Former UK Open champion Andrew Gilding claimed his first ProTour title on his 442nd attempt by winning the Players Championship 16 event in Leicester. The 55-year-old Englishman defeated Jonny Clayton 8-3 in the final on Wednesday, scooping the £15,000 top prize after racing into a 5-1 lead and hitting double 10 to secure victory.
"I've been waiting for this for a long while. I can't believe it," Gilding said. "I've had some great finals before. I remember playing Gary Anderson many years ago, he had a 112 average and I had a 107 average. But I finally got over the line."
Gilding, who won the UK Open in 2023, produced his best performance of the day in defeating Challenge Tour leader Joe Hunt 6-2 with a 103.82 average, before downing Ian White 7-5 in the last four to reach a second Players Championship final of the year. Previously a six-time runner-up, Gilding first made a Players Championship final in March 2014.
"Your form dips and rises. You just have to be patient. I've had such a good start to the season, I've more or less qualified for everything now," he added. The PDC ProTour is a series of professional darts tournaments organised by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) for players holding a PDC Tour Card. The tournaments are not usually televised, with the 2026 season featuring 34 Players Championship events.
