Joe Cullen was promptly told to 'shut up' by Ross Smith after heckling his victorious rival at the Players Championship 5 event in Leicester. Smith cruised to an 8-2 victory over Chris Dobey in the final to secure his seventh ProTour title and claim £15,000 in prize money. Afterwards, he was forced to interrupt his interview after Cullen shouted out from the sidelines.

Just as Smith was talking about how it was necessary to beat any player that was put in front of him, Cullen was heard yelling something at the Dover thrower. Smith initially responded by laughing before shouting back: "Will you shut up?" He quickly continued with the interview, admitting he had felt 'nervy' in recent weeks and needed luck on his side to win the title.

"I wouldn't say I feel unstoppable," said Smith. "I would say I played consistently today. When you win a title you definitely need a little bit of luck along the way unless you are playing exceptional.

"Chris, thankfully today for me, he didn't turn up. We all know how good he is. He is one of the best in the world so I am glad to beat him. I am happy.

"I felt really relaxed today. It has taken a good couple of weeks to settle back in. It's the best I have felt this year. I always set myself a target.

"Since I won my first title, I've gone every year now knowing you need to win a title, so I am on course in 2026. It's all good."

Smith averaged an impressive 97.42 as he secured a 6-3 victory over Dave Chisnall in the last eight, before a similarly one-sided 7-4 triumph over Karel Sedlacek in the semi-finals.

It came just weeks after he was dumped out of the World Darts Championship in the opening round, losing to Andreas Harryson in a major upset.

Reflecting on his rocky start to the year, Smith added: "The first few weeks I have actually been a bit nervy and not feeling the greatest. I think you just want to get off to a good start.

"As soon as I hit my board today, I felt really relaxed and I was full steam ahead. I feel like I played really well today. I'm feeling really confident, but every day is completely different.

"You can play an absolute blinder, have a 105 average, and lose. Anyone who plays me now is going to have to play well to beat me. I am playing really well."

Dobey, meanwhile, produced a stunning nine-darter during his last-64 victory over Ricky Evans on his way to the final in Leicester.