Michael ‘Bully Boy’ Smith came out victorious against Czech Karel Sedláček 6-4 on legs in a cagey affair in the first round of the European Championships.
Despite struggling to regularly hit the high scores he’s capable of, Smith still managed a 94.01 average with two 180s, nine 140+ scores and a 46.2% checkout rate.
The St Helens thrower started the match off slowly, failing to hit a treble until his fifth dart. Bully Boy’s inconsistent start to the match resulted in him losing the first leg despite it being on his throw.
However, his treble-hitting improved in the second leg ultimately leading to him levelling the match with a 76 checkout.
Sedláček, making his debut at the European Championships, took the next two legs with a 66 checkout followed by an impressive 110 to give him a 1-3 lead.
Smith then hit two 140s on his way to winning the fifth leg. Checking out with a 66 score, Smith pulled it back to 2-3.
From here, Bully Boy began to hit 100+ scores on a more regular basis. Winning leg six with 13 darts, Smith levelled the score at 3-3 with Sedláček still having 126 remaining.
