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 secured his second title of 2026 with a commanding performance. Just four days after a quarter-final loss to Jonny Clayton in Brighton, which put his Premier League finals hopes in jeopardy, Humphries was defeated 6-4 by Andrew Gilding, failing to recover from his recent form dip. Gilding then proceeded to beat Beau Greaves 6-3, after the 22-year-old made history by becoming the first woman to reach a PDC ProTour quarter-final, achieving victories over Raymond van Barneveld and Premier League leader Clayton. However, Gilding's run was halted in the semi-finals with a 7-1 loss to the eventual champion Dobey, who had earlier thrashed 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 is 35 and from Northumberland, initially trailed 2-0 against Hood but regained control by winning six of the next seven legs. Throughout the tournament, Dobey consistently produced impressive ton-plus averages, including a 105.28 average in the final, which was enough to overcome Hood's spirited challenge and his average of 102.91. "My goal is to win more titles, given my performance this year," Dobey said. "Winning one of these tournaments is difficult, so winning 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 good fight with some great shots at crucial times, but I played well throughout the day, and I'm delighted with another win. "My aim now is to replicate this form on TV and win some European Tour titles. I know I have the ability, it's just about being consistent." The tournament in Wigan also witnessed a nine-darter, courtesy of Thomas Lovely, who achieved a perfect leg of darts in his round three defeat 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 results: 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 results: Justin Hood 7-3 Connor Scutt, Chris Dobey 7-1 Andrew Gilding Final result: 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 watch the action every Thursday until May on Sky Sports. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.