EXPERIENCED darts stars Peter Wright and Michael Smith have both failed to qualify for The Winmau World Masters, a competition they have dominated for years.
Wright – nicknamed “Snakebite” – is one of two massive names who failed to qualify.
The 55-year-old has appeared in every Masters tournament since its relaunch in 2013, and became champion in 2022.
However, the Scot lost 3-2 to Graham Hall in the last 64 of qualifying to see him out of contention for the Masters.
Graham Hall holds a world ranking of 139th as opposed to two-time world champ Wright’s current rank of 31.
2023 world champion “Bullyboy” Smith also went out in the last 64, losing 3-1 to Rhys Griffin. This means Smith will miss the Masters for the first time in 11 years, just the second time Bullyboy won’t participate in the tournament’s history.
Griffin, ranked 92nd in the world, is well below Smith who is currently number 32 on the PDC order of merit.
The qualifiers which saw Wright and Smith miss out took place yesterday for players who failed to be directly seeded into the main draw.
122 players entered the preliminary rounds with just eight spots available with the other 24 being filled by those directly seeded.
Wright is one of the sport’s most decorated competitors, even becoming world No1 in March 2022. His quirky aesthetic combined with his talent has made him one of the most loved players in darts history.
BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS
Smith, 35, has spoken on previous injuries which have kept him out of multiple major tournaments.
He said: “I’ve had times where for five months I’ve not been able to throw a dart and I’ve just been turned up to PDC floor events with maybe half an hour practice in four weeks, five weeks and still going and playing.
“I could have stopped then, but for me, there’s no question about quitting or stopping”.
He added: “I’ve just got to keep going and I’ve done that my whole career. That’s what I’ll keep doing until the very end when I do decide to call it a day.”
The first major tournament of the season will get underway in Milton Keynes later tonight before concluding on Sunday.
Round one will feature the world’s best players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries and Gian van Veen.
