Van Gerwen Wins Players Championship One

ProTour

MICHAEL VAN GERWEN clinched the first Players Championship title of the year as he beat James Wade 6-4 in the final.

2018 ET1-2 UK Qualifiers

European Tour

JAMES WADE and Adrian Lewis were amongst six players to enjoy double success in the ET1-2 UK Qualifier.

Coral UK Open Qualifier Six

ProTour

KRZYSZTOF RATAJSKI became the first Polish winner of a PDC event as he defeated Daryl Gurney to win Coral UK Open Qualifier Six.

Coral UK Open Qualifier Five

ProTour

COREY CADBY won his first senior PDC title with a brilliant comeback in the final of Saturday's Coral UK Open Qualifier Five.

2018 European Tour 1-2 Entries

European Tour

THE entries for the year's first two PDC European Tour events have been confirmed ahead of the UK Qualifiers on Friday February 16.

Coral UK Open Qualifier Four

Ladbrokes UK Open

GARY ANDERSON secured his place in next month's Coral UK Open with victory in Qualifier Four on Friday.

Players Championship 1-2 Entries

ProTour

THE entries have been confirmed for the year's opening Players Championship events, to be held on February 17 & 18 in Barnsley.

Super Smith's Qualifier Three Success

ProTour

MICHAEL SMITH whitewashed Zoran Lerchbacher 6-0 to claim the Coral UK Open Qualifier Three title in Wigan.

100 Up For Van Gerwen

ProTour

MICHAEL VAN GERWEN continued his unbeaten start to 2018 with victory in Coral UK Open Qualifier Two in Wigan.

Coral UK Open Qualifier One

ProTour

MICHAEL VAN GERWEN clinched the first PDC ProTour title of 2018 in Coral UK Open Qualifier One

Jose De Sousa claimed a second PDC title inside a month at Players Championship 28 in Dublin on Saturday, beating Glen Durrant 8-6 in the final.

De Sousa, who won a PDC Tour Card for the first time in January, produced a string of impressive displays to reach his third ProTour final of the year and claim the £10,000 top prize.

The final was a close encounter but a crucial break of throw in the penultimate leg gave the Portuguese the chance to throw for the match, a chance he took to down his English opponent.

“The final was not my best game, it was a complicated game. This final was a moment of magic for me, a great moment,” said a delighted De Sousa.

“If I play my best game I can beat almost anyone. I practice so hard, every day and I want to make a big future for myself.

“I didn’t think this was possible, I could not imagine this.”

The 45-year-old, who had only won his PDC Tour Card in January at Qualifying School, won the crown on another definitive day for Portuguese darts.

“This is my first year in the PDC, all I wanted was experience but this has been amazing," he added. "I will continue my work and in the future we will see what happens.”

A 98 average in a 6-2 win against Mark Dudbridge opened the day for De Sousa, before a remarkable 6-1 triumph over Stephen Burton, with an average of almost 108 moved him safely into the last 32.

A hard fought 6-4 victory against Mark Webster and then a 6-2 win over Spaniard Jesus Noguera saw De Sousa move in to the quarter-finals.

Another ton-plus average followed, this time in a 6-3 win over a resurgent Kim Huybrechts as the Portuguese progressed in to the last four.

De Sousa then faced Mensur Suljovic, who earlier in the day had produced the perfect nine-dart leg in his victory over Adam Hunt.

Suljovic could not compete with his opponent in the semi-finals though as De Sousa powered through to the final with a 7-3 success.

The decider swung both ways, with neither player able to gain complete control of the encounter as De Sousa's early 4-1 lead was cancelled out by three straight legs from Durrant.

The pair traded breaks of throw in the middle of the match before Durrant eventually levelled at 6-6.

With the game looking set to go all the way to a deciding leg, De Sousa produced the all important break of throw with a 14-darter to go within a leg of the match before eventually pinning double ten for the title.

Durrant, who was playing in his fourth PDC final since a move from the BDO in January, had another successful day with notable wins against Ian White and a semi-final victory against Friday’s champion Gerwyn Price.

Suljovic achieved the 43rd nine-dart finish in a PDC event during his win over Hunt in the last 64, and also notched ton-plus averages in wins over Alan Tabern and Peter Wright.

The final two Players Championship events of 2019 will take place on October 14-15 where the field for the Players Championship finals will be confirmed.

Televised darts returns on Sunday as the BoyleSports World Grand Prix is broadcast live around the world from the Citywest Convention Centre in Dublin, starting seven days of the double-start event.

Drawboard