James Wade produced a series of vintage displays to clinch Players Championship 19 success in Leicester on Thursday, ending a wait of almost three years for a PDC ranking title.
Wade delivered an exhibition of finishing to demolish Scott Williams 8-3 in their decisive showdown at the Mattioli Arena, averaging 101.52 to claim his first title since November 2022.
The left-hander was at his merciless best against Williams, landing a trio of ton-plus checkouts and pinning eight of his nine attempts at double - an astonishing conversion rate of 88.9%.
“It’s been a long time coming,” quipped Wade, who returns to the world’s top eight after pocketing the £15,000 top prize.
“I’m really, really happy. It’s been a difficult few years for me.
“I went from number three in the world down to outside of the top 20, but it wasn’t because my darting ability disappeared, it was because my health disappeared.
“I’m really proud of myself today, because these are not easy events to win. I’ve lost in a few finals and semi-finals recently, so this is a milestone for me.
“I still want to be in the mix. I know I am still good enough to compete with the best players, so I want to keep knocking on the door and upsetting the applecart!”
Following 6-2 wins over Brett Claydon and Joshua Richardson, Wade moved through to the last 16 with victory over Peter Wright, edging past the Scot in a decider for the second straight day.
The Aldershot stalwart then averaged 103.94 in his last 16 success against Kevin Doets, before winning six straight legs from 4-0 down to stun World Youth Champion Gian van Veen.
Wade produced 161 and 124 finishes on the bullseye during this spell, and he maintained that ruthless precision on the outer ring in his 7-3 thumping of Andrew Gilding in the semi-finals.
Williams – who was eyeing a first ranking title in just over three years – began his challenge with a deciding-leg victory over Gerwyn Price, inflicting back-to-back early exits on the Welshman.
The former World Championship semi-finalist also eased past Adam Hunt, Tommy Lishman and Bradley Brooks, having survived match darts in wins over William O’Connor and Wessel Nijman.
Nijman – a back-to-back semi-finalist on the European Tour last month – impressed in the East Midlands, producing a hat-trick of ton-topping averages in his run to the last four.
Former UK Open champion Gilding delivered some equally eye-catching displays, averaging 110.78 to hammer Andy Baetens before dumping out Gary Anderson, Ross Smith and Damon Heta.
Heta advanced to the last eight alongside Van Veen, Bradley Brooks and Scottish star Alan Soutar, who averaged 105 to topple Tuesday’s runner-up Dirk van Duijvenbode.
That average was only bettered by Gilding and Dutch icon Raymond van Barneveld, who posted a 109.34 in his first round thrashing of Rob Owen, which boosts his hopes of World Matchplay qualification.
The race to qualify for July’s showpiece will culminate following the conclusion of next month’s ProTour double-header, which will take place on July 8-9 in Leicester.
Play will get underway from approximately 1300 BST on each day, with coverage from four streaming boards set to be broadcast live through PDCTV.
The event draw and results are listed in the Match Centre.
Live match stats can be followed through DartConnect.
2025 Players Championship 19
Thursday June 19
Mattioli Arena, Leicester
Last 16
James Wade 6-4 Kevin Doets
Gian van Veen 6-5 Ricky Evans
Andrew Gilding 6-3 Ross Smith
Damon Heta 6-4 Daryl Gurney
Scott Williams 6-5 William O'Connor
Bradley Brooks 6-0 Brendan Dolan
Alan Soutar 6-5 Marvin van Velzen
Wessel Nijman 6-3 Ryan Joyce
Quarter-Finals
James Wade 6-4 Gian van Veen
Andrew Gilding 6-2 Damon Heta
Scott Williams 6-2 Bradley Brooks
Wessel Nijman 6-5 Alan Soutar
Semi-Finals
James Wade 7-3 Andrew Gilding
Scott Williams 7-6 Wessel Nijman
Final
James Wade 8-3 Scott Williams