Gerwyn Price secured his maiden PDC ranking title with victory in Players Championship seven, after beating Peter Wright 6-3 in the final on Sunday afternoon at the Barnsley Metrodome.
Price, who appeared in the final of UK Open qualifier 5 back in February, went one better this weekend, defeating the world number five in Sunday’s curtain-raiser to scoop the £10,000 winner’s cheque and continue his march up the world rankings.
Price kicked off the day with a comprehensive 6-1 victory over young Belgian star Dimitri van den Bergh, before narrowly beating Darren Webster to reach round three. The Welshman edged out Daryl Gurney in a deciding leg in the last 32, before then beating Matt Clark 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals.
Price secured a routine 6-2 victory over Ricky Evans in the last eight, after ‘Rapid’ had seen off Terry Jenkins in the previous round. ‘The Iceman’ then faced sixth seed Benito van de Pas in the semi-finals, but Benito was unable to secure his second Pro Tour title of the year, as Price eased to a 6-2 win to secure a place in his second final of the year.
Wright began Sunday’s proceedings with an impressive 6-2 victory over former BDO star Jeffrey de Graaf, before overcoming Paul Nicholson in a hard-fought encounter. Snakebite, seeded 1st in Barnsley due to the absence of Michael van Gerwen, then came through tight encounters against Robbie Green and Devon Petersen to reach the last eight.
Wright dispatched former Lakeside champion Christian Kist in the last eight, before sealing his spot in the final with a nail-biting deciding leg win against Dave Chisnall, who hit a 9-darter of his own in yesterday’s Players Championship six. However, Wright was unable to secure his second title of the year against the inspired Welshman.
Although Petersen succumbed to another deciding-leg defeat against Wright on Sunday, there was some consolation for the South-African, as he recorded a magnificent 9-darter during his last 16 clash against the Scot. Ironically, it was exactly a year to the day that Devon hit his first-ever PDC 9-darter in a European Tour qualifier, also in Barnsley!
Elsewhere, Alan Norris and Stephen Bunting suffered first-round exits for the second day in succession as they were beaten by Mick McGowan and Darren Johnson respectively. Jelle Klaasen was beaten by his compatriot Vincent Kamphuis at the same stage, whilst Michael Smith also departed at the first hurdle, losing 6-5 to Nigel Heydon.
Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson, Phil Taylor & Raymond van Barneveld were not competing in Barnsley, whilst two-time world champion Adrian Lewis all pulled out of Sunday’s event due to illness.
Players Championship Seven
Sunday May 1, Barnsley Metrodome
First Round
Peter Wright(1) 6-2 Jeffrey de Graaf
Paul Nicholson 6-5 Prakash Jiwa
Robbie Green(32) 6-2 Jay Foreman
Steve West 6-2 Andrew Gilding
Devon Petersen 6-5 Mervyn King(16)
Tony Newell 6-1 Kevin Thomas
Ron Meulenkamp 6-3 Justin Pipe(17)
Peter Hudson 6-3 Jason Marriott
James Wade(8) 6-4 Lee Evans
James Wilson 6-2 Ronny Huybrechts
Darron Brown 6-5 Jamie Lewis(25)
Christian Kist 6-0 Scott Dale
Mensur Suljovic(9) 6-4 Max Hopp
Magnus Caris 6-4 Nathan Derry
Ted Evetts 6-2 Steve Beaton(24)
Mickey Mansell 6-2 James Richardson
Dave Chisnall(5) 6-5 John Bowles
Nigel Daniels 6-5 Jason Wilson
Kyle Anderson(28) 6-1 John Part
Jyhan Artut 6-4 Ricky Williams
Stephen Bunting(12) 6-3 Ian Moss
Darren Johnson 6-3 Nick Fullwell
Mark Webster(21) 6-3 Johnny Haines
Chris Dobey 6-1 Dennis Smith
Ian White(4) 6-4 Yordi Meeuwisse
Jonathan Worsley 6-4 Mark Walsh
Berry van Peer 6-4 Keegan Brown(29)
Dick van Dijk 6-4 Nathan Aspinall
Simon Whitlock(13) 6-2 Wes Newton
Wayne Jones 6-1 Ross Smith
Vincent van der Voort(20) 6-1 Jonny Clayton
Stephen Willard 6-1 Andy Boulton
Nigel Heydon 6-5 Michael Smith(2)
Matt Clark 6-1 Mark Barilli
David Pallett(31) 6-2 Mick Todd
Steve Brown 6-5 Simon Preston
Daryl Gurney(15) 6-4 Jamie Robinson
Ryan Meikle 6-4 Andy Hamilton
Gerwyn Price(18) 6-1 Dimitri van den Bergh
Darren Webster 6-5 Alan Tabern
Vincent Kamphuis 6-4 Jelle Klaasen(7)
Jason Lovett 6-4 Robert Owen
William O’Connor 6-5 Jamie Caven(26)
Ricky Evans 6-3 Shaun Griffiths
Terry Jenkins(10) 6-1 Steve Hine
Arron Monk 6-2 Ryan Palmer
Joe Cullen(23) 6-4 Dave Ladley
Curtis Hammond 6-4 Matthew Edgar
Benito van de Pas(6) 6-3 Andy Smith
Ronnie Baxter 6-3 Andy Jenkins
Joe Murnan(27) 6-4 Mike De Decker
Mark Frost 6-2 Kevin Painter
Robert Thornton(11) 6-1 Andy Parsons
Harry Robinson 6-3 Jerry Hendriks
Josh Payne(22) 6-3 Dean Winstanley
Stuart Kellett 6-5 Cristo Reyes
Kim Huybrechts(3) 6-4 Antonio Alcinas
Jermaine Wattimena 6-2 Matthew Dennant
John Henderson(30) 6-1 Richie Corner
Kevin Dowling 6-3 Paul Milford
Mick McGowan 6-5 Alan Norris(14)
Jan Dekker 6-2 Ray Campbell
Jim Walker 6-5 Brendan Dolan(19)
Simon Stevenson 6-1 Stephen McNally
Second Round
Peter Wright(1) 6-4 Paul Nicholson
Robbie Green(32) 6-2 Steve West
Devon Petersen 6-1 Tony Newell
Peter Hudson 6-1 Ron Meulenkamp
James Wade(8) 6-3 James Wilson
Christian Kist 6-2 Darren Brown
Mensur Suljovic(9) 6-3 Magnus Caris
Mickey Mansell 6-3 Ted Evetts
Dave Chisnall(5) 6-1 Nigel Daniels
Kyle Anderson(28) 6-4 Jyhan Artut
Darren Johnson 6-3 Stephen Bunting(12)
Mark Webster(21) 6-5 Chris Dobey
Ian White(4) 6-3 Jonathan Worsley
Berry van Peer 6-0 Dick van Dijk
Wayne Jones 6-3 Simon Whitlock(13)
Vincent van der Voort(20) 6-1 Stephen Willard
Matt Clark 6-3 Nigel Heydon
Steve Brown 6-4 David Pallett(31)
Daryl Gurney(15) 6-4 Ryan Meikle
Gerwyn Price(18) 6-4 Darren Webster
Vincent Kamphuis 6-4 Jason Lovett
Ricky Evans 6-5 William O’Connor
Terry Jenkins(10) 6-1 Arron Monk
Joe Cullen(23) 6-3 Curtis Hammond
Benito van de Pas(6) 6-2 Ronnie Baxter
Mark Frost 6-1 Joe Murnan(27)
Robert Thornton(11) 6-2 Harry Robinson
Josh Payne(22) 6-1 Stuart Kellett
Jermaine Wattimena 6-3 Kim Huybrechts(3)
Kevin Dowling 6-1 John Henderson(30)
Jan Dekker 6-3 Mick McGowan
Jim Walker 6-4 Simon Stevenson
Losers £500
Third Round
Peter Wright(1) 6-4 Robbie Green(32)
Devon Petersen 6-4 Peter Hudson
Christian Kist 6-4 James Wade(8)
Mensur Suljovic(9) 6-5 Mickey Mansell
Dave Chisnall(5) 6-5 Kyle Anderson(28)
Darren Johnson 6-5 Mark Webster(21)
Ian White(4) 6-0 Berry van Peer
Wayne Jones 6-0 Vincent van der Voort(20)
Matt Clark 6-3 Steve Brown
Gerwyn Price(18) 6-5 Daryl Gurney(15)
Ricky Evans 6-3 Vincent Kamphuis
Terry Jenkins(10) 6-5 Joe Cullen(23)
Benito van de Pas(6) 6-1 Mark Frost
Robert Thornton(11) 6-3 Josh Payne(22)
Kevin Dowling 6-0 Jermaine Wattimena
Jim Walker 6-5 Jan Dekker
Losers £1,000
Fourth Round
Peter Wright(1) 6-5 Devon Petersen
Christian Kist 6-4 Mensur Suljovic(9)
Dave Chisnall(5) 6-1 Darren Johnson
Wayne Jones 6-1 Ian White(4)
Gerwyn Price(18) 6-2 Matt Clark
Ricky Evans 6-3 Terry Jenkins(10)
Benito van de Pas(6) 6-2 Robert Thornton(11)
Kevin Dowling 6-3 Jim Walker
Losers £1,500
Quarter-Finals
Peter Wright(1) 6-1 Christian Kist
Dave Chisnall(5) 6-2 Wayne Jones
Gerwyn Price(18) 6-2 Ricky Evans
Benito van de Pas(6) 6-1 Kevin Dowling
Losers £2,250
Semi-Finals
Peter Wright(1) 6-5 Dave Chisnall(5)
Gerwun Price(18) 6-2 Benito van de Pas(6)
Losers £3,000
Final
Gerwyn Price(18) 6-3 Peter Wright (1)
Winner £10,000
Runner-Up £6,000
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