Dobey Dominates Players Championship as Humphries' Struggles Persist

Luke Humphries' woes 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. Four days after a quarter-final defeat to Jonny Clayton, Humphries failed to bounce back, losing 6-4 to Andrew Gilding. Gilding then defeated Beau Greaves, who made history as the first woman to reach a PDC ProTour quarter-final, before being knocked out by eventual winner Dobey in the semi-finals. Dobey's impressive run included a 6-1 win over Luke Woodhouse and a 6-3 victory over Richard Veenstra, setting up a final against Justin Hood, which he won 8-4 to claim the £15,000 prize. Despite a slow start, Dobey regained control, winning six of the next seven legs to seal the win. With a 105.28 average, Dobey outperformed Hood, who averaged 102.91. 'The way I've been playing this year, I'm hoping to win more titles,' said Dobey. 'It's hard to win just one, 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.' Dobey is now looking to replicate his success on TV and in European Tour events, saying, 'I just want to start doing it on TV and picking up some European Tour titles. I know I can do it; it's just about being consistent.' The tournament also saw a nine-darter from Thomas Lovely in his round three defeat to Woodhouse. The results from the last 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final are as follows: Last 16 - 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-finals - 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-finals - Justin Hood 7-3 Connor Scutt, Chris Dobey 7-1 Andrew Gilding. Final - Chris Dobey 8-4 Justin Hood. With the Premier League Darts underway, Luke Humphries will be defending his title, and fans can watch the action every Thursday until May on Sky Sports.