Michael Smith interview: 'I've quit drinking to retain Sid Waddell Trophy, it belongs to me now'

The name Michael Smith is etched into a plaque at the base of the giant World Darts Championship trophy, and the current champion is staring at it in raptures.

As he did at Ally Pally back in January, the 33-year-old again lifts it aloft for the cameras but this time with his name officially alongside other greats of his sport.

"The last time there was no plaque on it, so seeing my name on it... little butterflies kick back in," said the Englishman. "I'm like a child again."

Before becoming world champion — twice previously he finished runner-up — he would never allow himself to touch it, his thinking being it was not his to lay his hands on.

"It didn't belong to me so I couldn't put my hands on it," he said. "But now it's different, it belongs to me now."

For how much longer, remains to be seen. He does, though, have the knowledge that, "I've done it before so I can do it again".

Things have not gone entirely to plan since. He won another tournament just a few days later and had early-season successes. But then the long runs in the televised tournaments evaporated, not that Smith is unduly fussed.

The explanation for the slump is an easy one. "I wasn't practising at all, all year. I just wanted to enjoy myself."

He took his wife, Dagmara, to Las Vegas for five nights and went on different holidays with her and the kids. On top of that, there were some late nights.

"I was going around my home town drinking with my mates and enjoying being champion," he said. "It caught up with me. It's my own fault, 10 months of not practising is my own fault. It's just me being lazy and enjoying myself."

Things have since shifted. Now, for half of the week he is the first one through the doors of his parents' St Helens pub but not with a view to another drinking session.

Instead, for four-and-a-half hours he takes to the oche with another rival for the title at Ally Pally in Nathan Aspinall. The other half of the week, he drives to Aspinall's house to practise. Each day, he is around for his kids' drop-off and pick-up.

Together, they never play 501 to avoid getting in each other's heads come competition. Instead, they usually end with a list of check-outs to land in sequence. One miss and they are back to the start again. And things are beginning to click.

"Practice is going well and I'm hitting everything I'm throwing at," he said. "It's not quite happened on stage yet but I know how to prepare for this event, I've made three finals in the past five years. But this is the World Championships and this is where you need your game."

Smith hit top form in beating Michael van Gerwen in the final a year ago, including a stunning leg in which he landed a nine-darter after his rival had missed out on doing the same with his final throw.

It led to messages from the Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos — the pair are still in touch — and the nine-dart clip being shown on Shaquille O'Neal's basketball show.

Refreshingly, he takes it all in his stride. He said: "It is mad but I've mostly kept myself out of it, I don't want the limelight. It's been hard as you can't leave the house at some points."

Smith loves being at home — a farm — and once he shuts the gates, he switches from being a darts player to a dad and husband. He loves separating the two and rarely talks about darts when not competition mode.

Darts was never his first love, that is still rugby league and St Helens. A former player in his youth, he broke his hip falling off his bike and so rugby was out. Watching his dad throwing darts, he had a go and the rest is history.

His older son has been league player of the season at his club two of the three seasons he has played, while his younger boy has scored 20 tries in five games at the time of talking. In addition, dad takes up his same spot at St Helens if not playing on the darts circuit.

But for now, the rugby is on hold — Super League not resuming until February, so too the holidays and late nights. For the next two-and-a-half weeks, the target is keeping ownership of the Sid Waddell Trophy.