Chris Dobey continued his remarkable run on the Players Championship circuit, securing his third title of the year with a 7-4 victory over Tommy Morris in the final of Players Championship 32. Dobey's 103.01 average in the final was not even among his top three averages of the day, underscoring the exceptional standard he maintained throughout the tournament.
Dobey's path to the final was paved with dominant performances. He opened with a 6-2 win over Marvin Craft, then whitewashed Owen Bates with an average over 108. Victories over Mickey Mansell and Bradley Brooks, both 6-2, followed before he raised his game further. A 111.12 average saw off Krzysztof Ratajski 6-1 in the quarter-finals, and he reached the final with a 109.68 average in a 7-4 win against William O'Connor. This marks the third consecutive year in which Dobey has won three Players Championship titles in a single season.
Morris, the number three on the Challenge Tour, produced a brilliant run to reach the final. He defeated Mervyn King 6-2 and Kim Huybrechts 6-4 before pulling off a huge surprise by dumping out Michael van Gerwen 6-4. He then overcame PC31 champion Charlie Manby and Michael Smith, both by 6-2. Against Smith, the 2023 world champion, Morris averaged over 101, and he saved his best for the semi-final against Scott Williams, winning 7-4 with a massive 106.98 average. His run has all-but confirmed his spot in Minehead and Ally Pally.
The final itself was a tense affair. Dobey won the bull but almost found himself behind early as Morris missed two darts at double 16 to break. Dobey capitalised, breaking in 11 darts and holding throw to lead 3-0. Morris got on the board with a double 14, but Dobey reached the halfway mark on double 12. Morris closed the gap to 5-3, but Dobey secured another break and eventually sealed the win with an 81 checkout in three darts. The victory was Dobey's 11th Players Championship title.
Elsewhere, PC32 followed a similar theme to PC31, with few of the big guns featuring. James Wade was the only top 10 player in Den Bosch and was dumped out in the opening match 6-5 against Darius Labanauskas. Van Gerwen moved up a spot in the PDC Order of Merit but could only reach the third round. Nine-dart hero Bradley Brooks boosted his Minehead hopes, while Tom Sykes also struck perfection. Ricardo Pietreczko's quarter-final run was his best floor result of 2026 and pushed him up to 73rd. The cut-off for the Players Championship Finals occurs in Leicester next week, with alarm bells ringing for reigning champion Luke Littler, and Josh Rock and Nathan Aspinall outside the top 64. Gary Anderson dropped out of the top 64 after not featuring, and Raymond van Barneveld, Peter Wright, Ryan Joyce, Ricky Evans and Dimitri Van den Bergh are all familiar names who may not make the trip to Minehead.
