Darren Webster wins first ranking darts title in 12 years at Players Championship 15

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The Norwich thrower had entered the final ProTour weekend before the cut-off for qualification for the BetVictor World Matchplay in a precarious position in his bid to secure a spot in Blackpool later this month.

However, he rose to the challenge to take the £10,000 title and seal his World Matchplay place as well as claim a maiden Players Championship title - and his first ranking victory since the Open Oust Nederland in 2005.

Webster - a semi-finalist in last November's Players Championship Finals - began Saturday's event with a narrow 6-5 win over Wes Newton before claiming 6-3 wins over Jonathan Worsley and Ron Meulenkamp.

He then overcame another Dutchman, Jeffrey de Graaf, 6-4 at the last 16 stage and overcame Alan Norris for the loss of only two legs to book his place in the semi-finals.

There, he raced into leads of 3-0 and 5-1 against Kyle Anderson only for the Australian to punish six missed match darts from his opponent to pull level.

However, Anderson crucially missed a dart at the bull to snatch victory in leg 11 as Webster returned to land tops for a spot in the final.

There, he shared the opening two legs with Gurney before pulling clear with some fine darts, breaking throw in leg four to lead 3-1 before taking out 60 and 87 to move to the brink of the title, which he sealed with tops for a 13-darter.

"I had a job to do this weekend and I've done it," said Webster. "It's brilliant, and it means a lot to me.

"I'm practising well and I performed well. I work full-time and I love my work, but I work hard and come home and practice two hours a night.

"I've never feared anyone but this could be the turning point. It took me a long time to learn and I've got to start doing it on stage consistently.

"I think I can. Last year I think I had two last 16s on TV and a semi-final where I was 6-0 up against Michael van Gerwen. I beat Phil Taylor 5-0 [in the Grand Slam] and this year I've had a nine-darter this year and now won a title.

"I'm starting to control myself; I'm controlling my breathing and I'm controlling me. The next ten years will be my years - I don't feel 50, I feel 20 inside and I've got to give it to them while I'm still young."

Gurney had been bidding to win his second Players Championship of 2017 as he overcame Brendan Dolan, Zoran Lerchbacher, Harry Robinson, Robert Thornton, Dimitri Van den Bergh and Justin Pipe on the day.

The run saw Gurney reach his fourth Players Championship final of the year, but he was unable to halt Webster's charge in the decider.

"He deserves it," said Gurney. "He's been doing it day in, day out for ten, 15 years and he's a great player. He's a role model."

Pipe's run to the semi-finals was his best performance of the year, and came at a timely moment to move him into the provisional qualifying places for the World Matchplay.

Pipe - who defeated Martin Schindler, Max Hopp, Joe Cullen, Ryan Searle and John Henderson on Saturday - now sits £750 ahead of Chris Dobey and Jonny Clayton going into Sunday's Players Championship.

Clayton improved his chances of winning a World Matchplay debut by reaching the quarter-finals in Barnsley, overcoming in-form Rob Cross and South African ace Devon Petersen on his way to the last eight.

Kyle Anderson ended Clayton's hopes in the quarter-finals before narrowly missing his chance to reach the final against Webster, while Norris and Henderson were joined in the last eight by Belgian youngster Van den Bergh.

Mervyn King followed up last week's run to a European Tour final by reaching the last 16, alongside former World Grand Prix winner Robert Thornton, Petersen, Searle, De Graaf, Mickey Mansell, Steve Lennon and Maik Langendorf.

Sunday's Players Championship will be the final ranking event before the cut-off for the World Matchplay, with the top 16 from the PDC Order of Merit joined in qualifying by the leading 16 players from the ProTour Order of Merit. 

Players Championship 15 results (July 8)

Last 128

Simon Whitlock 6-1 Vincent Kamphuis

Steve Hine 6-4 Luke Woodhouse

Mickey Mansell 6-4 James Richardson

Andy Jenkins 6-2 Jamie Caven

Steve Beaton 6-1 Simon Stevenson

Robert Owen 6-3 Craig Gilchrist

Kyle Anderson 6-5 Lee Bryant

Andy Boulton 6-3 Dennis Smith

Mick McGowan 6-1 Ian White

Devon Petersen 6-3 Richie Burnett

Ronny Huybrechts 6-5 Jamie Bain

Rowby-John Rodriguez 6-5 Jim Brown

Rob Cross 6-3 Ritchie Edhouse

Aden Kirk 6-1 Paul Harvey

Jonny Clayton 6-3 Callum Loose

Kirk Shepherd 6-4 Madars Razma

Michael Barnard 6-4 Jelle Klaasen

Jeffrey de Graaf 6-3 Diogo Portela

Robbie Green 6-5 Jim Walker

Paul Rowley 6-4 Dirk van Duijvenbode

Ron Meulenkamp 6-4 Cristo Reyes

Matt Clark 6-1 Ross Twell

Darren Webster 6-5 Wes Newton

Jonathan Worsley 6-4 Ryan Palmer

Alan Norris 6-2 Callan Rydz

Jeffrey de Zwaan 6-3 Ryan Harrington

Mark Webster 6-5 Tony Newell

Mike De Decker 6-5 Yordi Meeuwisse

Stephen Bunting 6-3 Nathan Aspinall

Joe Murnan 6-5 Martin Lukeman

Steve Lennon 6-1 Christian Kist

Kevin Painter 6-3 Adam Hunt

Michael Smith 6-5 Matthew Edgar

Terry Roach 6-1 Simon Preston

Stuart Kellett 6-5 Jan Dekker

Maik Langendorf 6-3 Ricky Evans

Steve West 6-1 Ray Campbell

Richard North 6-3 Paul Nicholson

John Henderson 6-3 Ryan Meikle

Chris Quantock 6-2 Jamie Lewis

Matthew Dennant 6-5 Benito van de Pas

Kevin McDine 6-3 Ronnie Baxter

Mark Walsh 6-4 Vincent van der Voort

Ryan Searle 6-4 Peter Jacques

Joe Cullen 6-5 Antonio Alcinas

Stephen Burton 6-4 John Michael

Justin Pipe 6-4 Martin Schindler

Max Hopp 6-2 Terry Temple

Kim Huybrechts 6-1 Mick Todd

Josh Payne 6-3 Bryan de Hoog

Dimitri Van den Bergh 6-2 Andy Hamilton

William O'Connor 6-3 Keegan Brown

Mervyn King 6-4 Peter Hudson

Ted Evetts 6-3 Sven Groen

Chris Dobey 6-1 Darren Johnson

John Bowles 6-2 Barrie Bates

Daryl Gurney 6-2 Brendan Dolan

Zoran Lerchbacher 6-1 Brian Woods

Harry Robinson 6-2 Jermaine Wattimena

Andrew Gilding 6-5 Mark Barilli

David Pallett 6-5 James Wilson

Wayne Jones 6-3 Berry van Peer

Robert Thornton 6-2 Jimmy Hendriks

Richie Corner 6-2 Scott Taylor

Last 64 

Steve Hine 6-3 Simon Whitlock

Mickey Mansell 6-5 Andy Jenkins

Steve Beaton 6-4 Robert Owen

Kyle Anderson 6-3 Andy Boulton

Devon Petersen 6-3 Mick McGowan

Rowby-John Rodriguez 6-5 Ronny Huybrechts

Rob Cross 6-3 Aden Kirk

Jonny Clayton 6-0Kirk Shepherd

Jeffrey de Graaf 6-5 Michael Barnard

Robbie Green 6-3 Paul Rowley

Ron Meulenkamp 6-3 Matt Clark

Darren Webster 6-3 Jonathan Worsley

Alan Norris 6-2 Jeffrey de Zwaan

Mark Webster 6-2 Mike De Decker

Joe Murnan 6-1 Stephen Bunting

Steve Lennon 6-4 Kevin Painter

Michael Smith 6-2 Terry Roach

Maik Langendorf 6-2 Stuart Kellett

Richard North 6-3 Steve West

John Henderson 6-2 Chris Quantock

Kevin McDine 6-1 Matthew Dennant

Ryan Searle 6-4 Mark Walsh

Joe Cullen 6-4 Stephen Burton

Justin Pipe 6-4 Max Hopp

Kim Huybrechts 6-3 Josh Payne

Dimitri Van den Bergh 6-1 William O'Connor

Mervyn King 6-1 Ted Evetts

Chris Dobey 6-5 John Bowles

Daryl Gurney 6-4 Zoran Lerchbacher

Harry Robinson 6-5 Andrew Gilding

David Pallett 6-3 Wayne Jones

Robert Thornton 6-1 Richie Corner

Last 32 

Mickey Mansell 6-4 Steve Hine

Kyle Anderson 6-2 Steve Beaton

Devon Petersen 6-5 Rowby-John Rodriguez

Jonny Clayton 6-4 Rob Cross

Jeffrey de Graaf 6-1 Robbie Green

Darren Webster 6-3 Ron Meulenkamp

Alan Norris 6-5 Mark Webster

Steve Lennon 6-1 Joe Murnan

Maik Langendorf 6-5 Michael Smith

John Henderson 6-4 Richard North

Ryan Searle 6-3 Kevin McDine

Justin Pipe 6-2 Joe Cullen

Dimitri Van den Bergh 6-5 Kim Huybrechts

Mervyn King 6-5 Chris Dobey

Daryl Gurney 6-1 Harry Robinson

Robert Thornton 6-3 David Pallett

Last 16

Kyle Anderson 6-3 Mickey Mansell

Jonny Clayton 6-3 Devon Petersen

Darren Webster 6-4 Jeffrey de Graaf

Alan Norris 6-5 Steve Lennon

John Henderson 6-5 Maik Langendorf

Justin Pipe 6-1 Ryan Searle

Dimitri Van den Bergh 6-2 Mervyn King

Daryl Gurney 6-3 Robert Thornton

Quarter-Finals

Kyle Anderson 6-2 Jonny Clayton

Darren Webster 6-2 Alan Norris

Justin Pipe 6-5 John Henderson

Daryl Gurney 6-2 Dimitri Van den Bergh

Semi-Finals

Darren Webster 6-5 Kyle Anderson

Daryl Gurney 6-3 Justin Pipe

Final

Darren Webster 6-1 Daryl Gurney