Canadian veteran Jim Long is shown in New York city on Friday, June 2, at the 2023 bet365 U.S. Darts Masters where he upset world champion Michael Smith of England. In the first round at The Theater at Madison Square Garden.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-PDC-Ed Mulholland
**MANDATORY CREDIT **
NEW YORK – Canadian veteran Jim (The Gentleman) Long has scored a major upset at the 2023 bet365 U.S. Darts Masters, defeating world champion Michael (Bully Boy) Smith.
Long won the first-round matchup 6-2 Friday night at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, surviving five 180s from the top-seeded world No. 1 from England to advance to the quarterfinals. The 55-year-old from London, Ont., landed three 180s and converted 97 and 115 checkouts to earn a date with 2017 champion Michael van Gerwen of the Netherlands in the final eight.
“I’m still taking it in. Michael is the cream of the crop. I’m ecstatic,” said Long, a former World Cup of Darts quarterfinalist. “This is the biggest win of my career by far. I was so nervous. I had so many friends here tonight so it’s a very special moment for me.
“It’s an honour to play these guys. As North American dart players, it’s a real blessing to have the opportunity to play the best players in the world.”
Fellow Canadian Jeff (The Silencer) Smith also progressed, ousting third-seeded Peter (Snakebite) Wright of Scotland 6-2.
“I’ve had a lot of good games with Peter over the last few years,” said the 47-year-old from Hampton, N.B.
“Peter was not at his best there and you just have to roll with the punches and take your chances, and I managed to do that,” he added.
Wright is ranked second in the world by the PDC compared to No. 68 for Jeff Smith.
Van Gerwen defeated Canadian Jake Macmillan 6-2 in other first-round action. England’s Nathan Aspinall, the 2019 champion, needed to stave off a rally by Matt Campbell to defeat the Canadian No. 1.
Hamilton’s Campbell fought back from 4-2 down to level the match at 4-4, only to see Aspinall win legs in 11 and 14 darts to win 6-4.
“Matt Campbell is the player that nobody really wanted to play,” said Aspinall, who now faces Jeff Smith.
The field at the two-day event features 16 players contesting 60,000 pounds ($100,280) in prize money and the third World Series title of 2023.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2023
