going to find the biggest checkout of them all here in fact he might find himself in trouble 55 still behind Smith in this [Music] leg 60 for double 16 then that was the plan 54 [Music] oh and the finest margin offers Ross Smith another chance he’s got a decision to make 16 to choose [Music] tops and he’s just doing it isn’t he right thing right time [Music] it’s a decent game but they’ve both played better than this today overall curiously for making a semi-final it’s £5,000 that’s the equivalent of winning two challenge to [Music] us 100 just so happens that wasley pleaser is now on a guaranteed £10,000 that’s the equivalent of winning four of them 59 Smith himself has had to do it the hard way today every single one of his games has gone at least 10 legs now interestingly the first one with an increased format might be done in nine it’s funny how it works sometimes isn’t it bit is good friend Steve beaten in the first round that was 65 then Jermaine Wata 6’4 Kevin dutes who was ahead of him beat him 65 and then two more 6’4 wins against Ricky Evans and Johnny Clayton I’ll tell you what that 86 that he took out against Kevin dutes on the last leg for a 12 daughter in leg 11 that might just be the shot of his day and James M James Wade might agree with that Kevin du is on 87 to take him out if he doesn’t take that out he probably isn’t here he’s got six starts from 161 to take on Big [Music] Wes and to have a crack at a fourth players championship [Music] title 60 that could be that the way the game’s gone you’d expect Ross Smith to wrap it up and he is’s going to get that opportunity double 16 69 not there yet but he will come back the amount of times he’s missed that 32 bed just on the outside today it’s almost like he just needs to tweak his sights on double 16 just a little bit 60 just a little bit more we’ll get him to the final [Music] that’s about as far away as he’s been from that Target but that’s where he usually is and Ross Smith finds himself in the final of Players Championship 13 and on course to win his first PDC title of 2024 a brilliant attempt by Andy Bolton today to add a professional PDC title to his CV but that bid falls in the semifinals cam crry also fell at that stage but the nont card holder Wesley pleaser will take on Smith in today’s Final and that is coming up in around 10 minutes time
