Dobey Dominates Players Championship as Humphries' Struggles Persist

Luke Humphries' recent slump 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 convincing victory. Just four days after a quarter-final loss to Jonny Clayton in Brighton that put his Premier League finals aspirations in doubt, Humphries was unable to bounce back, falling 6-4 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 with wins over Raymond van Barneveld and Premier League leader Clayton. However, Gilding's run was halted in the semi-finals with a 7-1 loss to eventual champion Dobey, who earlier thrashed Luke Woodhouse 6-1 and Richard Veenstra 6-3 before overcoming Justin Hood 8-4 in the final to claim the £15,000 prize. Dobey recovered from a slow start, losing the first two legs to Hood, to claim six of the next seven and take control of the match. With a 105.28 average, Dobey consistently produced high-quality darts throughout the tournament, outdoing Hood's 102.91 average in the final. 'I'm hoping to pick up more titles, given my form this year,' said Dobey. 'Winning one is tough, so to win ten is an incredible feeling. He put up a great fight, 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 about being consistent.' The tournament in Wigan also saw a nine-darter, courtesy of Thomas Lovely in his round three loss to Woodhouse. Other notable results from the last 16 include Tom Bissell's 6-4 win over Krzysztof Ratajski, Connor Scutt's 6-3 victory over Steve Lennon, and Justin Hood's 6-3 win over Mensur Suljovic. The quarter-finals saw Connor Scutt defeat Tom Bissell 6-4, Justin Hood whitewash Tom Sykes 6-0, Andrew Gilding overcome Beau Greaves 6-3, and Chris Dobey beat Richard Veenstra 6-3. The semi-finals saw Justin Hood defeat Connor Scutt 7-3 and Chris Dobey thrash Andrew Gilding 7-1. The final match ended with Chris Dobey winning 8-4 against Justin Hood. With the Premier League Darts title defense on the line, Luke Humphries will be looking to regain his form, and fans can catch the action every Thursday until May on Sky Sports, also available to stream on NOW.