It was a case of Hooray for Hollywood in decidedly un-Hollywood surroundings as Chris Dobey transformed Wigan into his own silver-screen showcase, capturing the third Players Championship title of the season and elevating his career tally to a formidable nine.
In a final that proved brutally one-sided, popular Scouser Stephen Bunting was dismantled 8-1 by the Newcastle marksman, a contest in which The Bullet’s artillery misfired spectacularly while Dobey operated with clinical, almost cinematic precision.
The former Masters champion commenced his afternoon with a commanding 6-1 dismissal of Shane McGuirk before navigating sterner examinations. Jimmy van Schie, another Lakeside conqueror in his own right, applied sustained pressure, as did fellow Geordie Ryan Joyce.
A ruthless whitewash of Bradley Brooks followed, and then came theatre: a pulsating last-leg decider against Daryl Pilgrim, settled with the kind of late, dramatic flourish that – in a nod to the lads respective beloved football teams – felt akin to Newcastle United snatching an injury-time winner against Crystal Palace.
Once installed in the semi-finals, Dobey shifted from competitive grit to imperious glide. Tom Bissell, impressive in his adaptation to Pro Tour life, was dispatched with authority. What many anticipated would be a taut, high-voltage showdown with Bunting instead became a procession, the Bedlington boy accelerating away with ruthless efficiency.
Bunting, in truth, might reflect upon fortune as much as form in reaching the final. Against James Wade in the last four, the Liverpudlian teetered precariously at 6-2 down. Yet this modern iteration of The Bullet possesses renewed resilience. Five consecutive legs later, he had engineered a stirring resurrection.
However, that exertion appeared to exact a physiological and psychological toll; against Dobey’s comparatively serene march to the final, he found little left in the chamber.
Jonny Clayton, meanwhile, can derive quiet satisfaction from a quarter-final berth in his maiden Players Championship outing of the season. The Ferret bypassed Germany but found Wigan’s proximity to South Wales more accommodating. Eventually though, succumbing to Bunting.
Triple WDF World Champion Beau Greaves once again demonstrated her formidable credentials, banking valuable prize money after a board victory before Clayton edged her in a dramatic last-leg duel.
Commendations too for Canada’s Jim Long and Dutch-born, Swedish-resident Kevin Doets, both of whom compiled commendable quarter-final runs.One event concluded. One still to come. The tungsten carousel spins relentlessly onward.
2026 PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP THREE – WIGAN
Monday 16th February
Quarter- Finals
Tom Bissell 6-4 Jim Long
Chris Dobey 6-5 Daryl Pilgrim
Stephen Bunting 6-3 Jonny Clayton
James Wade 6-4 Kevin Doets
Semi-Finals
Chris Dobey 7-2 Tom Bissell
Stephen Bunting 7-6 James Wade
Final
Chris Dobey 8-1 Stephen Bunting
—–Emds——
Images: PDC
