Luke Humphries' recent slump continued with a disappointing last-16 exit at the Players Championship 9 in Wigan, while Chris Dobey secured his second title of the year. Following a quarter-final loss to Jonny Clayton just four days prior, which jeopardized his chances of reaching the Premier League finals, Humphries was defeated 6-4 by Andrew Gilding. Gilding then went on to beat Beau Greaves 6-3, after the 22-year-old made history by becoming the first woman to reach a ProTour quarter-final, having overcome Raymond van Barneveld and Premier League leader Clayton. However, Gilding's run was halted by eventual champion Dobey in the semi-finals, who dominated 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 had lost the first two legs against Hood, regained control by winning six of the next seven legs. Throughout the tournament, Dobey consistently delivered ton-plus averages, culminating in a 105.28 average in the final, which proved sufficient to overcome Hood's spirited challenge, with the latter averaging 102.91. "My goal is to secure more titles, given my performance this year," Dobey stated.
"Winning one of these events is challenging, so claiming ten is an incredible feeling. Hood put up a good fight with some excellent shots at crucial times, but I played well throughout the day and am thrilled with the win. I aim to translate this success to TV and European Tour events by maintaining consistency." The tournament in Wigan also witnessed a nine-darter, courtesy of Thomas Lovely's perfect leg in his round three loss to Woodhouse. The 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 Tom Sykes' 6-3 win over Martijn Dragt.
The quarter-finals saw Connor Scutt defeat Tom Bissell 6-4, Justin Hood overcome Tom Sykes 6-0, Andrew Gilding beat Beau Greaves 6-3, and Chris Dobey triumph over Richard Veenstra 6-3. The semi-finals featured Justin Hood's 7-3 win over Connor Scutt and Chris Dobey's 7-1 victory over Andrew Gilding. The final match saw Chris Dobey secure an 8-4 win over Justin Hood. As the Premier League Darts approaches, Luke Humphries will be defending his title, with the action available to stream every Thursday until May on Sky Sports.