Luke Humphries' recent slump continued with a disappointing exit in the last 16 at the Players Championship 9 in Wigan, while Chris Dobey secured his second title of 2026 with a commanding performance. Humphries' hopes of reaching the Premier League finals took another hit just four days after his quarter-final loss to Jonny Clayton in Brighton, as he fell 6-4 to Andrew Gilding.
Gilding went on to defeat Beau Greaves 6-3, following her historic victories over Raymond van Barneveld and Premier League leader Clayton, which made her the first woman to reach a ProTour quarter-final in PDC history. However, Gilding's run was halted by eventual champion Dobey, 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 trailed 2-0 against Hood but regained control by winning six of the next seven legs, ultimately sealing the win with a 105.28 average, outpacing Hood's 102.91 average. "My goal is to win more titles, given my performance this year," Dobey stated.
"Winning one is tough, so claiming 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 focus now is on translating this form to TV and the European Tour.
I know I'm capable, it's just a matter of consistency." The event in Wigan also saw a nine-darter, with Thomas Lovely achieving a perfect leg in his round three loss 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-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 Who will emerge victorious in this year's Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries will be defending his title, and you can catch the action every Thursday until May on Sky Sports. Stream darts and more top sports with NOW.