Michael Smith ends wait for major with Grand Slam of Darts triumph

Michael Smith has won the Grand Slam of Darts with a 16-5 victory over Nathan Aspinall, finally ending his wait for a televised ranking title.

Since reaching the Premier League final in 2018, Smith has missed chances to claim the biggest win of his career, either watching his opponents play the match of their lives or squandering his own opportunities.

However, after eight runners-up finishes in televised events, five of which were in ranking tournaments, the world number four got over the line with a dominant showing in Wolverhampton on Sunday night.

Smith had come through a thriller with Raymond van Barneveld earlier in the day, that last-four showdown reaching 12-12 before the St Helens thrower reeled off four legs in a row.

While the 32-year-old's scoring was relentless in that contest, the final saw him produce a different kind of performance, matching Aspinall with a slow start before capitalising on the prolonged below-par display of his opponent.

SMITH IS THE CHAMPION! 🏆

Michael Smith has done it! He defeats Nathan Aspinall 16-5 in the final of the Cazoo Grand Slam of Darts.

Just look at that reaction!#GSOD | Final
📺 https://t.co/iVFvdc03lj pic.twitter.com/pTgHwUoQFQ

— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) November 20, 2022

Aspinall, who recently reached the World Grand Prix final, was fortunate to reach the first interval at 3-2 down, but he would win just three more legs as Smith defied any nerves or over-thinking about what may be to come.

The decisive moment came in the 15th leg, Aspinall missing a dart at double 12 for a 138 checkout to reduce the deficit to 9-6, before seeing Smith return to go five legs clear.

Although it was not strictly one-way traffic from that moment onwards, Smith looked unflappable as Aspinall became increasingly frustrated, and Smith was soon 15-5 in front.

After Aspinall missed the chance to reduce that deficit to nine, Smith returned to take out 56 in two darts, ending four-and-a-half years of hurt in televised finals.

Smith concluded the match with a 96.84 average and 50% on his doubles, while Aspinall, who moves up to eighth spot in the PDC Order Of Merit, only landed one 180 in the final.