Joy For Joyce: Ryan Claims Second PDC Crown

Ryan Joyce picked up his second PDC ranking title on Thursday, as he came from behind to defeat Gerwyn Price 8-7 in the final of Players Championship 26, as the four-day header of PDC Pro Tour Events continued at Barnsley Metrodome.

as he reached the final firstly by recording victories against Callan Rydz, Alan Soutar, Daniel Klose, Mervyn King, Jose De Sousa and Ritchie Edhouse, to set up a clash with Price.

The final began with Price pinning back-to-back 14 dart legs, before the tie saw a staggering nine consecutive holds of throw, ending with Joyce breaking his Welsh opponent’s throw in Leg 12 with a 16 darter to square the tie up at 6apiece and make it a best of three contest. The pair then held throw for the next two legs, with Joyce hitting a 17 darter, which was then followed by a 15 darter from Price to set up a 15^th and deciding leg. The advantage of throwing first proved to be vital, as Joyce sealed the victory in the decider with a 15 darter and stunning 107 checkout to defeat ‘The Iceman’ and clinch a second PDC title of his career.

Price’s run to the final saw the Former World Champion record victories on the day against Graham Usher, Ross Montgomery, Mario Vandenbogaerde, Chris Landman, Chris Dobey and Luke Humphries, before being denied the chance by Joyce to win a fourth Players Championship title of the year.

Elsewhere, there were Quarter Final runs for Former 2x World Champion Peter Wright and Wednesday’s PC25 winner Gary Anderson, with the Scotsman’s run of 18 consecutive victories on the Pro Tour coming to an end by Humphries, whilst the likes of Michael Smith, Nathan Aspinall, Dave Chisnall and Joe Cullen were amongst the high profile first round casualties.

The PDC Pro Tour weekend continues on Friday with Players Championship Twenty-Seven taking place in Barnsley, with 128 players returning to compete for a further £100,000 in prize money, with play beginning at 13:00 BST.

Play will be broadcasted across four streaming boards on PDC.TV and various bookmaker websites worldwide, with all live scores and results on tv.dartconnect.com.