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 commanding victory. Just four days after a 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, after the 22-year-old made history by becoming the first woman to reach a PDC ProTour quarter-final, following wins over Raymond van Barneveld and Premier League leader Clayton. Gilding's run ultimately came to an end with a 7-1 semi-final loss to the eventual champion Dobey, who had earlier thrashed Luke Woodhouse 6-1 in the last 16 and overcome Richard Veenstra 6-3 in the quarter-finals, before beating Justin Hood 8-4 in the final to claim the £15,000 prize. Dobey, a 35-year-old 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 proved too much for Hood's spirited challenge, as he averaged 102.91.
"My performances this year give me hope that I can win more titles," Dobey said. "Winning one of these events is difficult, so to win 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 crucial shots, but I played well throughout the day and I'm thrilled with another win.
"My goal now is to start winning on TV and picking up European Tour titles. I know I have the ability, it's just about maintaining consistency." The tournament in Wigan also saw a nine-darter, with Thomas Lovely achieving 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 claim this year's Premier League Darts title? Luke Humphries will be defending his crown, and you can watch the action every Thursday until May on Sky Sports.
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