Luke Humphries’ woes continue as Chris Dobey takes the Players Championship 9 title | dart news

While Chris Dobey is chasing a second title in 2026, Luke Humphries’ struggle for form continued with a round of 16 exit in the Player Championship 9 at Wigan.

Four days after his quarter-final loss to Jonny Clayton in Brighton, Humphries was unable to respond as he lost 6-4 to Andrew Gilding.

Gilding beat Beau Greaves 6-3 after the 22-year-old became the first woman in PDC history to reach the ProTour quarter-finals with wins over Raymond van Barneveld and Premier League leaders Clayton.

Gilding’s run ended with a 7–1 loss to eventual winner Dobey in the semifinals. Dobey beat Luke Woodhouse 6-1 in the last 16, Richard Veenstra 6-3 in the quarter-finals and Justin Hood 8-4 in the final to win £15,000.

Dobey continued to post tremendous averages through the final, where his average of 105.28 was enough to fend off a spirited challenge from Hood, who averaged 102.91 himself.

“Hopefully we can win more titles the way we’ve been playing all year,” Dobey said. “Winning just one of these is difficult, but winning 10 feels really good.

“He had a good game with a great shot at a crucial moment, but I played well all day and am happy to get another win.

“I want to start doing this on TV and I also want to win a European Tour title. I know I can do it. It’s important to be consistent.”

Wigan saw Thomas Lovely produce a perfect nine-darter leg in his third-round loss to Woodhouse.

2026 Players Championship 9 – Results