Dobey Dominates Players Championship as Humphries' Struggles Persist

Luke Humphries' slump in form continued with a disappointing last-16 exit at the Players Championship 9 in Wigan, while Chris Dobey claimed his second title of 2026 with a commanding performance. Just four days after his quarter-final loss to Jonny Clayton in Brighton, which put his Premier League finals hopes in jeopardy, Humphries was defeated 6-4 by Andrew Gilding. Gilding went on to beat Beau Greaves 6-3, after the 22-year-old made history by becoming the first woman to reach a PDC ProTour quarter-final with victories over Raymond van Barneveld and Premier League leader Clayton. However, Gilding's run was halted by eventual winner Dobey, who breezed past Luke Woodhouse 6-1 in the last-16 and Richard Veenstra 6-3 in the quarter-finals before overcoming Justin Hood 8-4 in the final to claim the £15,000 prize. Dobey, who is 35 and from Northumberland, initially lost the first two legs against Hood but then took control of the match by winning six of the next seven legs. Throughout the tournament, Dobey consistently produced impressive ton-plus averages, culminating in a 105.28 average in the final, which was enough to overcome Hood's spirited challenge and his average of 102.91. "My goal is to win more titles, given my performance this year," said Dobey. "Winning one of these events is challenging, so winning ten is an incredible feeling. He put up a good fight with some excellent shots at crucial times, but I played well all day and I'm thrilled with another win. I want to start performing on TV and winning European Tour titles. I know I can do it; it's just a matter of being consistent." The tournament in Wigan also saw a nine-darter, with Thomas Lovely achieving a perfect leg of darts in his round three defeat to Woodhouse. The results from the last 16 included Tom Bissell beating Krzysztof Ratajski 6-4, Connor Scutt defeating Steve Lennon 6-3, and Tom Sykes overcoming Martijn Dragt 6-3. In the quarter-finals, Justin Hood beat Tom Sykes 6-0, Andrew Gilding defeated Beau Greaves 6-3, and Chris Dobey overcame Richard Veenstra 6-3. The semi-finals saw Justin Hood beat Connor Scutt 7-3 and Chris Dobey thrash Andrew Gilding 7-1. The final result was Chris Dobey winning 8-4 against Justin Hood. With the Premier League Darts title defense approaching, Luke Humphries will be under pressure to perform, and fans can watch the action every Thursday until May on Sky Sports, with streaming options available on NOW.