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 resounding victory. Just four days after a quarter-final loss to Jonny Clayton, which put his Premier League finals hopes in jeopardy, Humphries was defeated 6-4 by Andrew Gilding. Gilding then overcame Beau Greaves 6-3, following her historic wins over Raymond van Barneveld and Premier League leader Clayton, becoming the first woman to reach a ProTour quarter-final.
However, Gilding's run was halted by eventual champion Dobey, who thrashed Luke Woodhouse 6-1 and Richard Veenstra 6-3 before securing the £15,000 prize with an 8-4 win over Justin Hood in the final. Dobey, despite losing the first two legs, went on to claim six of the next seven legs, ultimately triumphing with a 105.28 average. "My goal is to pick up more titles, and I'm confident in my abilities to do so," Dobey stated. "I played well throughout the day, and I'm thrilled with the win.
I now aim to translate this form to TV and the European Tour, focusing on consistency." The event also witnessed a nine-darter by Thomas Lovely in his round three loss to Woodhouse. Key results included 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 defeat Tom Bissell 6-4, while Chris Dobey overcame Richard Veenstra 6-3. The semi-finals featured Dobey's 7-1 win over Andrew Gilding and Justin Hood's 7-3 victory over Connor Scutt. The final saw Dobey emerge victorious, winning 8-4 against Hood.
With the Premier League Darts title defense on the line, Luke Humphries will look to regain his form, and fans can catch the action every Thursday on Sky Sports.