Dobey Dominates Players Championship as Humphries' Struggles Persist

Luke Humphries' recent slump continued with a last-16 exit at the Players Championship 9 in Wigan, where Chris Dobey secured his second title of 2026 with a commanding performance. Just four days after a quarter-final loss to Jonny Clayton in Brighton, which put his Premier League finals hopes in doubt, Humphries was defeated 6-4 by Andrew Gilding, unable to bounce back from his recent setbacks. Gilding went on to beat Beau Greaves 6-3, after Greaves made history as the first woman to reach a ProTour quarter-final, following victories over Raymond van Barneveld and Premier League leader Clayton. However, Gilding's run was halted in the semi-finals with a 7-1 defeat to Dobey, who had 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 overcame a slow start, losing the first two legs against Hood, to claim six of the next seven legs and take control of the match. Throughout the tournament, Dobey consistently produced high averages, culminating in a 105.28 average in the final, which proved too much for Hood's spirited challenge, as he averaged 102.91. "My goal now is to build on this success and pick up more titles," Dobey said. "Winning one of these events is tough, so to have won ten is an incredible feeling. I'm looking forward to translating this form to TV and the European Tour, where consistency will be key." The tournament in Wigan also witnessed a nine-darter, courtesy of Thomas Lovely in his round three defeat 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 beat Tom Bissell 6-4, Justin Hood whitewash Tom Sykes 6-0, Andrew Gilding overcome Beau Greaves 6-3, and Chris Dobey defeat Richard Veenstra 6-3. The semi-finals resulted in Justin Hood beating Connor Scutt 7-3 and Chris Dobey thrashing Andrew Gilding 7-1, setting up the final where Dobey emerged victorious, winning 8-4 against Hood. With the Premier League Darts title defense on the horizon, 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 with NOW.