Luke Humphries lands Players Championship 28 title to reclaim world number two spot

Luke Humphries secured his third ProTour title of the year at Players Championship 28 in Leicester on Wednesday to reclaim the world number two spot.

Humphries battled past Brendan Dolan 8-6 in the final at the Mattioli Arena to clinch a seventh Players Championship title.

The 31-year-old – featuring in only his ninth Players Championship event of the season – maintained his terrific ProTour form to secure his fifth individual title of the campaign.

Humphries suffered an opening round defeat against Cam Crabtree at Players Championship 27 on Tuesday, but avoided a repeat in Wednesday’s opener courtesy of a 6-4 victory over Belgium’s Mario Vandenbogaerde.

The 2024 World Champion then registered a magnificent 108.6 average in a 6-1 demolition of Tommy Lishman, but was then forced to survive match darts against both Bradley Brooks and Danny Noppert, with the Dutchman spurning six match darts in the latter stages of their Last 16 contest.

Humphries capitalised on his reprieve, overcoming Owen Bates in the quarter-finals, before averaging 99.9 to complete a 7-4 victory over a resurgent Mike De Decker in the semi-finals.

Having stunned world number one Luke Littler in the semi-finals, Dolan was bidding to complete an audacious double against the sport’s premier players in Leicester, establishing an early 3-2 lead in the final to threaten another major upset.

Nevertheless, Humphries responded with a merciless three-leg spell, registering successive 12-dart holds and converting an 83 checkout to create a two-leg advantage at 5-3.

Dolan fought back valiantly to reduce the deficit to a solitary leg, but only for Humphries to wrap up proceedings in style, following up his third 180 with another 12-darter to take the title.

“Three wins in a calendar year is really tough,” admitted Humphries, who leapfrogs Gian van Veen to regain his place in the world’s top two.

“I think this is three [Players Championship] titles out of nine, so I’m really pleased that I’ve come back after a long hiatus and I’m back playing well.

“I can’t lie and say today was easy. It was really tough and maybe I got away with a few results against Bradley [Brooks] and Danny Noppert.

“Sometimes I just think you’ve got to ride your luck and hopefully pick up the title, and today is a special day for me.

“This might give me some confidence going into the big majors, because Luke [Littler] is going to want to win everything, but I’m going to be the one trying to stop him!

“Hopefully in the next couple of weeks and months I can keep building on this.

“I’m going to get back on the practice board at home now and dedicate the rest of the year towards trying to be my best.”

Prior to his semi-final heroics against Littler, Dolan emerged through a host of gruelling encounters, kicking off his challenge with a 6-4 win over Germany’s Yorick Hofkens.

The 53-year-old then edged past Scott Williams and Sebastian Bialecki in last-leg deciders, while also claiming the scalps of Karel Sedlacek, Luke Woodhouse and Littler.

Littler pocketed £6,500 in his bid to qualify for November’s Players Championship Finals, averaging 107 and 100 in impressive wins against Martin Schindler and Krzysztof Ratajski respectively.

Nevertheless, the reigning World Champion was forced to recover from 4-2 down in his opener against Stephen Rosney, and he later survived a staggering six match darts to squeeze past Slovenia’s Benjamin Pratnemer.

Belgian number one De Decker completed the semi-final line-up, having recorded a first career victory over Michael van Gerwen along the way.

The former World Grand Prix champion launched his run by defeating Dirk van Duijvenbode, before later coming out on top in his all-Belgian quarter-final against Kim Huybrechts.

Huybrechts, Woodhouse and Ratajski were joined in the Last Eight by Bates – who dumped out top seed Wessel Nijman and averaged 103 in dispatching Justin Hood to cap off an excellent campaign.

Players Championship 28 Results

Wednesday August 26

First Round
Christopher Wickenden 6-3 Gabriel Clemens
Owen Bates 6-3 Adam Leek
Wessel Nijman 6-3 Nathan Potter
Adam Warner 6-3 Callan Rydz
Jeffrey De Zwaan 6-4 Joe Cullen
Justin Hood 6-5 Tommy Morris
Ryan Joyce 6-4 Jeffrey Sparidaans
Henry Coates 6-2 Scott Waites
Cristo Reyes 6-0 Chris Landman
Cam Crabtree 6-2 Rusty-Jake Rodriguez
Danny Noppert 6-0 Leon Weber
Keane Barry 6-5 Archie Self
Bradley Brooks 6-5 Daryl Gurney
Tom Sykes 6-2 Niall Culleton
Luke Humphries 6-4 Mario Vandenbogaerde
Tommy Lishman 6-1 Darryl Pilgrim
Jimmy van Schie 6-3 Mickey Mansell
Wesley Plaisier 6-3 Joe Hunt
Kevin Doets 6-5 Madars Razma
Martijn Dragt 6-2 Thibault Tricole
Michael van Gerwen 6-1 Ted Evetts
Arno Merk 6-3 Stefan Bellmont
Mike De Decker 6-4 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Samuel Price 6-5 Kai Gotthardt
Jeffrey De Graaf 6-4 Peter Wright
David Sharp 6-4 Lukas Wenig
Thomas Lovely 6-5 Jermaine Wattimena
Connor Scutt 6-5 Jack Tweddell
Kim Huybrechts 6-0 Steve Lennon
Lewis Pride 6-4 Rhys Griffin
William O’Connor 6-5 Adam Gawlas
Ian White 6-5 Alexander Merkx
Maik Kuivenhoven 6-5 Daniel Klose
Sietse Lap 6-5 Ricky Evans
Luke Woodhouse 6-1 Jim Long
Rob Owen 6-5 Alan Soutar
Cameron Menzies 6-3 Dennie Olde Kalter
Jurjen van der Velde 6-5 Harry Ward
Niels Zonneveld 6-3 Mervyn King
Daniel Ayres 6-3 Ritchie Edhouse
Karel Sedlacek 6-0 Ryan Meikle
Viktor Tingstrom 6-5 Christian Kist
Nathan Aspinall 6-2 Oskar Lukasiak
Ricardo Pietreczko 6-5 Marvin van Velzen
Sebastian Bialecki 6-5 Carl Sneyd
Nick Kenny 6-2 Tytus Kanik
Scott Williams 6-5 Andrew Gilding
Brendan Dolan 6-4 Yorick Hofkens
Andy Boulton 6-5 Beau Greaves
Tom Bissell 6-3 Tyler Thorpe
Chris Dobey 6-2 Cor Dekker
Shane McGuirk 6-4 Derek Coulson
Martin Schindler 6-1 Jack Aldridge
Michael Smith 6-1 Martin Lukeman
Luke Littler 6-4 Stephen Rosney
Benjamin Pratnemer 6-3 Dominik Gruellich
Richard Veenstra 6-2 Marvin Kraft
Darius Labanauskas 6-5 Stephen Burton
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-4 Stefaan Henderyck
Adam Paxton 6-5 Adam Lipscombe
James Hurrell 6-4 Dave Chisnall
Charlie Manby 6-5 Tavis Dudeney
Raymond van Barneveld 6-4 Niko Springer
Greg Ritchie 6-4 Filip Bereza

Second Round
Owen Bates 6-2 Christopher Wickenden
Wessel Nijman 6-4 Adam Warner
Justin Hood 6-3 Jeffrey De Zwaan
Ryan Joyce 6-2 Henry Coates
Cristo Reyes 6-3 Cam Crabtree
Danny Noppert 6-4 Keane Barry
Bradley Brooks 6-4 Tom Sykes
Luke Humphries 6-1 Tommy Lishman
Wesley Plaisier 6-4 Jimmy van Schie
Martijn Dragt 6-3 Kevin Doets
Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Arno Merk
Mike De Decker 6-1 Samuel Price
Jeffrey de Graaf 6-2 David Sharp
Thomas Lovely 6-2 Connor Scutt
Kim Huybrechts 6-5 Lewis Pride
William O’Connor 6-3 Ian White
Sietse Lap 6-5 Maik Kuivenhoven
Luke Woodhouse 6-2 Rob Owen
Cameron Menzies 6-1 Jurjen van der Velde
Daniel Ayres 6-2 Niels Zonneveld
Karel Sedlacek 6-1 Viktor Tingstrom
Ricardo Pietreczko 6-3 Nathan Aspinall
Sebastian Bialecki 6-1 Nick Kenny
Brendan Dolan 6-5 Scott Williams
Andy Boulton 6-5 Tom Bissell
Shane McGuirk 6-4 Chris Dobey
Martin Schindler 6-1 Michael Smith
Luke Littler 6-5 Benjamin Pratnemer
Richard Veenstra 6-1 Darius Labanauskas
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-0 Adam Paxton
Charlie Manby W-F James Hurrell
Greg Ritchie 6-5 Raymond van Barneveld

Last 32
Owen Bates 6-5 Wessel Nijman
Justin Hood 6-1 Ryan Joyce
Danny Noppert 6-3 Cristo Reyes
Luke Humphries 6-5 Bradley Brooks
Martijn Dragt 6-2 Wesley Plaisier
Mike De Decker 6-3 Michael van Gerwen
Jeffrey de Graaf 6-3 Thomas Lovely
Kim Huybrechts 6-4 William O’Connor
Luke Woodhouse 6-2 Sietse Lap
Daniel Ayres 6-4 Cameron Menzies
Karel Sedlacek 6-4 Ricardo Pietreczko
Brendan Dolan 6-5 Sebastian Bialecki
Andy Boulton 6-3 Shane McGuirk
Luke Littler 6-1 Martin Schindler
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-1 Richard Veenstra
Greg Ritchie 6-3 Charlie Manby

Last 16
Owen Bates 6-1 Justin Hood
Luke Humphries 6-5 Danny Noppert
Mike De Decker 6-3 Martijn Dragt
Kim Huybrechts 6-2 Jeffrey de Graaf
Luke Woodhouse 6-3 Daniel Ayres
Brendan Dolan 6-2 Karel Sedlacek
Luke Littler 6-3 Andy Boulton
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-2 Greg Ritchie

Quarter-Finals
Luke Humphries 6-4 Owen Bates
Mike De Decker 6-5 Kim Huybrechts
Brendan Dolan 6-4 Luke Woodhouse
Luke Littler 6-4 Krzysztof Ratajski

Semi-Finals
Luke Humphries 7-4 Mike De Decker
Brendan Dolan 7-4 Luke Littler

Final
Luke Humphries 8-6 Brendan Dolan