Dobey Dominates Players Championship as Humphries' Struggles Persist

Luke Humphries' poor form continued with a last-16 exit at the Players Championship 9 in Wigan, while Chris Dobey claimed his second title of 2026 with a convincing 8-4 victory over Justin Hood in the final. Humphries' woes deepened after a quarter-final loss to Jonny Clayton in Brighton, as he fell 6-4 to Andrew Gilding, who later lost to Dobey in the semi-finals. Beau Greaves made history by becoming the first woman to reach a PDC ProTour quarter-final, defeating Raymond van Barneveld and Premier League leader Clayton before losing to Gilding. Dobey's path to the title included a 6-1 win over Luke Woodhouse and a 6-3 victory over Richard Veenstra, with the 35-year-old from Northumberland producing impressive ton-plus averages throughout the tournament. In the final, Dobey recovered from a slow start to claim six of the next seven legs and secure the £15,000 prize, with a 105.28 average proving too much for Hood's spirited challenge. "My goal now is to translate this form into TV events and European Tour titles," Dobey said. "I've been playing well all year, and I'm confident I can maintain this level of performance. "I'm thrilled to have picked up another title, and I'm eager to build on this momentum. "Hood pushed me hard, but I played consistently well throughout the day, and I'm delighted with the outcome." The tournament also featured a nine-darter from Thomas Lovely in his round three loss to Woodhouse. Results: 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 The Premier League Darts title race is heating up, with Luke Humphries set to defend his crown. Catch the action every Thursday until May on Sky Sports, and stream darts and more top sports with NOW.