04 January 2023 , 08:56
687
0
World champion Michael Smith hailed commentator Wayne Mardle for elevating one of the greatest moments in darts history with an epic reaction to his iconic nine-dart finish.
'Bully Boy' won the greatest leg ever seen with a magical nine-darter as he toppled Michael van Gerwen 7-4 to claim his maiden world title in an Ally Pally final for the ages.
And Smith realised all his darting dreams at once on his day of destiny in North London as he laid hands on the Sid Waddell trophy, claimed the £500,000 cheque and became the No.1 player on the planet.
And in what will doubtless be considered one of the sporting moments of 2023, Smith made fans lose their minds by nailing the perfect nine.
With the final poised in its early stages in the third leg of the second set, the best two players in the world matched each other with back-to-back maximum scores to set up nine-dart attempts.
Wayne Mardle makes World Darts title prediction as last-eight gets underway
And when Van Gerwen agonisingly missed out on D12 after eight perfect darts, inspired Smith stepped up to the oche and wrote his name in the history books.
Sky Sports duo Mardle and Stuart Pyke provided the perfect soundtrack to capture the moment as they grew increasingly excited before the sensational events unfolded.
Mardle, in particular, went berserk as he called the nine-dart attempts, encapsulating the emotions of darts fans across the globe.
"That is the most amazing leg of darts you will ever see!" Mardle bellowed as he rose to his feet when Smith took out 141. "I can't speak, I can't speak!" he memorably added.
And the excitement even proved too much for Mardle, who was already nursing a sore throat before the nine-dart drama.
He stayed in the commentary booth for the next couple of sets, but was then replaced by former world champion John Part and tweeted: "I literally can’t spake!!!!!!!! What a final! Enjoy."
And Smith, who has already admitted to watching his nine-dart magic on repeat, paid tribute to Mardle's commentary as he soaked in the reaction to his perfect leg.
Smith's perfect leg came on a perfect night at Ally Pally (PA)"Probs boring everyone but I’ve watched that 9 about a million times," Smith tweeted after his victory. "It wouldn’t have even been that good if @Wayne501Mardle wasn’t commenting it. What a credit he is to the team."
Beaming with pride, Smith also set out his plan to 'take over' darts after downing one of the sport's greats in Van Gerwen.
"I thought [we would] give the crowd what they deserve and they got a magical night," he told Sky Sports.
Gerwyn Price left red-faced after wearing ear defenders to block fans out
"I told you when I got the Grand Slam, I will eventually be a world champion and I want to do what this man [Van Gerwen] has done - I want to take over this sport, but he's still there."