Paul Nicholson: 2023 ProTour finalists reflect darts' global growth

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Former Players Champion and current darts pundit Paul Nicholson discussed how this year's ProTour finalists so far reflect darts' global expansion over the last two decades.

PDC Order of Merit changes following Players Championships 9-10

News

Jonny Clayton has regained seventh spot on the PDC Order of Merit following last weekend's 2023 Players Championships 9-10.

Third title of 2023 for Van Duijvenbode with PC10 success

ProTour

Dirk van Duijvenbode picked up a third PDC ProTour title of 2023 with victory in Sunday's Players Championship Ten in Wigan.

Relentless Ratajski celebrates Players Championship Nine win

ProTour

Krzysztof Ratajski dispatched Chris Landman 8-1 to claim Players Championship Nine success in Wigan on Saturday, securing his first PDC ranking title for almost 18 months.

Anderson ends title drought with superb PC8 triumph

ProTour

Gary Anderson ended his three-year wait for a PDC ranking title by defeating Krzysztof Ratajski 8-5 in Monday's Players Championship 8 final in Hildesheim.

First ranking title of 2023 for Van Gerwen with PC7 success

ProTour

Michael van Gerwen picked up his first ranking title of 2023 by defeating Josh Rock 8-4 in Sunday's Players Championship 7 final in Hildesheim.

PDC Order of Merit changes following 2023 Players Championships 5-6

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Ross Smith has entered the top 16 on the PDC Order of Merit for the first time following 2023 Players Championship Events Five and Six.

Imperious Van Duijvenbode storms to Players Championship 6 success

ProTour

Dirk van Duijvenbode clinched his second ProTour title of 2023 with a superb 8-4 success against Ryan Searle in Sunday's Players Championship 6 final at the Barnsley Metrodome.

Super Smith sinks Anderson to seal second ProTour crown

ProTour

Ross Smith denied a resurgent Gary Anderson to claim Players Championship 5 glory and celebrate his second ProTour title in Barnsley on Saturday.

Players Championship events are held throughout the year, with prize money won counting towards the ProTour Order of Merit

All Players Championship events will be streamed live for PDCTV-HD Subscribers worldwide with coverage from two boards throughout each event.

GERWYN PRICE made it back-to-back PDC title wins with an 8-4 victory over Ricky Evans in the final of Players Championship 6, on a day which saw a nine-darter hit in Barnsley on Sunday.

Price followed up his Players Championship 5 triumph on Saturday with a series of stunning displays, ending the weekend with an incredible ten ton-plus averages from his 14 wins as he picked up his sixth PDC title.

The Welshman, who previously won back-to-back Players Championship events across separate weekends in 2016, became the 13th ProTour weekend double-event winner in PDC history.

The Grand Slam of Darts Champion began the day by edging past Harry Ward 6-5, before a stunning 112.7 average saw Price whitewash Zoran Lerchbacher 6-0.

The Welsh number one, who has made an unbeaten start to his second Premier League season, made it back-to-back whitewash wins against Josh Payne before a fourth consecutive 100-plus average saw Price power past David Pallett 6-3 to advance to the quarter-finals.

There, he overcame Adrian Lewis 6-4, and followed it up with a 106 average to comfortably defeat Nathan Aspinall 7-2, before proving too strong for Evans to end the weekend with £20,000 in prize money, winning the title with a spectacular 170 finish.

"This weekend I proved to myself and a lot of people that I can play top quality darts," said Price, who will return to Premier League action in Exeter on Thursday.

"It's all a case of having confidence in myself, believing in my ability and I think I played phenomenally well all day.

"I'm happy with my consistency over the weekend and I couldn't have asked for a better way to win it than with a 170.

"Hopefully now I can carry this form into the Premier League and I can keep performing to this standard and win another TV title along the way."

Price began the final in untouchable form, racing into a 4-0 lead with two breaks of throw, before Evans stopped the rot with back-to-back legs, followed by a 108 checkout to go within a leg of Price at 4-3.

However, Price found double top with his last dart in hand to halt the Evans comeback, which he soon followed with a 105 finish using two double tops to break throw and make it 6-3.

Price held throw to go within a leg of the title, but after he missed eight match darts, Evans found double four to keep the contest alive.

Price was quick to put those missed darts behind him, as the following leg saw him land the biggest checkout in the game to seal an 8-4 victory.

Despite defeat in the final, it was a successful day for Evans who ended his five-year wait for a Players Championship final berth.

The Kettering thrower claimed the scalps of Daryl Gurney and Krzysztof Ratajski on his way to the quarter-finals, where he overcame Kyle Anderson and then Danny Noppert to reach the final.

Another top class day of action saw Ritchie Edhouse strike the tenth nine-dart finish of the 2019 PDC campaign, and the fifth perfect leg in three days of action in South Yorkshire, in his last 16 defeat to Noppert.

A day of surprise early exits saw Premier League stars Peter Wright, Michael Smith, Mensur Suljovic and Raymond van Barneveld all go out at the first round stage.

Former World Champion Rob Cross reached the last 32 along with Simon Whitlock, who ended his winless start to the year.