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 commanding performance. Following a quarter-final loss to Jonny Clayton just four days prior, which jeopardized his Premier League finals hopes, Humphries was defeated 6-4 by Andrew Gilding. Gilding then overcame Beau Greaves 6-3, after the 22-year-old made history as the first woman to reach a PDC ProTour quarter-final, beating Raymond van Barneveld and Premier League leader Clayton. However, Gilding's run ended with a 7-1 semi-final loss to Dobey, who had earlier thrashed Luke Woodhouse 6-1 and Richard Veenstra 6-3. Dobey went on to secure the £15,000 prize by defeating Justin Hood 8-4 in the final, coming back from a slow start to claim six of the next seven legs. With a 105.28 average, Dobey outperformed Hood's 102.91 average. "My goal is to win more titles, as it's difficult to win just one," Dobey said. "Winning ten is an incredible feeling. I'm looking forward to replicating this form on TV and in European Tour events, as I believe I have the ability to do so; it's all about consistency." The event in Wigan also witnessed a nine-darter by Thomas Lovely in his round three loss to Woodhouse. Key results from the tournament include: 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. The Premier League Darts continues every Thursday until May on Sky Sports, with Luke Humphries defending his title.