Luke Humphries' slump continued with a disappointing last-16 exit at the Players Championship 9 in Wigan, where Chris Dobey claimed his second title of 2026 with a convincing performance. Following a quarter-final loss to Jonny Clayton just four days prior, which put his Premier League finals hopes in jeopardy, Humphries was defeated 6-4 by Andrew Gilding. Gilding then proceeded to beat Beau Greaves 6-3 after her historic run, becoming the first woman to reach a PDC ProTour quarter-final with victories over 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 and Richard Veenstra 6-3 before overcoming Justin Hood 8-4 in the final to secure the £15,000 prize. Dobey overcame a slow start against Hood, winning six of the next seven legs to take control. With a 105.28 average, Dobey outperformed Hood's 102.91 average.
"My goal is to win more titles, given my form this year," Dobey stated. "Winning one is challenging, so winning ten is an incredible feeling. I played well throughout the day and am thrilled with another win. I aim to replicate this success on TV and in European Tour events by maintaining consistency." The tournament also witnessed a nine-darter by Thomas Lovely in his round three loss to Woodhouse.
Other notable 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, Justin Hood beat Tom Sykes 6-0, Andrew Gilding overcome Beau Greaves 6-3, and Chris Dobey win 6-3 against Richard Veenstra.
In the semi-finals, Justin Hood edged Connor Scutt 7-3, while Chris Dobey dominated Andrew Gilding 7-1. The final match saw Chris Dobey triumph over Justin Hood 8-4. 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.