Andrew Gilding captured the first Players Championship title of his career on Wednesday, defeating Jonny Clayton 8-3 in the final of Players Championship 16 in Leicester. The former UK Open champion, who won that major in 2023, dominated the final from the outset, taking control early and never allowing Clayton to recover.
Gilding's path to the final began with a 6-4 win over Wesley Plaisier (92.04 average), followed by a 6-5 victory against Arno Merk. He raised his game in the last 32, averaging 102.36 in a 6-4 win over Dirk van Duijvenbode, then swept aside Jermaine Wattimena 6-0 in the last 16. In the quarter-finals, he averaged 103.82 in a 6-2 win over Joe Hunt, and edged Ian White 7-5 in the semi-finals with an 80 finish.
Clayton's route was far more fraught. He survived a 6-5 opener against Marvin van Velzen, whitewashed Mervyn King 6-0, then won an all-Welsh clash against Derek Coulson 6-4 (104.78 average). Another deciding leg followed against Andy Boulton (6-5), before he beat Gabriel Clemens 6-3 in the quarter-finals. His semi-final against Niko Springer was a thriller: Springer led 3-0, Clayton levelled, then missed four match darts before hitting a stunning 102 finish to win 7-6.
In the final, Gilding raced into a 3-0 lead, averaging over 105 early. Clayton got on the board in leg four with a 61 finish, but Gilding broke for 5-1 and then 6-1 after Clayton missed five darts at double. Clayton stopped the rot with an 81 checkout for a 12-darter, but Gilding moved 7-2 ahead with a 60 finish and closed out the match 8-3.
Elsewhere, Michael van Gerwen's hopes of back-to-back ProTour titles ended in the first round as he lost 6-3 to Joe Hunt, who later reached the quarter-finals. Kim Huybrechts hit a nine-darter in his second-round match against Tavis Dudeney, winning 6-1 with a 108.81 average, but lost in the last 32 to Kevin Doets. Beau Greaves survived a deciding leg against Harry Ward in round one with a spectacular 156 finish, then lost 6-3 to Stephen Bunting in round two.
