The Tsunami Unleashed: Benjamin Smith reaches JDC World Championships
Saturday 16 May 2026
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We are delighted to share some wonderful news about Ben Smith, son of Kathryn and Andrew, and a member of our parish family here at St Thomas of Canterbury, Billingham.
Ben only picked up a set of darts in July of last year. What has happened since is quite remarkable. It started at a friend's house. There was a dartboard in the garage, Ben had a go, and that was that. He thought he was no good at it, loved it anyway, and badgered his dad until a board went up at home. When his mam found a darts academy that could bring him on, he won last man standing the very first time he went.
Competing under the name "The Tsunami", he has taken the junior darts scene by storm. He currently sits top of the JDC North Series 5 leaderboard, with 14 titles from just 16 JDC Volt events entered, the rest a runner-up finish and a semi-final. Four ADC Vault wins show he adapts to different formats too.
His statistics speak for themselves. He posted an average of 109.98 in a final. In knockout stages he regularly tops 100, and across competitions he stays above 90. He frequently opens legs with three 140s.
At a national-level JDC Foundation Tour event in Ellesmere Port, he was the only player to hit an 11-dart leg, recorded the highest checkout of the day, and finished 12th in a field of 242. The big finishes come when they count: a maximum 170 checkout, match-winning finishes of 117 and 140, one of them against a Modus Super Series player. Playing for Cleveland County, he was named Man of the Match after averaging 91. He has even taken a leg off professional player Ryan Joyce.
Ben trains at St Mary's Darts Academy in Hartlepool and Billingham and is supported by the youth darts organisation Ruthless Darts. He throws three or four times a week and practises at the events too. At home he can be found doing phantom throws around the house, his hand moving while his head runs through the darts. The player he looks up to is Luke Littler. "Luke's mindset is unbeatable," Ben says. "Mindset is everything, and I try to think the same way." He has a favourite finish: bullseye, bullseye, then double sixteen for 132, which he likes for the drama of it. The friends around him keep him grounded. "They are very supportive. I'm very lucky."
The big competition
Recently, Ben travelled to the regional finals with one goal in mind: a place at the JDC World Championships in Gibraltar. In just under a year since first picking up a dart, he had worked his way to this point through sheer dedication and some standout performances. Would it all come together when it mattered most?
Kathryn (Ben's mam), Ben and Fr Adrian
It did.
The regional finals brought together the top 32 qualifying juniors, and Ben rose to the occasion. Across the entire event he played 23 legs and dropped just three, including a blistering 12-darter that stopped the room. The format was brutal: first to four legs, straight knockout, no margin for error.
He made it to the grand final. The tension was such that his grandma couldn't watch and spent the match pacing outside. Ben noticed none of it. "I'm totally focused. I'm one, two, even three moves ahead, working out the numbers I need and the bogey numbers to avoid." There is no routine, no superstition. He just gets on with it.
On the oche, things looked bleak. His opponent raced into a 2-0 lead. "I felt anxious," Ben admits. "There was a small fear I might lose and not make the world final this time. Then something happens. I focus, and I raise my game." The name fits. His dad came up with it, because Ben keeps coming back from two down to win, like a tidal wave. He won four legs in a row to take the title.
That victory qualified him for the Nationals and, bigger still, booked his place at the JDC World Championships in Gibraltar in November 2026. Kathryn and Andrew, we think it's fair to say, are just a little bit proud.
So what does he want from Gibraltar? "I want to get as far as I can and have a fantastic experience," Ben says. He knows he will be up against the best in the world. "I want to get my averages and do even better." Beyond that, the dream is a PDC Tour Card, the golden ticket of darts. Only 128 players hold one at any time, and it is the way into the elite level of the sport. He would like to make a living from the game and travel through Europe doing it. What matters most, though, is closer to home. "If I do my best and make my family and friends proud, then I've won."
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