Bully Boy looks back at a coming-of-age second-round match in the 2014 World Championship against Phil Taylor
Friday 16 August 2019 17:07, UK
In the third of our series, Michael Smith chooses his second-round clash against Phil Taylor at the 2014 World Championship as his greatest game.
Aged just 24, the former world youth champion had qualified through the ranking system for the first time in his career, now a fully-fledged member of the top 32 he faced the ultimate test in the shape of 'The Power'.
Smith had beaten Japan's Morihiro Hashimoto in the first round to set up the clash against The Power in the second round, a player looking to add to his 16 world titles.
Bully Boy, who had never won a game at the World Championship, stuck with the reigning champion despite being down a set on three occasions. In a final set that had to be won by two clear legs, Bully Boy struck and won the contest with a stunning 128 finish on the bullseye.
"It was first to four sets, I was never worried," Smith recalls.
"I knew if he went 2-0 up that then would be time to start panicking, as long as I got it to 1-1 then each set, we just broke each other.
"No one held their throw until the last set because Phil won the bull and gave me the darts. So, when we went 3-3, I thought happy days and I managed to hold my throw and win that last set."
Smith's run at the Worlds ended in the next round as he was defeated by Peter Wright.
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