Van Duijvenbode doubles title tally denying Searle back-to-back
Dirk Van Duijvenbode won his 2nd PDC ranking title on Saturday, in defeating Ryan Searle 8-7 in the final of Players Championship 12, as the Pro Tour weekend commenced at the Barnsley Metrodome.
Van Duijvenbode, who’s only PDC title to date came at the end of April 2021, dropped just 12 legs on route to the final, as he recorded victories over Danny Baggish, Peter Hudson, James Wade, Florian Hempel, Simon Whitlock and Michael Smith, to set up a clash with Searle.
The final began with Searle taking the opener with a 12-dart break, before Van Duijvenbode won back-to-back legs to take a 2-1 lead. Searle then won three legs on the spin to move 4-2 up, before Van Duijvenbode cruised back ahead, in winning five straight legs, which saw him move within one of victory and Searle needing to win four on the spin to keep his title hopes alive. ‘Heavy Metal’ almost made an incredible comeback, as he won three on the spin to force a decider, where he missed a match dart on the bull, before Van Duijvenbode sealed the victory with a 16 darter to take the title and the £12,000 first prize.
Searle’s run to the final almost saw him go back-to-back, after he won last Sunday’s Players Championship 11. He came through three last leg shootouts, as he recorded victories over Mario Vandenbogaerde, Steve Beaton, Ryan Joyce, Luke Humphries, Jose Justicia and Damon Heta.
Elsewhere, there were Quarter Final runs for Jonny Clayton and Gordon Mathers, whilst the likes of Michael Van Gerwen, Rob Cross and Nathan Aspinall all suffered early exits.
The PDC Pro Tour weekend concludes on Sunday with Players Championship Thirteen taking place in Barnsley, with the 128 players returning to compete for a further £100,000 in prize money, with play beginning at 12:00 GMT. Play will be broadcasted across two streaming boards on PDC.TV and various bookmaker websites worldwide, with all live scores and results on tv.dartconnect.com.
Players Championship 12
Last 16
Gordon Mathers 6-5 Gerwyn Price
Michael Smith 6-5 Keegan Brown
Simon Whitlock 6-5 Jose De Sousa
Dirk Van Duijvenbode 6-2 Florian Hempel
Jonny Clayton 6-2 Scott Waites
Damon Heta 6-1 Joe Cullen
Jose Justicia 6-5 Stephen Bunting
Ryan Searle 6-5 Luke Humphries
Quarter Finals
Michael Smith 6-3 Gordon Mathers
Dirk Van Duijvenbode 6-0 Simon Whitlock
Damon Heta 6-3 Jonny Clayton
Ryan Searle 6-5 Jose Justicia
Semi Finals
Dirk Van Duijvenbode 7-2 Michael Smith
Ryan Searle 7-2 Damon Heta
Final
Dirk Van Duijvenbode 8-7 Ryan Searle
—–ENDS—–
Image: PDC / L Lustig
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