Dobey Dominates Players Championship as Humphries' Struggles Persist

Luke Humphries' slump continues after a disappointing last-16 exit at the Players Championship 9 in Wigan, where Chris Dobey secured his second title of 2026 with an impressive performance. Just four days after his quarter-final loss to Jonny Clayton in Brighton, which put his Premier League finals hopes in doubt, Humphries failed to bounce back and suffered a 6-4 defeat at the hands of Andrew Gilding. Gilding went on to defeat Beau Greaves 6-3, following her historic victories over Raymond van Barneveld and Premier League leader Clayton, making her the first woman to reach a PDC ProTour quarter-final. However, Gilding's run was cut short with a 7-1 semi-final loss to eventual champion Dobey, who earlier thrashed 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. The 35-year-old Northumberland native initially trailed Hood but regained control by winning six of the next seven legs. Throughout the tournament, Dobey consistently delivered 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. "Given my performance this year, I'm confident of winning more titles," Dobey said. "It's tough to win just one, so claiming ten is an incredible feeling. Stream Premier League Darts live on NOW Check the Premier League Darts schedule and standings Watch the latest darts videos and highlights Tune in to the Love the Darts podcast "Hood put up a great fight with some fantastic shots at crucial moments, but I played well throughout the day and I'm thrilled with another win. "My goal now is to replicate this form on TV and win some European Tour titles. I know I have the ability; it's all about consistency." The Wigan tournament also witnessed a nine-darter, courtesy of Thomas Lovely, who achieved a perfect leg in his round three loss to Woodhouse. Last 16 results: 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-final results: 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-final results: Justin Hood 7-3 Connor Scutt, Chris Dobey 7-1 Andrew Gilding Final result: Chris Dobey 8-4 Justin Hood Who will emerge victorious in this year's Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries will be defending his title, and you can catch the action every Thursday until May on Sky Sports. Stream darts and other top sports with NOW.