Championship action returned yesterday with the race for the World Matchplay heating up as several players continued their fight for a spot in Blackpool.
The first of three Players Championship events in Leicester this week was kicked off in style by Chris Dobey, who claimed Event 17 in dramatic fashion at the Mattioli Arena.
It’s been over a month since the last ProTour event was held in Hildesheim, which was won by an imperious Ross Smith, as the former European Champion used his power scoring to race to glory on German soil.
With the likes of Luke Humphries, Luke Littler, Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price absent in the Midlands, an opportunity presented itself – and it was Hollywood who was able to pounce.
The North-East star began the day with comfortable victories over Adam Mould, Adam Warner and Jack Tweddell, which earned him a spot in the Last 16.
From here, a tough task awaited against an in-form Josh Rock – who was full of confidence after clinching the World Cup of Darts on Sunday alongside teammate, Daryl Gurney.
However, Hollywood rose to the test, averaging 103.21 to beat the 24-year-old 6-3.
Dobey was able to ride a wave of momentum from here with crucial victories over James Wade and Gian van Veen, which earned the Englishman a spot in the final against Dirk van Duijvenbode.
The contest began with the two trading blows, with nothing to separate the pair after six legs played. However, in the seventh leg Dobey found a crucial break of throw which put him 5-3 ahead.
The 35-year-old went on to work his way into a prime position, stretching his lead to 7-3. Nevertheless, missed match darts cost Dobey on several occasions, with Van Duijvenbode reeling off four straight legs to force a deciding leg.
Despite relinquishing control of the contest, Dobey was able to recover and pinned double eight with his last dart in hand to win his second Players Championship event of the year.
“His scoring power is unbelievable, [he’s] probably up there with one of the best scorers in the world. I had to dig in!”, stated Dobey, who was full of praise for Van Duijvenbode following an epic battle.
“Every tournament is a tough task, there’s so many good players now… I’m delighted to pick up another title”.
“This is my second win of the year, but just to win one tournament is an achievement”, added Dobey, who picks up his seventh career Players Championship title.
“I want to be competing with the top boys to give myself more chances of getting to the top. I’ll be here all week!”
In the first round, several big names crashed out early, including the likes of Dave Chisnall, Jonny Clayton, Ryan Searle and Gary Anderson.
The latter suffered a 6-2 defeat to Justin Hood, with the Scottish icon losing out despite averaging 105.14.
The second round featured some excellent performances, with Mario Vandenbogaerde, Tom Bissell, William O’Connor, Rock and Ross Smith all averaging over 100 as they advanced on to the Last 32.
Damon Heta and Gian van Veen enjoyed deep runs to the semi-finals, while Frenchman Thibault Tricole reached the quarter-finals of a Players Championship event for the third time in his career, eventually losing in the last eight to an in-form Van Veen.
Michael Smith also made up ground as he continued his bid to qualify for the World Matchplay, with the former World Champion reaching the quarter-finals – eventually losing out to Van Duijvenbode in a 6-1 defeat.
The highest average of the day came from Heta, who averaged 108.94 in his quarter-final clash against Richard Veenstra.
The PDC ProTour action continues in Leicester on Wednesday June 18, with Players Championship 18 commencing from 1300 BST at the Mattioli Arena.
The event draw and results are listed in the Match Centre.
Click here for match stats through DartConnect.
2025 Players Championship 17
Tuesday June 17
Mattioli Arena, Leicester
Last 16
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-4 William O’Connor
Michael Smith 6-5 Darius Labanauskas
Richard Veenstra 6-4 Stephen Bunting
Damon Heta 6-1 Wessel Nijman
James Wade 6-2 Carl Sneyd
Chris Dobey 6-3 Josh Rock
Thibault Tricole 6-3 Darren Beveridge
Gian van Veen 6-4 Dimitri Van den Bergh
Quarter-Finals
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-1 Michael Smith
Damon Heta 6-2 Richard Veenstra
Chris Dobey 6-3 James Wade
Gian van Veen 6-3 Thibault Tricole
Semi-Finals
Dirk van Duijvenbode 7-6 Damon Heta
Chris Dobey 7-5 Gian van Veen
Final
Chris Dobey 8-7 Dirk van Duijvenbode
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC/L Lustig
