Players Championship 2 Gary Anderson beats Peter Wright


Gary Anderson won his first title of 2017 by defeating Peter Wright 6-1 in the final of Players Championship Two, where Adrian Lewis had earlier landed a nine-dart finish.

Two-time world champion Anderson has enjoyed a strong start to the year, reaching the finals of the William Hill World Darts Championship, Unibet Masters and two Coral UK Open Qualifiers.

But he ended his wait for a victory in emphatic fashion as he scooped the £10,000 first prize in Sunday's 128-player event at the Barnsley Metrodome.

Anderson dropped just five legs in his opening three matches as he overcame Brendan Dolan, Berry van Peer and Steve West, before a 6-4 win over Benito van de Pas put the world number two into the quarter-finals.

There, he defeated former World Youth champion Michael Smith 6-1 before then losing only two legs in a superb semi-final victory over Jelle Klaasen.

Anderson saved another impressive display for world number three Wright in the final, racing into an early 4-0 lead as he punished his rival's miss in the opener on double ten before taking out 90 on the bull and hitting back-to-back 12-darters.

Wright responded with a 76 finish - after Anderson missed double 14 for a 121  - but the latter would not be denied as he landed a third 180 in an 11-darter before adding another maximum as double six secured a 6-1 victory.

Top seed Wright was aiming to follow up his three victories in UK Open Qualifiers with a fourth tournament victory of the month, but had to settle for the £6,000 runner-up cheque.

The Scot enjoyed a see-saw ride throughout the day, whitewashing Ricky Williams in his opening game and losing only one leg against Jamie Caven and Daryl Gurney respectively, but also being taken to a deciding leg by Vincent van der Voort, Cristo Reyes and James Wade.

Gurney produced some excellent darts on his way to the semi-finals in his best run since he reached the last eight at the World Championship.

Klaasen, meanwhile, overcame Dutch compatriot Raymond van Barneveld 6-4 in the quarter-finals on his way to a second semi-final of February.

Wade, Smith and Van Barneveld were joined in the quarter-finals by Robert Owen, the Bridgend-based thrower who defeated Stephen Bunting, Saturday's runner-up Peter Jacques, Rob Cross and Stuart Kellett in his best-ever run on the PDC circuit.

Austria's Zoran Lerchbacher, youngsters Ted Evetts and David Pallett, Belgium's Ronny Huybrechts, Terry Temple and Stuart Kellett all won through to the last 16, alongside Dutchman van de Pas and Spain's Reyes.

Saturday's Players Championship One winner Alan Norris was a third round victim in his bid to complete a ProTour double, losing out to Temple 6-3 in the last 32.

Two-time World Champion Adrian Lewis landed a perfect nine-dart leg during his first round tie with John Henderson - the eighth on the PDC circuit this month - but lost out 6-3 as the Scot progressed.

Players Championship Two

Sunday February 26, Barnsley Metrodome

First Round 

Peter Wright (1) 6-0 Ricky Williams

Vincent van der Voort 6-1 John Jnr Norman

Jamie Caven (32) 6-5 Andy Jenkins

Shaun Griffiths 6-3 Jonathan Worsley

Cristo Reyes (16) 6-2 Bryan De Hoog

Aden Kirk 6-3 Paul Harvey

Steve Beaton (17) 6-4 Ron Meulenkamp

Wayne Jones 6-4 Richie Burnett

James Wade (8) 6-0 Jamie Bain

Yordi Meeuwisse 6-5 Rowby-John Rodriguez

Paul Nicholson 6-5 Justin Pipe (25)

William O'Connor 6-2 Andy Parsons

Kim Huybrechts (9) 6-4 Kirk Shepherd

Simon Stevenson 6-0 Ray Campbell

Paul Rowley 6-4 Robert Thornton (24)

Zoran Lerchbacher 6-3 Mark Walsh

Darren Johnson 6-3 Simon Whitlock (5) 

Ronnie Baxter 6-2 Mike De Decker

Ronny Huybrechts (28) 6-2 Andrew Gilding

Darron Brown 6-4 Ross Twell

Joe Cullen (12) 6-4 Jonny Clayton 

Devon Petersen 6-2 Max Hopp

Daryl Gurney (21) 6-4 Scott Taylor

Richard North 6-3 Simon Preston

Antonio Alcinas 6-5 Dave Chisnall (4) 

Stuart Kellett 6-5 Stephen Burton

James Richardson 6-4 Jermaine Wattimena (29)

Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-5 Vincent Kamphuis

Robert Owen 6-5 Stephen Bunting (13) 

Peter Jacques 6-5 Ricky Evans

Matthew Dennant 6-4 James Wilson (20)

Rob Cross 6-5 Mickey Mansell

Joe Murnan 6-3 Mensur Suljovic (2) 

Ted Evetts 6-5 Jeffrey De Zwaan

Jan Dekker 6-4 Christian Kist (31)

Harry Robinson 6-2 Jeffrey De Graaf

Kyle Anderson (15) 6-1 Keegan Brown

Raymond van Barneveld 6-4 Peter Hudson 

Chris Dobey (18) 6-4 Jamie Lewis

Martin Schindler 6-5 Ritchie Edhouse

Alan Norris (7) 6-2 Chris Quantock

Ryan Searle 6-0 Tony Newell

Terry Temple 6-5 Darren Webster (26)

Diogo Portela 6-4 Wes Newton

Jelle Klaasen (10) 6-4 Jim Brown

Matt Clark 6-4 Andy Hamilton

Mervyn King (23) 6-2 Mark Barilli

Mick Todd 6-3 Dimitri Van den Bergh

Steve Hine 6-5 Ian White (6) 

David Pallett 6-5 Prakash Jiwa

Mick McGowan 6-2 Robbie Green (27)

Kevin Painter 6-5 Matthew Edgar

Michael Smith (11) 6-3 John Bowles

Dennis Smith 6-2 Brian Woods

John Henderson 6-3 Adrian Lewis (22) - Adrian Lewis hits nine-dart finish

Jimmy Hendriks 6-3 Adam Hunt

Benito van de Pas (3) 6-4 Steve Lennon

Ryan Meikle 6-1 Ryan Palmer

Richie Corner 6-5 Josh Payne (3)

Maik Langendorf 6-3 Andy Boulton

Gary Anderson (14) 6-1 Brendan Dolan

Berry van Peer 6-4 Scott Darbyshire

Steve West (19) 6-3 Lee Bryant 

Mark Webster 6-0 Sven Groen

Second Round 

Peter Wright 6-5 Vincent van der Voort

Jamie Caven 6-2 Shaun Griffiths

Cristo Reyes 6-4 Aden Kirk

Wayne Jones 6-4 Steve Beaton

James Wade 6-3 Yordi Meeuwisse

Paul Nicholson 6-2 William O'Connor

Simon Stevenson 6-5 Kim Huybrechts

Zoran Lerchbacher 6-5 Paul Rowley

Darren Johnson 6-1 Ronnie Baxter

Ronny Huybrechts 6-0 Darron Brown

Devon Petersen 6-3 Joe Cullen

Daryl Gurney 6-2 Richard North

Stuart Kellett 6-4 Antonio Alcinas

Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-4 James Richardson

Robert Owen 6-3 Peter Jacques

Rob Cross 6-3 Matthew Dennant

Ted Evetts 6-2 Joe Murnan

Jan Dekker 6-3 Harry Robinson

Raymond van Barneveld 6-3 Kyle Anderson

Chris Dobey 6-3 Martin Schindler

Alan Norris 6-3 Ryan Searle

Terry Temple 6-4 Diogo Portela

Jelle Klaasen 6-3 Matt Clark

Mick Todd 6-5 Mervyn King

David Pallett 6-4 Steve Hine

Kevin Painter 6-2 Mick McGowan

Michael Smith 6-4 Dennis Smith

John Henderson 6-5 Jimmy Hendriks

Benito van de Pas 6-5 Ryan Meikle

Richie Corner 6-5 Maik Langendorf

Gary Anderson 6-2 Berry van Peer

Steve West 6-1 Mark Webster

Third Round 

Peter Wright 6-1 Jamie Caven

Cristo Reyes 6-4 Wayne Jones

James Wade 6-2 Paul Nicholson

Zoran Lerchbacher 6-4 Simon Stevenson

Ronny Huybrechts 6-1 Darren Johnson

Daryl Gurney 6-3 Devon Petersen

Stuart Kellett 6-5 Dirk van Duijvenbode

Robert Owen 6-4 Rob Cross

Ted Evetts 6-0 Jan Dekker

Raymond van Barneveld 6-5 Chris Dobey

Terry Temple 6-3 Alan Norris

Jelle Klaasen 6-3 Mick Todd

David Pallett 6-5 Kevin Painter

Michael Smith 6-3 John Henderson

Benito van de Pas 6-4 Richie Corner

Gary Anderson 6-2 Steve West

Fourth Round 

Peter Wright 6-5 Cristo Reyes

James Wade 6-3 Zoran Lerchbacher

Daryl Gurney 6-4 Ronny Huybrechts

Robert Owen 6-4 Stuart Kellett

Raymond van Barneveld 6-2 Ted Evetts

Jelle Klaasen 6-1 Terry Temple

Michael Smith 6-5 David Pallett

Gary Anderson 6-4 Benito van de Pas

Quarter-Finals 

Peter Wright 6-5 James Wade

Daryl Gurney 6-5 Robert Owen

Jelle Klaasen 6-4 Raymond van Barneveld

Gary Anderson 6-1 Michael Smith

Semi-Finals 

Peter Wright 6-1 Daryl Gurney

Gary Anderson 6-2 Jelle Klaasen

Losers £3,000 

Final 

Gary Anderson 6-1 Peter Wright