Harley Smith enjoyed favourite status going into the boy's event, boosted by victories in the Carris and McGregor trophies earlier in the year, with 14-year-old Walton Heath member Kris Kim among the other contenders. "It's been a massive few months for my career. I think the best thing that happened to me was having a break after James Wade beat me at the World Championship. I said I'd come back with a vengeance and so far, so good." 'The Ferret' has established himself as one of the premier players in world darts by virtue of winning the Masters and Premier League this year, yet with both tournaments unranked, his current status as world No 13 is not reflective of his exploits. "There has to be a hotline. It is a ridiculous situation where people are happy to phone journalists to get it done. That's fine, it's part of the role of the media I think, but none of the systems work.