Raymond Smith makes Aussies Proud with a week to remember at the WDF World Cup

After finishing second on the order of merit of the new Australian Darts Association tour, Raymond Smith has rounded out his month of September on the oche with a fantastic week at the World Darts Federation World Cup. Smith proudly represented Australia in the 24th edition of the tournament, held at Kintex Hall in South Korea. He took part in the tournament alongside 11 other Aussies featuring in the Open Mens, Women's and Youth competitions. Smith most notably had a fantastic run in the Open Men's Singles component of the week in Seoul, where he had an unbelievable run to the final against some quality opponents.

The Team Australia squad on stage in the arena on the opening night of the tournament

He began with a solid 4-0 victory in the Last 128 against Edwin Torbjornsson, where Smith was tested against Chris Gilliand in a fantastic encounter winning 4-3. He knocked off Jamie Bain 4-1 in the next round, which included a 15-dart leg, averaging 100.20 in that leg. The Series 2 MODUS Super Series Champion then beat former tour cardholder Boris Krčmar, which he was tested in his last 16 encounter against him where he averaged 99.45, with an incredible 15-dart leg to win the game. 'The Guru' reeled off 12 and 14 dart legs to start his match against Teemu Harju in the Quarter Finals, before steadying along with a 5-1 victory.

Smith pins a superb 137 checkout on D16 against Giuliani

Smith's campaign continued in the semi-finals where he took on the 2022 Nordic Cup Open champion in Andreas Harrysson, who was certainly not an easy task for the Queenslander. Raymond won three legs on the spin from 4-3 down to clinch the victory in what was a thrilling contest – where he finished the game with a superb 14-dart leg. Smith entered the final against Austria's Franko Giuliani, where he was always just a fraction behind in the match. Giuliani capitalised on his chances offered to him and was the deserving winner of taking the crown representing Austria.

Not only did Smith play incredibly well solo, he was also integral to Team Australia's success in the 'Open Pairs' and 'Open Teams' formats throughout the week with fantastic chemistry in the group. He played alongside Lindsay Haji-Ali in the pairs, in which they impressively made it to the quarter-finals before losing to Team Japan's Ogawa and Azemoto 4-3 in a fantastic match.

Smith finished runner-up in the Open Singles format after a fantastic week on the oche

In the Teams component, he helped Team Australia go undefeated in the initial group stage, with the squad powering along all the way to pick up a very respectable bronze medal for the nation. Mal Cumming, part of the Australian Mens Team, also notably played very well for the team, hitting a huge 170 finish early in the week and just missed Double 12 for a 9-dart finish himself!

This superb week for Smith serves as excellent preparation for this coming Saturday back down under, where he will take on a star-studded lineup in the first week of the new and exciting ANZ Darts Premier League, kicking off on October 4 at John Cain Arena, Melbourne.

Six of the remaining eight names alongside Smith have been confirmed for the tournament, with Simon Whitlock, Brody Klinge, Tim Pusey, Joe Comito and James Bailey qualified for the tournament, with Jonny Tata and the two New Zealand representatives to soon be confirmed.

Smith goes into the tournament as one of the favourites alongside 2022 World Cup Champion Simon 'The Wizard' Whitlock who will be eager to try and claim his tour card back and earn a spot at this years' World Darts Championships at Alexandra Palace in addition to some nice prize money.

The ANZ Premier League kicks off in Melbourne for what will be an eight-week darts party across Australia and New Zealand

Smith has built a strong platform for himself for the last three months of the darting calendar. His eyes will first be set on attempting to win the ANZ Premier League, and if he does, past talks have suggested he will look to target the Lakeside route instead of the PDC. Phill Barrs on an episode of the 'Online Darts Live Lounge' podcast asked Smith if he would take the Ally Pally spot in December if he wins the tournament, with a response that was much to Barrs' surprise.

"Lakeside. I've already committed to it" Smith confirmed, highlighting he has set himself on a structured plan to get his tour card from Australia via the Lakeside route, believing he has a higher likelihood of returning to the PDC circuit in that way.

Safe to say, it is a big three months for Raymond Smith.