Ross Smith’s Premier League darts case grows stronger as latest PDC figures back up his title-winning form

Ross Smith has the trophies to support his claim for a Premier League debut. The latest PDC form guide adds another argument: his recent performances are bringing him closer to the players he would face every week.

Christopher Kempf’s assessment, published on 3 November and based on players’ last 200 legs, places Smith back inside the top ten for both averages and leg-winning efficiency following his European Championship success.

That strengthens the Ross Smith Premier League debate beyond the familiar question of whether a televised title should earn an invitation. His results and underlying form are now making the case together.

What the latest figures say about Ross Smith

The PDC analysis, reproduced by the Australian Darts Association, puts Smith eighth for Ordinal Checkout Efficiency, up 2.5 points in the latest assessment. Only two players in the sample were ahead of him for 180s.

Ordinal Checkout Efficiency measures how effectively a player turns scoring into legs won. It is a form measure, separate from the prize-money rankings, and helps explain whether a strong average is producing winning darts.

Smith’s scoring against Luke Woodhouse in Dortmund was particularly impressive. He averaged 107 and won five legs within four visits to the board.

Those figures describe a recent run rather than an entire season. They offer evidence of improvement, but cannot guarantee that it will continue through the winter.

Two televised titles give Smith a stronger argument

Smith beat Martin Schindler 11–8 in the European Championship final on 25 October, adding a second title in the competition to his 2022 success.

He also defeated Gerwyn Price in the semi-finals. That matters when assessing his suitability for the Premier League: Smith overcame an established contender before finishing the job against the home favourite.

The victory took him to a career-high sixth in the world rankings and followed his World Series Finals success in September. He had also collected two European Tour titles and two Players Championship titles during the season.

That breadth of success is persuasive. A single tournament can transform a player’s standing, but Smith has won across different settings and formats. His case rests on more than one outstanding weekend.

After Dortmund, he made his position clear in the Premier League comments we reported following his European Championship victory.

“Yes, at the moment, definitely,” he said when asked whether he deserved a place.

Why Premier League selection remains open

Smith also recognised that other players still had opportunities to strengthen their claims before the end of the season. His recent success puts him firmly in the conversation, but it does not amount to a confirmed invitation.

The distinction matters. A form guide measures performance over a defined sample; it is not a selection announcement. Nor does eighth place in one statistical category mean Smith stands eighth in a Premier League qualification table.

For now, the strongest argument is the combination of tournament wins and improved performance. He has shown that he can beat leading players in long televised matches, while the latest figures suggest his scoring is being converted into legs more effectively.

The remaining challenge is to sustain it. Another deep run would add weight to a case that already deserves serious consideration. Smith has given the selectors more to assess than his own belief that he belongs.

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