Dobey Dominates Players Championship as Humphries' Struggles Persist

Luke Humphries' poor run of form continued with a disappointing exit in the last 16 at the Players Championship 9 in Wigan, while Chris Dobey secured his second title of 2026 with a convincing victory. Just four days after his quarter-final defeat to Jonny Clayton in Brighton, which put his Premier League finals hopes in jeopardy, Humphries was unable to bounce back and suffered a 6-4 loss to Andrew Gilding. Gilding then went on to defeat Beau Greaves 6-3, after the 22-year-old made history by becoming the first woman to reach a PDC ProTour quarter-final, having beaten Raymond van Barneveld and Premier League leader Clayton. However, Gilding's impressive run was halted by eventual winner Dobey, who 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. 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 see off a spirited challenge from Hood, who averaged 102.91. "My goal is to win more titles, given my performance throughout the year," said Dobey. "Winning one of these events is difficult, so to have won ten is an incredible feeling. Stream Premier League Darts with NOW Premier League Darts schedule and table Latest darts videos and highlights Listen to the Love the Darts podcast "Hood put up a great fight with some exceptional shots at crucial times, but I played well throughout the day and I'm thrilled with another win. "My aim now is to replicate this form on TV and win some European Tour titles. I know I have the ability, it's just about being consistent." The tournament in Wigan also witnessed a nine-darter, courtesy of Thomas Lovely, who achieved a perfect leg of darts in his round three defeat 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 win this year's Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries will be defending his title and you can watch the action every Thursday until May on Sky Sports. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.