Martin Schindler seals first ProTour title at Players Championship 8

Martin Schindler secured his first ProTour title at Players Championship 8 in Hildesheim with an 8-1 demolition of Jeffrey De Graaf in the final on Tuesday.

The German number one has been making steady progress in the last 12 months, and now adds his first Players Championship crown to the brace of European Tour titles he won in 2024.

Schindler made light work of De Graaf in the final, charging into a 5-0 lead, before producing a clinical 126 checkout to move to the brink of victory – which was eventually sealed on double ten.

“If I’m honest, I haven’t played great today but I have managed to win my games and that is the most important thing I guess,” admitted Schindler.

“I always thought the first title I would win would be a Players Championship one, but then I got the two European Tour titles. I don’t care how they have come but I am so happy right now.”

Schindler was almost eliminated at the semi-final stage but survived two match darts from Dutch outsider Patrick Geeraets.

Geeraets led 6-3 and squandered two darts at double 16 for a place in his first ProTour final, only for Schindler to dig deep and win four legs on the spin to squeeze through.

“Fair play to Patrick but he wasn’t playing great, and I was just thinking I could be doing better,” added Schindler.

“I thought just give it a little bit more and maybe it will be enough. Like I said, I haven’t played great but I am very happy to now win my third title.”

The run to the final for Schindler started with a routine 6-3 win over George Killington, before the 28-year-old posted his highest average of the day (100.57) in defeating Danny Lauby 6-4.

Comfortable 6-3 wins followed over Robert Grundy and Mensur Suljovic, before he held his nerve by dispatching Kevin Doets in a last-leg decider and followed that up with the comeback victory over Geeraets.

De Graaf, featuring in his third Players Championship final, kicked off his campaign with a crushing 6-1 win over Andy Baetens with a 103 average.

Comfortable victories over Daryl Gurney, Berry van Peer and Ian White followed, and the Swede booked his place in the final by edging out Dylan Slevin in a deciding leg and overcoming Dom Taylor 7-4 in the semis.

It was largely a day of shocks in Germany, and by the Last 16 stage, just two of the world’s top 32 remained in the running.

Monday’s winner Gary Anderson suffered a Second Round exit at the hands of Scottish compatriot Greg Ritchie, with Peter Wright, Michael Smith and Dimitri Van den Bergh among the First Round casualties at Halle 39.

Perfection was struck once again as Germany’s Lukas Wenig fired in a nine-darter in his opening round clash with Dom Taylor.

Players Championship 8 Results

Tuesday March 18

First Round
William O’Connor 6-3 Gilbert van der Meijden
Scott Williams 6-3 Adam Paxton
Dave Chisnall 6-3 Chris Landman
Dylan Slevin 6-3 Pero Ljubic
Sebastian Bialecki 6-5 Peter Wright
Benjamin Reus 6-2 Dennie Olde Kalter
Niko Springer 6-3 Michael Smith
Matthew Dennant 6-2 Danny Jansen
Ryan Joyce 6-0 Kim Huybrechts
Ian White 6-4 Kevin Burness
Danny Noppert 6-2 Maximilian Czerwinski
Ricky Evans 6-1 Tim Wolters
Berry van Peer 6-5 Krzysztof Ratajski
Jitse Van der Wal 6-4 Thibault Tricole
Daryl Gurney 6-4 Tommy Lishman
Jeffrey De Graaf 6-1 Andy Baetens
Dom Taylor 6-4 Lukas Wenig – *Wenig hits a nine-darter*
Carl Sneyd 6-3 Marvin van Velzen
Ross Smith 6-4 Radek Szaganski
Jarno Bottenberg 6-2 Oskar Lukasiak
Luke Woodhouse 6-2 Adam Hunt
Mario Vandenbogaerde 6-1 Danny van Trijp
Cameron Menzies 6-2 Adam Gawlas
Bradley Brooks 6-3 Dominik Gruellich
Gabriel Clemens 6-2 Leon Weber
Justin Hood 6-5 Keane Barry
Ryan Searle 6-1 Connor Scutt
Tytus Kanik 6-5 Jeffrey Sparidaans
Kai Gotthardt 6-4 Jermaine Wattimena
Max Hopp 6-5 Rob Owen
Mickey Mansell 6-5 Wessel Nijman
Nick Kenny 6-3 Tom Sykes
Robert Grundy 6-4 Martin Lukeman
Graham Hall 6-5 Dimitri Van den Bergh
Martin Schindler 6-3 George Killington
Danny Lauby 6-2 Adam Lipscombe
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-2 William Borland
Mensur Suljovic 6-4 Christian Kist
Darren Beveridge 6-3 Joe Cullen
Jose De Sousa 6-4 Ryan Meikle
Kevin Doets 6-2 Haupai Puha
Martijn Dragt 6-3 Stefaan Henderyck
Damon Heta 6-4 Jim Long
Florian Hempel 6-2 Mervyn King
Darius Labanauskas 6-3 Madars Razma
Jelle Klaasen 6-4 Matt Campbell
Mike De Decker 6-2 Andy Boulton
Ted Evetts 6-4 Tom Bissell
Niels Zonneveld 6-3 Michael Flynn
Alan Soutar 6-5 Stefan Bellmont
Josh Rock 6-0 Cor Dekker
Karel Sedlacek 6-4 Stephen Burton
Raymond van Barneveld 6-1 Wesley Plaisier
Rhys Griffin 6-5 Tavis Dudeney
Ritchie Edhouse 6-5 Jimmy van Schie
Adam Warner 6-5 James Hurrell
Thomas Lovely 6-4 Ricardo Pietreczko
Darryl Pilgrim 6-3 Maik Kuivenhoven
Gian van Veen 6-2 Owen Bates
Patrick Geeraets 6-4 Rusty-Jake Rodriguez
Andrew Gilding 6-0 Steve Lennon
Richard Veenstra 6-4 Joshua Richardson
Gary Anderson 6-1 Brett Claydon
Greg Ritchie 6-3 Cam Crabtree

Second Round
William O’Connor 6-5 Scott Williams
Dylan Slevin 6-2 Dave Chisnall
Sebastian Bialecki 6-4 Benjamin Reus
Niko Springer 6-5 Matthew Dennant
Ian White 6-1 Ryan Joyce
Danny Noppert 6-4 Ricky Evans
Berry van Peer 6-5 Jitse Van der Wal
Jeffrey De Graaf 6-3 Daryl Gurney
Dom Taylor 6-4 Carl Sneyd
Ross Smith 6-2 Jarno Bottenberg
Mario Vandenbogaerde 6-4 Luke Woodhouse
Cameron Menzies 6-5 Bradley Brooks
Gabriel Clemens 6-5 Justin Hood
Ryan Searle 6-0 Tytus Kanik
Kai Gotthardt 6-2 Max Hopp
Nick Kenny 6-4 Mickey Mansell
Robert Grundy 6-1 Graham Hall
Martin Schindler 6-4 Danny Lauby
Mensur Suljovic 6-5 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Darren Beveridge 6-4 Jose De Sousa
Kevin Doets 6-4 Martijn Dragt
Damon Heta 6-3 Florian Hempel
Jelle Klaasen 6-4 Darius Labanauskas
Ted Evetts 6-2 Mike De Decker
Niels Zonneveld 6-4 Alan Soutar
Josh Rock 6-5 Karel Sedlacek
Raymond van Barneveld 6-4 Rhys Griffin
Ritchie Edhouse 6-5 Adam Warner
Darryl Pilgrim 6-1 Thomas Lovely
Patrick Geeraets 6-5 Gian van Veen
Andrew Gilding 6-4 Richard Veenstra
Greg Ritchie 6-4 Gary Anderson

Last 32
Dylan Slevin 6-5 William O’Connor
Sebastian Bialecki 6-3 Niko Springer
Ian White 6-2 Danny Noppert
Jeffrey De Graaf 6-2 Berry van Peer
Dom Taylor 6-4 Ross Smith
Mario Vandenbogaerde 6-5 Cameron Menzies
Ryan Searle 6-3 Gabriel Clemens
Nick Kenny 6-5 Kai Gotthardt
Martin Schindler 6-3 Robert Grundy
Mensur Suljovic 6-2 Darren Beveridge
Kevin Doets 6-4 Damon Heta
Ted Evetts 6-5 Jelle Klaasen
Niels Zonneveld 6-2 Josh Rock
Raymond van Barneveld 6-5 Ritchie Edhouse
Patrick Geeraets 6-3 Darryl Pilgrim
Greg Ritchie 6-3 Andrew Gilding

Last 16
Dylan Slevin 6-3 Sebastian Bialecki
Jeffrey De Graaf 6-3 Ian White
Dom Taylor 6-2 Mario Vandenbogaerde
Ryan Searle 6-3 Nick Kenny
Martin Schindler 6-3 Mensur Suljovic
Kevin Doets 6-3 Ted Evetts
Niels Zonneveld 6-5 Raymond van Barneveld
Patrick Geeraets 6-5 Greg Ritchie

Quarter-Finals
Jeffrey De Graaf 6-5 Dylan Slevin
Dom Taylor 6-5 Ryan Searle
Martin Schindler 6-5 Kevin Doets
Patrick Geeraets 6-4 Niels Zonneveld

Semi-Finals
Jeffrey De Graaf 7-4 Dom Taylor
Martin Schindler 7-6 Patrick Geeraets

Final
Martin Schindler 8-1 Jeffrey De Graaf