Jeff Smith Silences John Norman, Jr. to Win Canada Tour Event #3

The first Canadian weekend of the 2021 Championship Darts Circuit season concluded in Moncton, New Brunswick on Sunday, with ‘The Silencer’ Jeff Smith capturing his first CDC title. Smith bounced back after a loss in the finals on Saturday to defeat John Norman Jr in the finals of Event #3. Norman Jr jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a pair of 15-darters, but Smith would win the next 4 legs and not look back, en route to a 6-4 victory.

‘The Silencer’ averaged 94.7 overall on Sunday, winning 70% of his games along the way. Smith was in top form all afternoon, eliminating Kerry Way 5-0, Darryl Christie 6-3, and the second-seeded Jim Long 6-3 in the semifinals.

For his part, Norman, Jr. played in three straight deciding legs to start his day, defeating qualifier Terry Fougere (5-4) in the first round, fourth-seeded Kiley Edmunds (5-4) in the second round, and the 5-seed Dave Richardson (6-5) in the quarterfinals. After losing the first three legs of his semifinal match against Newfoundland phenom, Jake Taylor, he bounced back in massive fashion, winning 6 of the next 7 to seal a 6-4 victory to reach his first CDC final.

The results this weekend secured Matt Campbell’s spot atop the 20-event Order of Merit after the first Canadian weekend, which means the Ginja Ninja will team with Jeff Smith at the Professional Darts Corporation’s Cazoo World Cup of Darts next month for the second year in a row. Jeff Smith’s victory, combined with his finals defeat in Event #2, puts him at the top of the annual Tour Points table and in the driver’s seat to claim the Canadian berth at the Professional Darts Corporation’s William Hill World Championship with one weekend’s worth of events to play.

Up next, the American players return to action on September 17, for USA Tour Events 4 – 6, in Philadelphia.

Article by Brian Fraser
August 15, 2021