Nine-dart Chris Dobey lands third Players Championship title
Chris Dobey clinched the Players Championship 7 title with the aid of a nine-dart finish in Leicester on Monday.
Dobey became the seventh different winner in as many Players Championship events in 2024, running out an 8-4 winner over Josh Rock on a day which featured a trio of perfect legs.
The 33-year-old was one of three players to achieve perfection at the Mattioli Arena, before going on to register the second-highest average of his career in the semi-finals.
Earlier in the day, Dobey also landed a spectacular 170 checkout to triumph in a Second Round decider, and did not look back as he celebrated his fourth PDC title.
Dobey eased past Vincent van der Voort in his opener, before surviving match darts to end Mike De Decker’s hopes in an astonishing decider – sealing victory with the ‘big fish’ finish.
The Bedlington star then achieved perfection during his Third Round rout of Mickey Mansell, before averaging 106.7 to deny Kim Huybrechts in a high-quality Last 16 tie.
In the quarter-finals, Dobey accounted for Daryl Gurney – who also landed a nine-darter earlier in the day – and a stunning 109.6 average propelled him to a 7-3 success against Ross Smith in the semis.
This set up a showdown against former World Youth Champion Rock – who made a bright start to establish a 3-1 lead, despite a 108 checkout from Dobey in leg two.
However, the former Masters champion came roaring back to seal the £15,000 top prize, winning seven of the last eight legs to secure his third Players Championship title.
“I gave myself one task this year, which was to improve my floor game,” said Dobey, runner-up at Players Championship 4 in February.
“I think I’ve done that so far [this year]. I’m playing well, I’m going into games feeling confident, and if you’re confident, you can go a long way.
“I’ve just plodded on today. The first game against Vincent was a struggle, but after that I played consistently well, and I’m delighted to come out the winner.
“I finally broke into the top 16 after the World Championship and the aim is to stay there now. The hard work starts now, so dedication is the key.”
Rock was unable to end his 18-month wait for a ranking title, though the Northern Irishman reaffirmed his credentials with a series of sparkling displays.
The 22-year-old set the tone with a 108 average in his First Round thumping of Darren Beveridge, which he backed up with impressive wins over Scott Williams and World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall.
Rock continued his progress with hard-fought 6-4 wins over Ryan Searle and Thibault Tricole, while a mid-game burst saw him sweep aside Luke Woodhouse in the semi-finals.
Woodhouse maintained his bright start to 2024, while Ross Smith succumbed at the semi-final stage for a third consecutive Players Championship event.
The former European Champion won through deciding-leg ties against Masters champion Stephen Bunting and Premier League leader Luke Littler, only to crash out at the hands of an irrepressible Dobey.
It was also a landmark day for Thibault Tricole, who became the first French player to reach the quarter-finals of a PDC ranking event.
Tricole kicked off with victory over his World Cup partner Jacques Labre, while later dumping out Krzysztof Ratajski and Damon Heta en route to the Last Eight.
Ian White and Ryan Meikle also returned to form in Leicester, recording second round wins over Premier League duo Michael van Gerwen and Michael Smith to reach the quarter-finals.
Just days after celebrating his 60th birthday, Steve Beaton struck the day’s other nine-dart leg, albeit in a losing cause against James Hurrell in Round One.
Littler was the solitary Premier League star to progress beyond the Third Round, overturning a 5-4 deficit and surviving two match darts to edge out Luke Humphries and make it five wins in a row over the world number one.
Meanwhile, Gary Anderson suffered a shock First Round exit at the hands of Danish youngster Benjamin Drue Reus, while fellow former World Champions Peter Wright and Gerwyn Price also fell at the first hurdle.
Players Championship 7 Results
Monday April 8
First Round
Luke Humphries 6-3 Jurjen van der Velde
Gabriel Clemens 6-4 Dimitri Van den Bergh
Luke Littler 6-1 Keane Barry
Robbie Knops 6-4 Adam Hunt
Stephen Bunting 6-0 Joshua Richardson
Pascal Rupprecht 6-5 Martijn Dragt
Ross Smith 6-3 Mervyn King
William Borland 6-4 Nathan Rafferty
Benjamin Drue Reus 6-4 Gary Anderson
Chris Landman 6-0 Callan Rydz
Arron Monk 6-5 Raymond van Barneveld
Dom Taylor 6-5 Geert Nentjes
Michael Smith 6-4 Graham Usher
Ryan Meikle 6-2 Lee Evans
Andrew Gilding 6-5 Christian Perez
Jelle Klaasen 6-2 Josh Payne
Rob Cross 6-2 Owen Roelofs
Ritchie Edhouse 6-1 Paul Krohne
Jose De Sousa 6-4 Darryl Pilgrim
Jeffrey Sparidaans 6-2 Keegan Brown
Berry van Peer 6-1 Peter Wright
Robert Grundy 6-1 Lukas Wenig
Daryl Gurney 6-5 Stephen Burton
Jeffrey De Graaf 6-4 Niels Zonneveld
Kim Huybrechts 6-3 Gerwyn Price
Nick Kenny 6-5 Radek Szaganski
Jim Williams 6-4 James Wade
Tim Wolters 6-4 Callum Goffin
Danny Noppert 6-2 Boris Krcmar
Mickey Mansell 6-2 Rhys Griffin
Chris Dobey 6-1 Vincent van der Voort
Mike De Decker 6-2 Jitse Van der Wal
Dave Chisnall 6-3 Graham Hall
Mensur Suljovic 6-5 Leighton Bennett
Luke Woodhouse 6-0 Adam Warner
Owen Bates 6-2 Jeffrey De Zwaan
Ricardo Pietreczko 6-0 Adam Gawlas
Karel Sedlacek 6-0 Matt Campbell
Joe Cullen 6-4 Richard Veenstra
Ricky Evans 6-3 Jules van Dongen
Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Andy Baetens
Ian White 6-1 Steve Lennon
Daniel Klose 6-3 Martin Schindler
Patrick Geeraets 6-4 Jermaine Wattimena
Brett Claydon 6-5 Jonny Clayton
Robert Owen 6-1 Jamie Hughes
Rowby-John Rodriguez 6-3 Ryan Joyce
Michele Turetta 6-2 George Killington
Damon Heta 6-3 Martin Lukeman
Wessel Nijman 6-4 Andy Boulton
Brendan Dolan 6-5 Oskar Lukasiak
James Hurrell 6-3 Steve Beaton *Beaton hits a nine-darter*
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-3 Danny van Trijp
Kevin Doets 6-4 William O’Connor
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-5 Madars Razma
Thibault Tricole 6-3 Jacques Labre
Josh Rock 6-1 Darren Beveridge
Scott Williams 6-4 Stefan Bellmont
Nathan Aspinall 6-1 Mario Vandenbogaerde
Danny Lauby 6-1 Alan Soutar
Ryan Searle 6-5 Simon Whitlock
Dylan Slevin 6-5 Matthew Dennant
Gian van Veen 6-2 Haupai Puha
Maik Kuivenhoven 6-0 Aden Kirk
Last 64
Luke Humphries 6-4 Gabriel Clemens
Luke Littler 6-2 Robbie Knops
Stephen Bunting 6-3 Pascal Rupprecht
Ross Smith 6-0 William Borland
Chris Landman 6-0 Benjamin Drue Reus
Arron Monk 6-4 Dom Taylor
Ryan Meikle 6-4 Michael Smith
Jelle Klaasen 6-2 Andrew Gilding
Ritchie Edhouse 6-3 Rob Cross
Jose De Sousa 6-1 Jeffrey Sparidaans
Robert Grundy 6-2 Berry van Peer
Daryl Gurney 6-4 Jeffrey De Graaf – *Gurney hits a nine-darter*
Kim Huybrechts 6-2 Nick Kenny
Jim Williams 6-2 Tim Wolters
Mickey Mansell 6-4 Danny Noppert
Chris Dobey 6-5 Mike De Decker
Mensur Suljovic 6-5 Dave Chisnall
Luke Woodhouse 6-3 Owen Bates
Karel Sedlacek 6-4 Ricardo Pietreczko
Joe Cullen 6-3 Ricky Evans
Ian White 6-5 Michael van Gerwen
Daniel Klose 6-1 Patrick Geeraets
Brett Claydon 6-3 Robert Owen
Rowby-John Rodriguez 6-3 Michele Turetta
Damon Heta 6-0 Wessel Nijman
James Hurrell 6-5 Brendan Dolan
Kevin Doets 6-4 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Thibault Tricole 6-3 Krzysztof Ratajski
Josh Rock 6-3 Scott Williams
Nathan Aspinall 6-2 Danny Lauby
Ryan Searle 6-2 Dylan Slevin
Gian van Veen 6-1 Maik Kuivenhoven
Last 32
Luke Littler 6-5 Luke Humphries
Ross Smith 6-5 Stephen Bunting
Chris Landman 6-4 Arron Monk
Ryan Meikle 6-3 Jelle Klaasen
Ritchie Edhouse 6-0 Jose De Sousa
Daryl Gurney 6-0 Robert Grundy
Kim Huybrechts 6-5 Jim Williams
Chris Dobey 6-1 Mickey Mansell – *Dobey hits a nine-darter*
Luke Woodhouse 6-2 Mensur Suljovic
Karel Sedlacek 6-5 Joe Cullen
Ian White 6-4 Daniel Klose
Brett Claydon 6-3 Rowby-John Rodriguez
Damon Heta 6-4 James Hurrell
Thibault Tricole 6-3 Kevin Doets
Josh Rock 6-2 Nathan Aspinall
Ryan Searle 6-4 Gian van Veen
Last 16
Ross Smith 6-5 Luke Littler
Ryan Meikle 6-3 Chris Landman
Daryl Gurney 6-3 Ritchie Edhouse
Chris Dobey 6-3 Kim Huybrechts
Luke Woodhouse 6-3 Karel Sedlacek
Ian White 6-3 Brett Claydon
Thibault Tricole 6-5 Damon Heta
Josh Rock 6-4 Ryan Searle
Quarter-Finals
Ross Smith 6-4 Ryan Meikle
Chris Dobey 6-4 Daryl Gurney
Luke Woodhouse 6-3 Ian White
Josh Rock 6-4 Thibault Tricole
Semi-Finals
Chris Dobey 7-3 Ross Smith
Josh Rock 7-3 Luke Woodhouse
Final
Chris Dobey 8-4 Josh Rock
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Chris Dobey enjoys dream Premier League Darts debut with victory in Belfast
Chris Dobey enjoyed a dream start to his debut Premier League Darts campaign by winning Night One of the competition in Belfast.
Just four days on from the landmark Masters triumph which secured him a place in the Premier League, Dobey continued his winning run to scoop the £10,000 bonus at The SSE Arena.
The 32-year-old recorded a hat-trick of wins to get his campaign off to the perfect start, denying reigning champion Michael van Gerwen in a dramatic final.
Dobey, who featured as a Challenger in the 2020 and 2021 editions of the Premier League, opened up with a 6-3 defeat of world number two Peter Wright, before seeing off Nathan Aspinall 6-4 in the Semi-Finals.
A captivating final, which saw Dobey land a 170 checkout in the second leg, went all the way to a deciding leg, with Dobey landing a sensational 160 checkout to pick up maximum points and top the early table.
“I’m living the dream,” said a delighted Dobey. “The 160 checkout had to go because Michael was waiting on 127 and he’s well capable of taking that out.
“Michael has got a great record against me, and it gets in your head but I knew I could do it after beating him on TV for the first time at the European Championship.
“I know what I can do, and right now my confidence is sky high.
“I felt that I deserved my place in the tournament, I didn’t have anything to prove to myself but I think I’ve proved a few people wrong tonight.
“I’m getting a taste of it now and I love it. I want to be here all the time.”
Van Gerwen picks up three league points thanks to victories over Michael Smith – in their first meeting since the World Championship final – and Dimitri Van den Bergh.
The Dutchman averaged 102.4 in a 6-3 success over Smith, before averaging 106 in his 6-4 victory over Van den Bergh.
Semi-finalists Aspinall and Van den Bergh leave Belfast with two points apiece courtesy of Quarter-Final wins over Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton respectively.
A below-par Price averaged just 91.3 in a slow start to the competition, while Clayton was punished for just 22 per cent on the doubles despite averaging 101 in a 6-2 defeat.
The Premier League roadshow heads to the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff next Thursday for Night Two of the competition.
Premier League Darts 2023 Night One Results
Night One – Thursday February 2
The SSE Arena, Belfast
7pm-11pm
Quarter-Finals
Dimitri Van den Bergh 6-2 Jonny Clayton
Michael Smith 3-6 Michael van Gerwen
Peter Wright 3-6 Chris Dobey
Nathan Aspinall 6-4 Gerwyn Price
Semi-Finals
Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Dimitri van den Bergh
Chris Dobey 6-4 Nathan Aspinall
Final
Chris Dobey 6-5 Michael van Gerwen
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Chris Dobey clinches maiden televised title at The Masters
Chris Dobey secured his first televised title at the 2023 Cazoo Masters courtesy of an 11-7 victory over Rob Cross in the final in Milton Keynes.
Dobey, appearing in his first televised final, continued his big stage progress to scoop the £65,000 top prize with a hard-fought win over former World Champion Cross at the Marshall Arena.
The 32-year-old, who dumped out reigning champion Joe Cullen and fifth seed Luke Humphries to reach the Last Eight, continued his fine form on Sunday to create a slice of personal history.
Dobey dispatched Dirk van Duijvenbode in Sunday’s opening Quarter-Final, winning seven of the last eight legs to complete a convincing 10-5 victory.
The Bedlington ace then produced another late surge to claim the scalp of World Champion Michael Smith in the Semi-Finals, wrapping up an 11-7 win to break new ground on the big stage.
Dobey punished a sluggish start from Cross to establish an early cushion in the final, but ‘Voltage’ replied with legs of 15 and 12 darts to draw level at two apiece.
The next four legs went with throw – featuring a classy 126 combination from Cross in leg six – before Dobey fired in back-to-back 14-darters to restore his two-leg buffer at 6-4.
The pair then traded holds before a brilliant two-leg burst from Dobey moved him to the brink of a victory, as he followed up an 11-dart hold with a brilliant tops-tops finish to complete a 100 checkout.
Cross conjured up a majestic 144 finish to reduce the deficit to 7-9, but Dobey was undeterred, registering a 13-dart hold before pinning double 16 to prevail, having almost sealed the deal with a spectacular 170 checkout.
“This means the world to me. My first TV title – I’ve got no words really,” said an emotional Dobey.
“I’ve played pretty consistently all tournament. I think I deserve this title but I’ve got it now, and nobody can take this away from me.
“I think I’ve beaten all the lads that are in form. Obviously Joe won this title last year, Luke has been in form, Dirk has been in form. Michael Smith – World Champion. You can’t pick a tougher line-up than that.
“I believe I can go on to win more titles. My finishing has been brilliant and I’m just delighted to get this win. It means a lot.”
Cross was unable to lift his sixth televised title in Milton Keynes, but produced a string of impressive displays to claim the £30,000 runner-up prize.
The 2018 World Champion accounted for three multiple World Champions in his run to the final, posting a sensational 112.3 average – the second highest in Masters history – in his opening round win over Gary Anderson.
Cross then produced a high-quality display to dump out five-time Masters winner Michael van Gerwen in the last eight, before edging out 2020 champion Peter Wright in the Semi-Finals.
The sixth seed converted 110 and 127 finishes in consecutive legs to move 10-8 ahead, but Wright recovered to force a last-leg shoot-out, only to squander three match darts in a dramatic deciding-leg.
The Scot was unable to make it back-to-back televised titles following his Nordic Masters success last weekend, despite powering past 2021 champion Jonny Clayton in the quarter-finals.
Sunday’s other Quarter-Final saw Smith avenge his defeat to Danny Noppert in last year’s UK Open final, courtesy of a 103 average, seven 180s and a 50% doubling success rate.
Dobey’s triumph throws him into contention for a place in this year’s Premier League, with the line-up set to be announced on Monday morning.
On the prospect of a debut appearance in the Premier League, Dobey admitted: “I’ll be ready for whatever’s thrown at me.
“To get that dream of playing in Newcastle again would mean the world.
“I think I could be ready for it. The last two years it’s been given to the winner [of The Masters], that’s the only thing that would disappoint me.”
Cazoo Masters 2023 Day Three Results
Sunday January 29
Afternoon Session
Quarter-Finals
Dirk van Duijvenbode 5-10 Chris Dobey
Michael Smith 10-5 Danny Noppert
Peter Wright 10-6 Jonny Clayton
Michael van Gerwen 7-10 Rob Cross
Evening Session
Semi-Finals
Chris Dobey 11-7 Michael Smith
Rob Cross 11-10 Peter Wright
Final
Chris Dobey 11-7 Rob Cross
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Dobey handed Grand Slam of Darts call-up after Van den Bergh ruled out
Dimitri Van den Bergh has been ruled out of the 2021 Grand Slam of Darts and will be replaced by Chris Dobey.
Last year’s World Matchplay winner Van den Bergh has received a positive test result for Covid-19 and is subsequently self-isolating in Belgium.
As a result, he will not be able to compete in the Grand Slam of Darts, which begins on Saturday at the Aldersley Leisure Village in Wolverhampton.
Van den Bergh will be replaced directly in Group D by the next highest-ranked player from the same qualification criteria – in this case double Players Championship winner Dobey.
Dobey reached the Quarter-Finals on his Grand Slam debut at the Wolves Civic in 2016 – his only previous appearance in the event to date.
The world number 29 will take on Rowby-John Rodriguez in his opening group match on Saturday afternoon and also joins Stephen Bunting and fellow Tynesider Ryan Joyce in Group D.
The field is comprised of PDC tournament winners and finalists from the last 12 months, as well as various Order of Merit winners and Tour Card holder, Development Tour and Challenge Tour qualifiers.
This year’s Grand Slam of Darts will be the first since the event began in 2007 not to feature any BDO/WDF representatives.
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Dobey doubles his title tally for 2021 at Players Championship 28
Chris Dobey picked up his second ranking title of 2021 at Players Championship 28 in Barnsley on Tuesday with an 8-6 victory over Ryan Searle in the final.
The Bedlington ace won his maiden ProTour event in July and added a second £10,000 title in the first of three events this week at PDC Super Series 8 at the Barnsley Metrodome.
The 31-year-old recorded his first 110-plus average on the circuit during a sensational 7-4 Semi-Final defeat of Rob Cross – who averaged 112.95 to his conqueror’s 111.73.
Dobey also averaged over a ton against Maik Kuivenhoven, Darren Webster and Jose de Sousa, and also saw off World Youth Champion Bradley Brooks and Gavin Carlin en route to glory.
His form continued into the final, breaking Searle’s throw immediately and then doubling his lead, before responding to a 14-darter from the Somerset ace with legs of 12 and 14 darts to move 4-1 ahead.
Searle landed an 11-darter as he took the next two to cut the gap to one leg, only to see Dobey pull out to 6-3 with a 121 bull finish for a 12-darter.
Searle then missed double 12 for a nine-dart finish in leg ten, taking the leg in 11 darts and then firing in tops as he moved within touching distance at 6-5.
Crucially, though, he missed a dart at double ten to level in leg 12, and though Searle landed tops to stay in the game at 7-6, Dobey closed out victory on double ten.
“I’m delighted to get the win,” said Dobey. “I’ve been playing well for the last month or so, I’ve been very comfortable with my game and the practice is paying off.
“It’s hard to keep that consistency throughout the day, and I felt I’ve dealt with it well today.
“I’ve taken my practice game to the board now. My floor game is what’s been letting me down for the past few years – I’ve played well on TV the majority of the time and it’s just getting that floor game right.
“You’ve seen it with Dimi. He couldn’t do much on the floor and he’s turned his game around massively, and hopefully I can learn from Dimi and fly up the rankings.”
Dobey could still claim automatic qualification for the Grand Slam of Darts by winning another Players Championship this week, and admitted: “It would be a great achievement for me.
“I’ve only played in the Grand Slam once and it was a great tournament – I got to the quarter-finals. Just to get a taste of that will be nice, but I’m just happy with my game.
“If I play like I have today, I’ll be hard to beat.”
Searle was also in outstanding form, averaging 110.5 in his Last 32 win over Jamie Hughes and defeating both Chas Barstow and Gabriel Clemens in deciding legs.
He also overcame Dave Chisnall 7-4 in the Semi-Finals but was denied a third ranking title – and a second Players Championship success of 2021.
“I’ve got no complaints,” admitted Searle. “I’m playing decent darts and Chris is playing well as well.
“He played awesome all day and I’ll try my best over the next few days. That’s all you can do.”
Cross – the Players Championship 26 winner last month – produced some outstanding darts in his run to the Semi-Finals, including a 109 average in a 6-5 defeat over Stephen Bunting in one of three matches he won in a deciding leg.
Chisnall had been bidding to claim his first title of the season, and he swept past Michael van Gerwen 6-2 with a 102 average in the Quarter-Finals to follow up earlier defeats of Max Hopp, Ritchie Edhouse, Alan Tabern and Danny Noppert.
Gabriel Clemens landed a nine-darter in the deciding leg of his Third Round win over Ross Smith during his run to the Quarter-Finals.
Scott Waites posted the day’s other nine-darter during his First Round clash with Daryl Gurney, though it was the Northern Irishman who took victory.
Alan Soutar knocked out former World Champions Peter Wright and Raymond van Barneveld as well as Krzysztof Ratajski as he reached the Last Eight.
A day of some incredible displays also saw Callan Rydz record a personal best 117.37 average in his Second Round win over Lisa Ashton and Joe Cullen post a 112.53 average in the Second Round against Jason Heaver.
Former Premier League champion Glen Durrant withdrew during his first round tie with Davy Proosten and has opted not to compete in Wednesday and Thursday’s final Players Championship events.
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Players Championship 28 Results
Tuesday November 2
First Round
Michael Smith 6-3 Boris Krcmar
Mike De Decker 6-5 Florian Hempel
Jermaine Wattimena 6-3 Steve Beaton
William Borland 6-5 Luc Peters
Ross Smith 6-3 Andy Boulton
Ricky Evans 6-1 Jon Worsley
Gabriel Clemens 6-5 Andrew Gilding
Steve West 6-2 Josh Payne
Ryan Searle 6-4 Gary Blades
Chas Barstow 6-1 James Wilson
Jamie Hughes 6-5 Mervyn King
Jesus Noguera 6-4 Lewis Williams
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-2 Jim McEwan
Nick Kenny 6-3 Boris Koltsov
Adrian Lewis 6-2 Ciaran Teehan
Adam Hunt 6-3 Ryan De Vreede
Joe Cullen 6-3 Kevin McDine
Jason Heaver 6-5 Rowby-John Rodriguez
Martin Schindler 6-3 Steve Lennon
Madars Razma 6-3 Lukas Wenig
Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Matthew Edgar
Ian White 6-4 Keegan Brown
Kai Fan Leung 6-5 Vincent van der Voort
Eddie Lovely 6-5 David Evans
Alan Tabern 6-4 Brendan Dolan
Wayne Jones 6-1 Martin Thomas
Dave Chisnall 6-3 Max Hopp
Ritchie Edhouse 6-3 John Brown
Callan Rydz 6-5 Darius Labanauskas
Lisa Ashton 6-3 Ted Evetts
Danny Noppert 6-4 Matt Jackson
Ryan Meikle 6-4 Joe Murnan
Jose de Sousa 6-3 Jelle Klaasen
Mickey Mansell 6-0 Martijn Kleermaker
Kim Huybrechts 6-1 Gary Anderson
Peter Jacques 6-0 Jake Jones
Danny Baggish 6-1 James Wade
Brett Claydon 6-1 Martin Atkins
Nathan Aspinall 6-1 Geert De Vos
Kevin Doets 6-2 Mark McGeeney
Scott Mitchell 6-3 Damon Heta
Darren Webster 6-2 Jeffrey De Zwaan
Chris Dobey 6-2 Maik Kuivenhoven
Gavin Carlin 6-3 Devon Petersen
Bradley Brooks 6-4 Dimitri Van den Bergh
Jack Main 6-3 Adam Gawlas
Daryl Gurney 6-3 Scott Waites – *Waites hits a nine-darter*
Jason Lowe 6-3 Gordon Mathers
Peter Wright 6-5 Simon Whitlock
Peter Hudson 6-4 Sean Fisher
Raymond van Barneveld 6-3 Berry van Peer
Alan Soutar 6-1 Andy Hamilton
Luke Woodhouse 6-2 Luke Humphries
William O’Connor 6-4 Martin Lukeman
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-3 Ryan Murray
Mensur Suljovic 6-1 Krzysztof Kciuk
Jonny Clayton 6-3 Richard Veenstra
Karel Sedlacek 6-1 Lorenzo Pronk
Ryan Joyce 6-3 John Henderson
Steve Brown 6-3 Ron Meulenkamp
Rob Cross 6-5 Rusty-Jake Rodriguez
Keane Barry 6-5 Niels Zonneveld
Stephen Bunting 6-2 Aaron Beeney
Davy Proosten W-F Glen Durrant
Second Round
Mike De Decker 6-3 Michael Smith
William Borland 6-5 Jermaine Wattimena
Ross Smith 6-2 Ricky Evans
Gabriel Clemens 6-1 Steve West
Ryan Searle 6-5 Chas Barstow
Jamie Hughes 6-1 Jesus Noguera
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-4 Nick Kenny
Adam Hunt 6-5 Adrian Lewis
Joe Cullen 6-1 Jason Heaver
Martin Schindler 6-3 Madars Razma
Michael van Gerwen 6-2 Ian White
Eddie Lovely 6-5 Kai Fan Leung
Alan Tabern 6-4 Wayne Jones
Dave Chisnall 6-4 Ritchie Edhouse
Callan Rydz 6-1 Lisa Ashton
Danny Noppert 6-0 Ryan Meikle
Jose de Sousa 6-2 Mickey Mansell
Peter Jacques 6-1 Kim Huybrechts
Brett Claydon 6-2 Danny Baggish
Kevin Doets 6-5 Nathan Aspinall
Darren Webster 6-5 Scott Mitchell
Chris Dobey 6-4 Gavin Carlin
Bradley Brooks 6-4 Jack Main
Jason Lowe 6-4 Daryl Gurney
Peter Wright 6-0 Peter Hudson
Alan Soutar 6-5 Raymond van Barneveld
Luke Woodhouse 6-5 William O’Connor
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-3 Mensur Suljovic
Karel Sedlacek 6-2 Jonny Clayton
Ryan Joyce 6-1 Steve Brown
Rob Cross 6-4 Keane Barry
Stephen Bunting 6-2 Davy Proosten
Losers: £500
Last 32
Mike De Decker 6-5 William Borland
Gabriel Clemens 6-5 Ross Smith – *Clemens hits a nine-darter*
Ryan Searle 6-4 Jamie Hughes
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-3 Adam Hunt
Joe Cullen 6-4 Martin Schindler
Michael van Gerwen 6-1 Eddie Lovely
Dave Chisnall 6-3 Alan Tabern
Danny Noppert 6-5 Callan Rydz
Jose de Sousa 6-2 Peter Jacques
Kevin Doets 6-1 Brett Claydon
Chris Dobey 6-2 Darren Webster
Bradley Brooks 6-5 Jason Lowe
Alan Soutar 6-4 Peter Wright
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-4 Luke Woodhouse
Ryan Joyce 6-3 Karel Sedlacek
Rob Cross 6-5 Stephen Bunting
Losers: £1,000
Last 16
Gabriel Clemens 6-2 Mike De Decker
Ryan Searle 6-2 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Joe Cullen
Dave Chisnall 6-2 Danny Noppert
Jose de Sousa 6-4 Kevin Doets
Chris Dobey 6-1 Bradley Brooks
Alan Soutar 6-4 Krzysztof Ratajski
Rob Cross 6-5 Ryan Joyce
Losers: £1,500
Quarter-Finals
Ryan Searle 6-5 Gabriel Clemens
Dave Chisnall 6-2 Michael van Gerwen
Chris Dobey 6-2 Jose de Sousa
Rob Cross 6-1 Alan Soutar
Losers: £2,250
Semi-Finals
Ryan Searle 7-4 Dave Chisnall
Chris Dobey 7-4 Rob Cross
Losers: £3,000
Final
Chris Dobey 8-6 Ryan Searle
Winner: £10,000
Runner-up: £6,000
Dobey claims first PDC ranking title at Players Championship 18
Chris Dobey secured his first PDC ranking title at Players Championship 18 in Coventry with a dramatic 8-7 victory over Jose De Sousa in the final.
Dobey, who had lost in four previous finals, survived eight missed match darts from De Sousa before getting over the line in a nail-biting decider.
The £10,000 top prize moves the Bedlington ace into the provisional qualification places for the Betfred World Matchplay, having started the week more than £8,000 adrift of the final spot.
“To finally get a title means the world,” said Dobey. “I’m happy with today – I’ve played solid all day.
“I’ve played in local competitions and last-leg deciders have been my game, and I’ve proven it today. I was down and out against Willie Borland, same against Stephen Bunting.
“I don’t think I’ve ever lost against Jose – I’ve got a great record.
“I’ve never been so nervous in my life going for those doubles [at the end of the final]. They weren’t far away but he missed doubles, he probably should have won but I’ve done it now.
“I’ve had the experience of being in finals before but I haven’t got over that winning line.
“I’ve said for a long time now that once I get that first one then hopefully I can get some more under my belt.”
Dobey dropped just two legs in wins over Jeff Smith and Luke Humphries – averaging over 105 in his opener – and had to come through a deciding leg against William Borland to reach the Last 16.
There, he defeated Premier League champion Jonny Clayton 6-3, before edging out Monday’s winner Stephen Bunting and Dutchman Maik Kuivenhoven 6-5 and 7-6 respectively with averages of 105.6 and 107.3.
Dobey raced into a 3-0 lead in the final in just 43 darts but De Sousa found his range as legs of 11, 11, 12 and 14 darts saw him level at four-all.
Dobey edged back in front on double ten, but the Grand Slam champion levelled again by finishing 96 and then produced a 12-darter to break throw and lead for the first time at 6-5.
Dobey replied with a maxumum and double two, but saw De Sousa move 7-6 up with a clinical 122 checkout to move to the brink of a fourth title of 2021.
However, the Portuguese star missed double 18 and three darts at double nine in the next leg as Dobey saved the game on double eight, before De Sousa saw a dart at the bull for a 170 finish in the decider also go begging.
Dobey then missed two match darts at tops, but De Sousa was off-target with three more attempts – this time at double 15 – to hand the Bedlington ace a reprieve, which he grabbed on tops.
De Sousa had come from 6-4 down in the Semi-Finals against Ryan Searle to claim the last three legs, surviving three missed match darts from the Englishman and taking out 152 and 107 to book his spot in the decider.
He also defeated Darius Labanauskas in a deciding leg, but dropped just a total of six legs in other wins over Mervyn King, Steve Lennon, Jelle Klaasen and Adam Gawlas.
Searle and Kuivenhoven were narrow Semi-Final losers, while King and Bunting were joined in the Quarter-Finals by Scott Mitchell and Croatia’s Boris Krcmar – who recorded a memorable win over World Champion Gerwyn Price along the way.
Players Championship 18 also featured the rare achievement of nine-dart finishes from both players in the same match as Danny Noppert and then Martin Atkins landed perfect legs in their Second Round tie – which Dutchman Noppert won 6-3.
Wednesday sees the 128-player field return for Players Championship 19 at the Coventry Building Society Arena from 12pm BST.
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Players Championship 18 Results
Tuesday July 6
First Round
José de Sousa 6-2 Adam Gawlas
Jelle Klaasen 6-2 Mike De Decker
Martin Lukeman 6-1 Madars Razma
Steve Lennon 6-5 David Evans
Rob Cross 6-1 Simon Whitlock
Darius Labanauskas 6-4 Matthew Edgar
Dave Chisnall 6-3 Boris Koltsov
John Henderson 6-0 Geert Nentjes
James Wade 6-4 Karel Sedlacek
Jim McEwan 6-4 Bradley Brooks
Vincent van der Voort 6-3 Nick Kenny
Jamie Hughes 6-3 John Brown
Devon Petersen 6-4 Gary Blades
Josh Payne 6-2 Peter Hudson
Mervyn King 6-3 Wayne Jones
Adrian Lewis 6-3 Gordon Mathers
Michael van Gerwen 6-5 Peter Jacques
Andy Hamilton 6-2 John Michael
Ryan Searle 6-2 Matt Jackson
Andy Boulton 6-1 Niels Zonneveld
Rusty-Jake Rodriguez 6-5 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Chas Barstow 6-2 Keane Barry
Gabriel Clemens 6-1 Jon Worsley
Kevin Doets 6-0 Steve West
Gerwyn Price 6-0 Martin Schindler
Ted Evetts 6-3 Darren Webster
Kim Huybrechts 6-0 Jermaine Wattimena
Ricky Evans 6-3 Max Hopp
Danny Noppert 6-1 Derk Telnekes
Martin Atkins 6-2 Eddie Lovely
Keegan Brown 6-5 Daryl Gurney
Boris Krcmar 6-1 Ryan Murray
Jeffrey De Zwaan 6-4 Joe Cullen
Adam Hunt 6-4 Lisa Ashton
Martijn Kleermaker 6-4 Brett Claydon
Luke Woodhouse 6-1 Justin Pipe
Florian Hempel 6-4 Nathan Aspinall
Luc Peters 6-0 Robert Thornton
Stephen Bunting 6-2 Rowby-John Rodriguez
Ritchie Edhouse 6-4 Harald Leitinger
Jonny Clayton 6-1 Alan Soutar
Gary Anderson 6-5 Jake Jones
Geert De Vos 6-5 Ross Smith
Zoran Lerchbacher 6-1 Berry van Peer
William Borland 6-1 Krzysztof Ratajski
Alan Tabern 6-4 Mark McGeeney
Luke Humphries 6-1 Glen Durrant
Chris Dobey 6-1 Jeff Smith
Mickey Mansell 6-5 Peter Wright
Danny Baggish 6-4 Ciaran Teehan
Jason Heaver 6-5 Ryan Joyce
Jesus Noguera 6-3 Krzysztof Kciuk
Steve Beaton 6-5 Brendan Dolan
Jack Main 6-5 Andrew Gilding
Ian White 6-2 James Wilson
Maik Kuivenhoven 6-1 Aaron Beeney
Michael Smith 6-2 Martin Thomas
Joe Murnan 6-5 Steve Brown
Callan Rydz 6-0 Sean Fisher
Ron Meulenkamp 6-4 Raymond van Barneveld
Damon Heta 6-3 José Justicia
Lewis Williams 6-0 Michael Rasztovits
William O’Connor 6-5 Dimitri Van den Bergh
Scott Mitchell 6-1 Jason Lowe
Second Round
José de Sousa 6-1 Jelle Klaasen
Steve Lennon 6-4 Martin Lukeman
Darius Labanauskas 6-5 Rob Cross
John Henderson 6-1 Dave Chisnall
James Wade 6-2 Jim McEwan
Vincent van der Voort 6-5 Jamie Hughes
Devon Petersen 6-1 Josh Payne
Mervyn King 6-4 Adrian Lewis
Michael van Gerwen 6-2 Andy Hamilton
Ryan Searle 6-2 Andy Boulton
Chas Barstow 6-2 Rusty-Jake Rodriguez
Gabriel Clemens 6-5 Kevin Doets
Gerwyn Price 6-0 Ted Evetts
Ricky Evans 6-2 Kim Huybrechts
Danny Noppert 6-3 Martin Atkins – *Both players hit a nine-darter*
Boris Krcmar 6-3 Keegan Brown
Jeffrey De Zwaan 6-4 Adam Hunt
Martijn Kleermaker 6-5 Luke Woodhouse
Luc Peters 6-5 Florian Hempel
Stephen Bunting 6-2 Ritchie Edhouse
Jonny Clayton 6-4 Gary Anderson
Zoran Lerchbacher 6-4 Geert De Vos
William Borland 6-2 Alan Tabern
Chris Dobey 6-2 Luke Humphries
Danny Baggish 6-5 Mickey Mansell
Jesus Noguera 6-5 Jason Heaver
Jack Main 6-4 Steve Beaton
Maik Kuivenhoven 6-4 Ian White
Michael Smith 6-1 Joe Murnan
Ron Meulenkamp 6-3 Callan Rydz
Damon Heta 6-1 Lewis Williams
Scott Mitchell 6-3 William O’Connor
Losers: £500
Last 32
José de Sousa 6-2 Steve Lennon
Darius Labanauskas 6-5 John Henderson
Vincent van der Voort 6-4 James Wade
Mervyn King 6-4 Devon Petersen
Ryan Searle 6-5 Michael van Gerwen
Chas Barstow 6-3 Gabriel Clemens
Gerwyn Price 6-4 Ricky Evans
Boris Krcmar 6-5 Danny Noppert
Jeffrey De Zwaan 6-2 Martijn Kleermaker
Stephen Bunting 6-3 Luc Peters
Jonny Clayton 6-5 Zoran Lerchbacher
Chris Dobey 6-5 William Borland
Jesus Noguera 6-4 Danny Baggish
Maik Kuivenhoven 6-4 Jack Main
Ron Meulenkamp 6-4 Michael Smith
Scott Mitchell 6-4 Damon Heta
Losers: £1,000
Last 16
José de Sousa 6-5 Darius Labanauskas
Mervyn King 6-5 Vincent van der Voort
Ryan Searle 6-3 Chas Barstow
Boris Krcmar 6-4 Gerwyn Price
Stephen Bunting 6-3 Jeffrey De Zwaan
Chris Dobey 6-3 Jonny Clayton
Maik Kuivenhoven 6-2 Jesus Noguera
Scott Mitchell 6-5 Ron Meulenkamp
Losers: £1,500
Quarter-Finals
José de Sousa 6-1 Mervyn King
Ryan Searle 6-0 Boris Krcmar
Chris Dobey 6-5 Stephen Bunting
Maik Kuivenhoven 6-5 Scott Mitchell
Losers: £2,250
Semi-Finals
José de Sousa 7-6 Ryan Searle
Chris Dobey 7-6 Maik Kuivenhoven
Losers: £3,000
Final
Chris Dobey 8-7 Jose De Sousa
Winner: £10,000
Runner-up: £6,000
Dobey ends Sherrock’s fairy-tale run as Aspinall ousts Anderson to reach Quarter-Finals
Chris Dobey brought Fallon Sherrock’s historic PDC World Championship debut to a halt with a 4-2 victory in Round Three on Friday, while Nathan Aspinall knocked out Gary Anderson to progress to the Quarter-Finals.
Sherrock had taken the tournament by storm prior to the Christmas break, following up her ground-breaking First Round win over Ted Evetts with a sensational scalp of eleventh seed Mensur Suljovic.
The 25-year-old, however, saw her quest for a hat-trick of wins in her debut PDC World Championship campaign ended by world number 22 Dobey – who reeled off three consecutive sets from 2-1 down to prevail.
Sherrock got off to the perfect start by landing a 77 finish to take the opening set 3-1 after six missed darts at doubles from Dobey.
Checkouts of 104 and 96 were not enough to prevent Dobey from taking the second set, but an undeterred Sherrock produced a stunning 142 checkout on her way to regaining a 2-1 overall advantage.
That was as good as it got for Sherrock, however, as two-time major semi-finalist Dobey found top gear to drop just one more leg and end the contest with a 101 average and eleven 180s.
“Without a doubt that is one of the hardest and biggest wins of my career,” said Dobey.
“I said I wanted a test and I got it, Fallon threw absolutely everything at me so I take my hat off to her.
“It was hard to be the person to put Fallon out because I wanted to see her do well like everyone else.
“I want to see Fallon go on and keep making a name for herself but I’m here to earn a living for my family.”
Sherrock admitted: “Chris played really well at the end and I couldn’t keep up with him.
“I’ve loved every minute of this experience. The crowd were incredible again, I loved the way they were so supportive.
“I’ve never experienced anything like it before but hopefully I will in the future.
“I hope this journey can continue, I’m going to Q School in January where I hope to win a Tour Card and I’ve also got the World Series event in New York to look forward to in June.”
Meanwhile, UK Open champion Aspinall advanced to the Quarter-Finals at Ally Pally for the second year running courtesy of a 4-2 win over two-time World Champion Anderson.
Aspinall sends home Anderson in style (Photo by Lawrence Lustig/PDC)
A tight contest began with the Scotsman winning the opening set, but after he strayed into double 15 when requiring 20 in the deciding leg of set two, Aspinall punished with double 16 to level.
The next two sets were shared, before set five continued the trend of going to a fifth leg, as Aspinall held his nerve on double four to go 3-2 up in sets.
Aspinall landed his 11th 180 of the match in the sixth set which he won, without the need for a deciding leg, on double ten to move within a win of back-to-back World Championship Semi-Final appearances.
“To beat Gary Anderson, a legend of the sport, on the World Championship stage means the world to me,” admitted Aspinall.
“It’s an indescribable feeling and these are the moments you play darts for.
“I had a great run here last year, followed by a strong 2019 but I’ve not had the best last couple of months so I’m delighted to see my game shine through.
“There was definitely pressure on myself coming into this tournament, there were a lot of people backing me to win it and I take confidence from that.”
Aspinall is joined in the Quarter-Finals by reigning champion Michael van Gerwen, who continued his title defence as he swept aside Stephen Bunting 4-0 in a dominant display.
The world number one averaged 104 as he struck seven 180s and landed a 130 checkout on his way to a seventh Quarter-Final berth in his last eight World Championship outings.
Glen Durrant, a three-time televised semi-finalist in his maiden year in the PDC, continued his dream debut at Alexandra Palace with a hard-fought 4-2 win over world number six Daryl Gurney.
Three-time Lakeside Champion Durrant twice led in sets, only for dogged Northern Irishman Gurney to fight back on both occasions to level the contest at 2-2.
With Gurney throwing first in the deciding leg of set five, Durrant produced a timely 180 followed by a 62 checkout in two darts to regain the advantage.
Gurney looked to have recovered with a break of throw to lead 2-1 in set six, only for Durrant to land a 109 checkout, his fourth ton-plus finish of the match, before sealing victory with a 13-dart leg.
There was no such drama for Gerwyn Price, as the world number three enjoyed a straightforward passage to the last 16 with a comprehensive 4-0 whitewash of John Henderson.
Welshman Price survived a scare from William O’Connor in his opening match, but the two-time Grand Slam of Darts champion roared back in style with an eye-catching 104.2 average.
Price’s next assignment will see him come up against Simon Whitlock, who reached the last 16 for the first time in six years with a 4-1 win over Mervyn King.
Former semi-finalist King enjoyed a perfect start, winning the first five legs before Whitlock stopped the rot and won three legs in a row to level at 1-1 in sets.
Whitlock once again won the deciding leg in set three to take a 2-1 lead, and the Australian number one proceeded to land a 148 checkout on his way to winning the last two sets.
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William Hill World Championship 2019/20 Results
Friday December 27
Afternoon Session
Third Round
Simon Whitlock 4-1 Mervyn King
Daryl Gurney 2-4 Glen Durrant
Fallon Sherrock 2-4 Chris Dobey
Evening Session
Gerwyn Price 4-0 John Henderson (RD3)
Gary Anderson 2-4 Nathan Aspinall (RD4)
Michael van Gerwen 4-0 Stephen Bunting (RD4)
Chris Dobey v Fallon Sherrock: World Darts Championship 2019/20 preview – Queen of the palace eyeing historic hat-trick
Fallon Sherrock aims to extend her ground-breaking debut run in the PDC World Championship by putting Chris Dobey to the sword in Round Three at Alexandra Palace on Friday.
Sherrock has stolen the show at this year’s William Hill World Championship and is likely to be the stand-out story of the tournament regardless of what happens from here on in.
The 25-year-old sent shockwaves through the sporting world when she became the first woman to defeat a man in a PDC World Championship courtesy of her deciding-set triumph over Ted Evetts, before backing it up with a sensational 3-1 scalp of world number 11 Mensur Suljovic.
The 2015 women’s world finalist has made headlines worldwide and has been thrust into the limelight as a new trailblazer for women’s sport, but has taken it all in her stride so far.
Sherrock has already secured the biggest pay-cheque (£25,000) ever picked up by a female darts player but will not be content to stop there and will hope to feed off the vociferous support of the Ally Pally crowd in a bid to made headlines once again.
She is now looking to pick up from where she left off by pulling off what would be another monumental upset when she takes on world number 22 Dobey.
Sherrock’s stunning finishing (68.75%) proved the undoing of Suljovic, and any repeat performance could spell danger for Dobey – who will also be forced to contend with 3,000 fans rooting for his opponent.
Like Evetts and Suljovic, Dobey enters the contest as huge odds-on favourite and will look to shake off any early nerves with an assured start in the first two sets.
The Bedlington ace, who made his Premier League debut as a ‘Contender’ in February before going on to reach two major Semi-Finals this season, is bidding to reach the Last 16 at Ally Pally for the second successive year.
Dobey averaged 96.3 in a 3-2 victory over Ron Meulenkamp in his opener and now faces a test different to anything he will ever have experienced on a televised stage previously.
The 29-year-old is renowned for his consistent scoring power and composure under pressure and will look to press home those traits over the extended format, with Sherrock having previous never contested a match beyond the best of five sets.
This will be the first competitive meeting between the two, with either world number six Daryl Gurney or three-time BDO World Champion Glen Durrant awaiting the winner in the Last 16.
The match gets underway from around 3.45pm GMT and will be contested over the best of seven sets, best of five legs per set.
A tie-break will be in operation, where the final set must be won by two clear legs. If the score reaches 5-5, the 11th leg will be sudden-death.