Dobey Dominates Players Championship as Humphries' Struggles Persist

Luke Humphries' recent woes continued with a disappointing last-16 exit at the Players Championship 9 in Wigan, where Chris Dobey claimed his second title of 2026 with a convincing 8-4 victory over Justin Hood in the final. Humphries, still reeling from a quarter-final loss to Jonny Clayton just four days prior, was unable to regain his footing and fell to Andrew Gilding 6-4. Gilding then proceeded to defeat Beau Greaves 6-3, after Greaves made history by becoming the first woman to reach a PDC ProTour quarter-final with wins over Raymond van Barneveld and Premier League leader Jonny Clayton. Gilding's impressive run ultimately came to an end with a 7-1 semi-final loss to Dobey, who consistently produced high averages throughout the tournament, including a 105.28 average in the final. Dobey overcame an early deficit to claim six of the next seven legs and secure the £15,000 prize. "My performance throughout the year has been strong, and I'm confident of winning more titles," Dobey said. "It's not easy to win one of these events, so to win ten is a fantastic feeling. I played well all day and I'm thrilled with the win. My goal now is to translate this form to TV and European Tour events, where consistency will be key." The tournament also saw a perfect leg of darts from Thomas Lovely in his round three loss to Luke Woodhouse. Notable results from the last 16 include Tom Bissell's 6-4 win over Krzysztof Ratajski, Connor Scutt's 6-3 victory over Steve Lennon, and Chris Dobey's 6-1 thrashing of Luke Woodhouse. Quarter-final results: Connor Scutt defeated Tom Bissell 6-4, Justin Hood beat Tom Sykes 6-0, Andrew Gilding overcame Beau Greaves 6-3, and Chris Dobey defeated Richard Veenstra 6-3. Semi-final results: Justin Hood defeated Connor Scutt 7-3, and Chris Dobey thrashed Andrew Gilding 7-1. The final saw Chris Dobey emerge victorious, winning 8-4 against Justin Hood. The Premier League Darts continues, with Luke Humphries defending his title. Catch the action every Thursday until May on Sky Sports, and stream darts and more top sports with NOW.