Kent darts star Ross Smith wins Player Championship 5 title in Barnsley to move into the world's top 16

Ross Smith is keeping his feet on the ground despite a second players’ championship title.

Deal’s Smith edged a topsy-turvy Player Championship 5 Final, as he defeated Gary Anderson 8-6 in the Final in Barnsley.

It was a second PDC ProTour title for Smith, who claimed the Cazoo European Championship crown in Dortmund, Germany, in October. The win also moved him into the world’s top 16.

But after his Final success, Smith said: “To be fair, I don’t even think about things like that.

“I really don’t, I just play the player in front of me. The minute you start thinking stuff like that, it can go for you but it can go against you.

“I’m one of those that tries to keep their feet on the ground and crack on sort of thing. I try not to think about that sort of stuff, just concentrate on whoever is in front of me and, if I win, happy days.”

Anderson came from 5-2 down to lead but Smith believes he thoroughly deserved the third title of his career.

“To be fair, I felt a bit edgy,” said the 34-year-old, who lost on Sunday in the Player Championship 6 Quarter-Final 6-4 to Luke Humphries, despite averaging 106.

“I thought ‘Oh, here we go again’ sort of thing but I just told myself: ‘Stop thinking, just do’ really.

“To be honest with you, I think I got away with it. We all know Gary is better than that and, to be fair, I think I’m better than that.

“But it’s a long day and, yeah, I’m grateful for the win.”

It’s been a rapid rise in recent months for Dover-born Smith but he admitted he came into the weekend down on confidence.

He said: “I had a really bad start to the year last year. I couldn’t buy a game, to be fair.

“Nothing has been great for me on the floor and, even for this week, I’ve turned up and my shirt is too small. I’ve