MICHAEL SMITH says his Poland Masters heroics were all for his wife.
‘Bully Boy’ edged out close pal Joe Cullen 6-5 in a last-leg thriller to storm into round three, smashing in eight 180s and averaging 97 in a nervy battle.
The former world champ had originally missed out on the European Tour event after a 6-3 qualifying defeat to Mickey Mansell.
World No.32 Smith vented his fury online and appeared to aim a dig at Mansell’s pace of play afterwards.
Smith clarified why the matter carried particular weight for him, explaining that his partner is from the country.
He said: “It’s about taking my chances. I am glad to get into the next round.
“That’s why I got so annoyed when I lost in the qualifiers. It’s the only one where I wanted to bring the family over and stuff.
“Of course, it’s for this beautiful crowd but mainly for her. When I didn’t qualify, you saw on social media I got really annoyed, but I managed to scrape in.
“I managed to play in front of the Polish crowd. I know how difficult they can be because I have lived with one for 13 years! Thank you, everyone.”
Smith admitted he is pleased to see his game trending in the right direction after a difficult spell battling injuries and arthritis.
He added: “It’s two best mates going at each other. I had chances in the first leg at 116, and in the second leg I had four darts at double.
“I just kept on believing in myself and I got over in the end. It was a proper game of darts.
“With the 97 average, that was me playing bad a couple of years ago. It’s nice that my game is going in the right direction at the minute.
“I am just looking to keep on going. Listen, I shouldn’t be here and I got beat in the qualifiers.”
Smith returns to action on Sunday afternoon in Krakow and will face Jonny Clayton.
Image by Taylor Lanning.