‘Is that necessary?’ – Darts player defends himself after bizarre UK Open row
Ross Smith has hit out at rival Jose de Sousa for his antics at the UK Open. The darts world number 18 was on the receiving end of what he considered a lack of sportsmanship from De Sousa in the pair’s fourth-round clash at Butlin’s Minehead. Ross Smith exited the UK Open in the fifth roundGetty Despite claiming a 10-7 victory over the Portuguese, Smith took exception to his opponent having coins in his pocket. With the UK Open welcoming 158 players over three days, both amateur and professional, much of the early-round match-ups take place away from the venue’s 5000-capacity main stage. This included Smith and De Sousa’s battle, with the pair facing off in an upstairs room, which features six dart boards side-by-side. And according to fellow PDC tour star Nathan Aspinall, Smith was left fuming with De Sousa for his behaviour in the encounter, believing the change in his pocket to be a distraction tactic. ‘The Asp’ had found himself within touching distance of the drama whilst taking on Martin Lukeman in his fourth-round clash. In a recent interview with the Guardian, Aspinall said of the competition’s early rounds: “It’s carnage. “I’ve got Ross Smith two yards to my right, arguing with José de Sousa because he’s got change in his pocket.” And Smith has now had his say on the incident, taking to social media to respond to an article reporting upset at De Sousa. He wrote on X: “Is it necessary to have loads of coins in your pocket for a game of darts?” The Englishman was quick to receive support from his fans, with many agreeing that De Sousa’s tactics had been unsportsmanlike. Getty2019 UK Open quarter-finalist Smith was unhappy with De Sousa’s behaviour[/caption] The Portuguese darts player finished as runner-up in the 2021 Premier League DartsGetty One user pointed out: “Not only that, his hand was straight into said pocket as he was walking to the back of the oche.” To this, Smith replied: “It was, I could hear!” Another supportive fan chimed in: “Unless he’s using them to buy you a pint that’s bang out of order.” followed by a laughing emoji. Despite overcoming De Sousa’s early challenge, Smith’s UK Open journey ultimately came to an end in the next round. The 36-year-old was narrowly beaten by Northern Ireland’s Josh Rock, who edged the thrilling fifth round encounter 10-9. Teenage sensation Luke Littler emerged victorious in the tournament dubbed the ‘FA Cup of Darts’, crushing James Wade 10-2 in the final to lift the trophy for the first time. Luke Littler added another title to his growing collection at Butlin’s MineheadGetty Meanwhile for Smith, his recent UK Open comes after his shock early exit at the PDC World Championship in December. He was was dumped out of the tournament by Filipino thrower Paolo Nebrida in the second round, losing 3-0. The furthest Smith has gone at the famous Alexandra Palace tournament is the round of 32, doing so in each of the three prior instalments. His career highlight so far is his 2022 European Championship victory, where he triumphed over 2023 PDC world champion Michael Smith in the final. Meanwhile, the Kent-born darts player also reached the quarter finals of the World Matchplay, as the last 16 of the Grand Slam and World Grand Prix last year.
Ross Smith has hit out at rival Jose de Sousa for his antics at the UK Open.
The darts world number 18 was on the receiving end of what he considered a lack of sportsmanship from De Sousa in the pair’s fourth-round clash at Butlin’s Minehead.
Despite claiming a 10-7 victory over the Portuguese, Smith took exception to his opponent having coins in his pocket.
With the UK Open welcoming 158 players over three days, both amateur and professional, much of the early-round match-ups take place away from the venue’s 5000-capacity main stage.
This included Smith and De Sousa’s battle, with the pair facing off in an upstairs room, which features six dart boards side-by-side.
And according to fellow PDC tour star Nathan Aspinall, Smith was left fuming with De Sousa for his behaviour in the encounter, believing the change in his pocket to be a distraction tactic.
‘The Asp’ had found himself within touching distance of the drama whilst taking on Martin Lukeman in his fourth-round clash.
In a recent interview with the Guardian, Aspinall said of the competition’s early rounds: “It’s carnage.
“I’ve got Ross Smith two yards to my right, arguing with José de Sousa because he’s got change in his pocket.”
And Smith has now had his say on the incident, taking to social media to respond to an article reporting upset at De Sousa.
He wrote on X: “Is it necessary to have loads of coins in your pocket for a game of darts?”
The Englishman was quick to receive support from his fans, with many agreeing that De Sousa’s tactics had been unsportsmanlike.
One user pointed out: “Not only that, his hand was straight into said pocket as he was walking to the back of the oche.”
To this, Smith replied: “It was, I could hear!”
Another supportive fan chimed in: “Unless he’s using them to buy you a pint that’s bang out of order.” followed by a laughing emoji.
Despite overcoming De Sousa’s early challenge, Smith’s UK Open journey ultimately came to an end in the next round.
The 36-year-old was narrowly beaten by Northern Ireland’s Josh Rock, who edged the thrilling fifth round encounter 10-9.
Teenage sensation Luke Littler emerged victorious in the tournament dubbed the ‘FA Cup of Darts’, crushing James Wade 10-2 in the final to lift the trophy for the first time.
Meanwhile for Smith, his recent UK Open comes after his shock early exit at the PDC World Championship in December.
He was was dumped out of the tournament by Filipino thrower Paolo Nebrida in the second round, losing 3-0.
The furthest Smith has gone at the famous Alexandra Palace tournament is the round of 32, doing so in each of the three prior instalments.
His career highlight so far is his 2022 European Championship victory, where he triumphed over 2023 PDC world champion Michael Smith in the final.
Meanwhile, the Kent-born darts player also reached the quarter finals of the World Matchplay, as the last 16 of the Grand Slam and World Grand Prix last year.
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