Michael Smith has recorded a 6-2 victory over Gerwyn Price to win Week One of the 2024 Premier League in Cardiff.
In the build-up to the 17-week tournament, most of the attention had been on the meteoric rise of 17-year-old Luke Littler, who reached the World Championship final at the beginning of the year.
However, it was Smith who prevailed in Wales, the former world champion overcoming Littler in the semi-finals before storming past home favourite Price.
Despite Price taking the opening leg in the final, Smith responded with five in a row before he clinched the win and posted a 98.11 average in the process.
Although Price will be disappointed with losing the final, he will be happy to get a runner-up spot on the board having defeated each of Nathan Aspinall and Rob Cross.
Meanwhile, Smith came through two last-leg deciders with Michael van Gerwen and Littler, surviving a match dart against the latter to book his place in the final.
Littler had opened his campaign with another commanding performance over recently-crowned world champion Luke Humphries, averaging 100.3 in a 6-2 win before he lost with a 105.31 average against Smith.
The first game of the evening saw Cross record a 6-3 success over Peter Wright, who averaged just 83.78.
