The headlines may focus on Luke Littler picking up his third Players Championship title of the year on Tuesday, after defeating Stephen Bunting 8-7 in the final of Players Championship 20, but other notable matters include Cameron Menzies continued good form and perfect legs from Andrew Gilding and Vincent van de Voort.
Littler, who 48 hours prior picked up his second major title at the World Series of Darts Finals, continued his winning run by clinching victory on the Pro Tour once again as the PDC Pro Tour double header commenced at Wigan’s Robin Park Tennis Centre.
The Nuke reached the final firstly by recording victories against Adam Gawlas, Jacques Labre, Andrew Gilding, Kevin Doets, Luke Humphries and Dave Chisnall, to set up a clash with Bunting.
The final began with Littler racing into a 3-0 lead, with winning legs coming in 13,15 and 21 darts respectively, before Bunting ended the teenager’s early exploits in Leg Four with a 16 dart hold of throw. ‘The Nuke’ then won back-to-back legs in a total of 27 darts to move 5-1 ahead, before ‘The Bullet’ created an astonishing fightback by winning five of the following six legs, which saw The Former Lakeside Champion square the tie up at 6apiece and make it a best of three contest.
The pair then held throw in the following two legs to set up a 15th and deciding leg, in which Littler would have the advantage of throwing first. The teenage sensation produced a remarkable 13 dart hold of throw to seal the victory, which included a maximum along the way, to clinch yet another PDC title and a ninth in his incredible debut season.
Bunting’s run to a second Pro Tour final of the season saw the reigning Masters champion record victories on the day against Danny Lauby, Jitse Van der Wal, Martin Lukeman, Chris Dobey, Jermaine Wattimena and Gerwyn Price, before being denied by Littler.
Elsewhere, there were Quarter Final runs for PC3 winner Ryan Searle, Jermaine Wattimena and the inform Scotsman Cameron Menzies. William Borland produced a welcome last 16 run whilst the likes of Nathan Aspinall, Ross Smith and Raymond Van Barneveld were amongst the high profile first round casualties.
The day also saw 9-Darters hit by Vincent Van der Voort and Andrew Gilding, in their clashes with Mensur Suljovic and Wessel Nijman respectively.
The PDC Pro Tour double header concludes on Wednesday with Players Championship 21 taking place in Wigan, with the 128 players returning to compete for a further £125,000 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.
Players Championship 20
Last 16
Dave Chisnall 6-2 Richard Veenstra
Ryan Searle 6-2 Jamie Hughes
Luke Humphries 6-2 Gian Van Veen
Luke Littler 6-2 Kevin Doets
Jermaine Wattimena 6-5 Rob Cross
Stephen Bunting 6-3 Chris Dobey
Gerwyn Price 6-3 Damon Heta
Cameron Menzies 6-4 William Borland
Quarter Finals
Dave Chisnall 6-5 Ryan Searle
Luke Littler 6-2 Luke Humphries
Stephen Bunting 6-2 Jermaine Wattimena
Gerwyn Price 6-4 Cameron Menzies
Semi Finals
Luke Littler 7-2 Dave Chisnall
Stephen Bunting 7-5 Gerwyn Price
Final
Luke Littler 8-7 Stephen Bunting
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC
