The Tsunami Unleashed: Benjamin Smith reaches JDC World Championships
Saturday 16 May 2026
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We are absolutely thrilled to celebrate the incredible achievements of Benjamin Smith. Ben is the wonderful son of Kathryn and Andrew and a cherished member of our Catholic family in St Thomas of Canterbury Parish, Billingham. Since picking up his darts in July of last year, Ben has progressed with astonishing speed. This is a great start to what promises to be a fantastic sporting journey. His progress is a brilliant testament to his hard work and natural talent.
Competing under the name "The Tsunami", Ben is already making massive waves in competitive play. He is firmly on the right track, currently sitting at the top of the JDC North Series 5 leaderboard. His record is truly a beacon of excellence for other young players. He has secured 14 titles from just 16 JDC Volt events entered, alongside a runner-up and a semi-final finish. Ben has also captured four ADC Vault event victories. This proves his wonderful ability to adapt and triumph across different competition formats.
His scoring statistics are deeply impressive. Ben recently recorded a phenomenal 109.98 average in a final. He frequently maintains an average over 100 across the knockout stages of his competitions and regularly produces consistent averages above 90. He has managed to unleash strong scoring bursts, frequently starting legs with scores of 140, 140, and 140. During a recent national-level JDC Foundation Tour event in Ellesmere Port, he was the only player to achieve an 11-dart leg. At that same competition, he recorded the highest checkout and finished a magnificent 12th out of 242 competitors.
Ben thrives under pressure and consistently elevates his game. He regularly hits massive checkouts, including the famous 170 finish. He has also secured match-winning finishes of 117 and 140. One of these high-pressure finishes defeated a Modus Super Series player. His talent extends to county darts, where he was awarded Man of the Match for hitting a 91 average while representing Cleveland County. He has even tested his skills against professional player Ryan Joyce and successfully took a leg from him.
He continues to weave a rich tapestry of skills at St Mary’s Darts Academy in Hartlepool and Billingham. Ben also receives wonderful support from the youth darts promotion organisation Ruthless Darts. This highlights the growing recognition he rightly commands within the sporting community.
The big competition
At the regional finals, Ben stepped into the pressure cooker of an elite battleground featuring the top 32 qualifying juniors. Navigating the seeded games with absolute precision, his tournament record was nothing short of spectacular: across the entire event, he played a staggering 23 legs and dropped just three, even unleashing a blistering 12-darter to stun the room. The brutal first-to-four-legs knockout format tested every ounce of his resolve as he battled his way to the grand final. The atmosphere was electric, and the tension was so unbearable that Ben’s Grandma had to wait outside, pacing the grounds as she was simply too nervous to watch. On the oche, disaster loomed as his opponent surged ahead to a daunting 2-0 lead. Staring down the barrel of defeat, "The Tsunami" lived up to his name. He mounted a ferocious fightback, sweeping four consecutive legs in a breathtaking display of nerve and skill to snatch the victory. This sensational comeback has not only qualified Benjamin for the Nationals, but has firmly secured his ticket to compete in the JDC World Championships in Gibraltar in November 2026. His mam and dad, Kathryn and Andrew, are so proud of their son.
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