The Players Championship circuit returned to Leicester less than a week after its previous visit, with the latest instalment once again delivering an abundance of compelling storylines beyond merely the latter stages and the eventual trophy presentation.
With the qualification cut-off for the World Matchplay drawing ever nearer, and with substantial prize money alongside invaluable ranking points still available, the double-header ultimately proved highly rewarding for certain competitors, while for others it represented yet another deeply frustrating and potentially damaging week on the ProTour.
MORE ELITE DARTS COVERAGE: Check Out Our Devoted PDC Area
PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP 17 (Mon 18 May)
I have decided to award the unofficial ‘Man of the Match’ accolade to Rob Owen on this occasion.
The Welshman has not always delivered performances commensurate with his capabilities, which makes another impressive quarter-final appearance, following an identical result and a last-16 berth across his previous four outings, a highly encouraging indication of sustained progression.
In addition, Derek Coulson warrants further recognition, this time on a more substantial scale. Another accomplished arrow-smith emerging from Wales, the 57-year old is clearly deriving enormous benefit from the Challenge Tour call-up opportunities afforded to him this season. Although he only advanced as far as the board final on this occasion, two of his three matches produced ton-plus averages, while he also registered five maximums in the event.
Once again, Kevin Doets demonstrated that additional titles appear to be an inevitability rather than a possibility, courtesy of another semi-final excursion. Unfortunately for Hawkeye, he was unable to navigate his way into yet another final showdown. Nevertheless, his ton-plus average, coupled with a remarkable tally of twenty-four maximums, underlined not merely quality but, perhaps more importantly, growing consistency.
Conversely, matters continue to deteriorate for Pero Ljubic, whose recent form has been deeply concerning. A meagre 57.78 average during a comprehensive whitewash defeat to Ryan Searle will do little to restore confidence and probably create extra encouragement for mid-level amateurs to take the plunge and head to Q-School next year.
DARTS PLAYER MERCHANDISE AND COLLECTABLES AT OUR DARTSWORLD STORE!
It doesn’t help matters that the Croatian has missed eight events and furthermore, across the seven tournaments he has attended, has failed to secure a single victory. At the halfway stage of the campaign, the outlook appears increasingly bleak for Ljubic. Similar story for Oskar Lukasiak. The Swede also remains winless and skipped two fewer floor tournaments than Ljubic.
Elsewhere, Dimitri Van den Bergh achieved a seasonal personal best before exiting at the last-16 stage. The Dreammaker was repeatedly forced to negotiate arduous encounters, prevailing in deciding-leg victories over James Wade, Thomas Lishman, and Daryl Gurney, before ultimately being halted by stablemate Wattimena.
PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP DARTS 18 (Tue 19 May)
It would have been impossible not to acknowledge Luke Woodhouse as Wednesday’s outstanding performer after finally capturing his maiden PDC ranking title in such authoritative and invigorating fashion. However, this particular feature seeks to highlight an alternative protagonist, and, in that regard, the selection appears entirely unequivocal – Harry Ward.
Although his impressive campaign was eventually curtailed at the semi-final stage by the tournament’s eventual champion, Ward nevertheless produced one of the most compelling and encouraging performances of the day. Almost a decade ago, the Englishman secured what remained his sole Players Championship triumph before subsequently stepping away from the professional game altogether, temporarily bringing an abrupt conclusion to a highly promising career trajectory.
In recent months, however, Ward has orchestrated an immensely admirable resurgence. Following a succession of distinguished displays on the Challenge Tour circuit, he earned another opportunity at senior level and immediately demonstrated the calibre and natural scoring proficiency that once marked him out as one of English darts’ most gifted emerging competitors.
Only last week in Leicester, the Staffordshire thrower endured a deeply frustrating return to the ProTour environment, suffering consecutive first-round eliminations. Yet those disappointments merely accentuated the significance of his subsequent response, as he produced a sequence of highly accomplished performances to embark upon a deeply impressive run to the latter stages.
There were several other competitors who also achieved notable milestones throughout the afternoon. Surprisingly, it represented Ryan Joyce’s first appearance in a Players Championship last-16 stage this season, a statistic rendered particularly startling given the consistency and pedigree he has demonstrated across recent years. Similarly, German youngster Niko Springer reached the quarter-finals for the first time during the current campaign, another somewhat unexpected revelation considering his widely acknowledged potential and scoring power.
Elsewhere, Poland’s Sebastian Bialecki, a member of Team DartsWorld, recorded his strongest performance since Event Eight, also staged in Leicester earlier in the season. The talented youngster once again progressed to the quarter-final stage, continuing to underline his growing credentials within the professional ranks. His best display of the year remains that previous run at the Mattioli Arena, where he advanced all the way to the semi-finals.
Ultimately, however, while Luke Woodhouse deservedly departed with the long-awaited title he had pursued for so long, the day’s most emotionally resonant and personally rewarding narrative arguably belonged to Harry Ward. His resurgence represented not merely an impressive run of results, but a powerful reaffirmation of both his enduring quality and competitive resilience within the unforgiving landscape of professional darts.
—–ENDS—–
Images:PDC
