Darts in Wigan: Dazzling Dobey doubles Players Championship title tally in 2026

Dobey won seven straight matches at the Robin Park Leisure Centre across a dominant day to claim a landmark tenth career Players Championship win.

The former Masters champion began with a hard-fought 6-4 win over Dennie Olde Kalter, before hammering Rhys Griffin 6-1 with a glistening 109.74 average – his best of the day.

The 35-year-old followed this up with a comfortable 6-2 win over Jim Long and a 6-1 thumping of Luke Woodhouse, recording a 104.38 average to reach his third consecutive Players Championship quarter-final.

There, Dobey saw off Richard Veenstra 6-3 before blasting past Andrew Gilding 7-1 with another stellar average of 103.45 to set up a showdown with Hood in the final.

In a spectacular final, Hood took a two-leg lead after two 12-dart finishes on the bullseye with checkouts of 121 and 167, before Dobey retaliated with five consecutive legs, including a fabulous 164 outshot to go 5-2 up.

Hood remained resilient, incredibly taking out another two finishes on the bullseye to keep the match alive at 7-4, but Dobey wrapped up the showpiece on double two to finish with a 105.28 average and secure his tenth ProTour title.

“The way I’ve been playing throughout the year, I’m hoping to pick up more titles,” announced Dobey, who defied a 102.91 average from Hood in the final.

“It’s hard just to win one of these, so to win ten is a great feeling.

“I remember that game Justin had at the World Championship when he was 11/11 on the doubles. When those two bull finishes went in, I thought: ‘Not again!’

“He put up a good fight with some great shots at crucial times, but I played some good stuff all day, and I’m delighted with another win.

“I just want to start doing it on TV and picking up some European Tour titles. I know I can do it, it’s just about being consistent."

Hood broke new ground in reaching his maiden career ProTour final after a memorable Monday at the Robin Park Leisure Centre, despite falling short in the showpiece.

The 32-year-old began his day with a comfortable 6-2 victory over Ryan Meikle before downing Rob Owen 6-4 in a hard-fought contest.

The World Championship quarter-finalist then recorded his first ton-plus average of the day in seeing off Niall Culleton 6-3 and followed this with victory over Austrian stalwart Mensur Suljovic by the same scoreline to reach his second ProTour quarter-final.

There, Hood produced his best performance of the day, whitewashing Tom Sykes with a 104.86 average, before seeing off Connor Scutt 7-3 to set up a showdown with Dobey in the final.

In the other quarter-finals, Scutt saw off Tom Bissell 6-4, reaching his first Player Championship semi-final since September 2024 in the process after a stellar day.

Gilding also reached the semi-finals after downing Beau Greaves 6-3, as the 22-year-old became the first woman to reach a ProTour quarter-final in PDC history.

Greaves broke new ground thanks to a historic run to the last eight stage, which included victories over former World Champion Raymond van Barneveld and Premier League leader Jonny Clayton.

Also of note, Thomas Lovely struck perfection in his round three tie against Luke Woodhouse, hitting a nine-darter despite falling short in the contest.

2026 Players Championship Nine: Monday, April 13 – Robin Park Leisure Centre, Wigan – Last 16: 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: 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: Justin Hood 7-3 Connor Scutt, Chris Dobey 7-1 Andrew Gilding; Final: Chris Dobey 8-4 Justin Hood. Nine-darter: Thomas Lovely hit a nine-darter in his round three tie against Luke Woodhouse.