Dobey Dominates Players Championship as Humphries' Struggles Persist

Chris Dobey claimed his second title of 2026 at the Players Championship 9 in Wigan, while Luke Humphries' poor form continued with a last-16 exit. Humphries, who is fighting to reach the Premier League finals, was defeated 6-4 by Andrew Gilding, just four days after his quarter-final loss to Jonny Clayton in Brighton. Gilding's run was halted by Dobey in the semi-finals, after he had beaten Beau Greaves, who made history by becoming the first woman to reach a ProTour quarter-final. Dobey then overcame Justin Hood 8-4 in the final, claiming the £15,000 prize. Despite losing the first two legs, Dobey took control of the match, winning six of the next seven legs. He consistently produced high averages throughout the tournament, including a 105.28 average in the final. "I've been playing well all year, and I'm hoping to win more titles," said Dobey. "It's not easy to win one of these, so to win ten is a great feeling." Dobey aims to transfer his form to TV and the European Tour, saying, "I just want to be consistent and start winning on TV and in European Tour events. I know I can do it." The tournament also saw a nine-darter from Thomas Lovely in his round three defeat to Luke Woodhouse. The results from the last 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final are as follows: Last 16 - Tom Bissell 6-4 Krzysztof Ratajski, Connor Scutt 6-3 Steve Lennon, Tom Sykes 6-3 Martijn Dragt, Justin Hood 6-3 Mensur Suljovic, Beau Greaves 6-4 Joe Hunt, Andrew Gilding 6-4 Luke Humphries, Chris Dobey 6-1 Luke Woodhouse, Richard Veenstra 6-5 Kevin Doets. Quarter-finals - Connor Scutt 6-4 Tom Bissell, Justin Hood 6-0 Tom Sykes, Andrew Gilding 6-3 Beau Greaves, Chris Dobey 6-3 Richard Veenstra. Semi-finals - Justin Hood 7-3 Connor Scutt, Chris Dobey 7-1 Andrew Gilding. Final - Chris Dobey 8-4 Justin Hood. With the Premier League Darts title defense approaching, Luke Humphries will be looking to regain his form, and fans can watch the action every Thursday until May on Sky Sports.