Delight for Dobey as ‘Hollywood’ Seals Players Championship 17 Title

Chris Dobey returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion on Tuesday, clinching Players Championship 17 at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester. The North-East star battled through a tough field to secure his second Players Championship title of the year and seventh of his career, overcoming a dramatic late surge from Dirk van Duijvenbode in a thrilling final.

With five weeks having passed since the last ProTour event—won by Ross Smith in Hildesheim—attention turned to the Midlands, where the race to qualify for the 2025 Betfred World Matchplay is entering a critical phase. Several top names, including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, and Gerwyn Price, were absent, opening the door for others to make their mark—and Dobey seized the opportunity.

Strong Start Sets the Tone

Dobey kicked off his campaign with dominant wins over Adam Mould, Adam Warner, and Jack Tweddell to book a place in the Last 16. There, he faced a significant test against Josh Rock, fresh off his World Cup of Darts triumph alongside Daryl Gurney for Team Northern Ireland.

But the 35-year-old was more than up to the challenge, averaging a superb 103.21 to dispatch Rock 6-3 and build momentum heading into the closing stages of the event.

Beating the Best to Reach the Final

That momentum carried Dobey past James Wade in the quarter-finals before another excellent display saw him overcome rising Dutch star Gian van Veen in the semi-finals. With each round, Dobey showcased the blend of scoring power and composure that has become his trademark on the ProTour.

Awaiting him in the final was Dirk van Duijvenbode, who had taken out Michael Smith in the last eight and was riding a wave of form. The final proved to be a back-and-forth affair, with both players trading blows early on. At 3-3, the match looked finely poised—but Dobey struck a pivotal break in the seventh leg to edge ahead 5-3.

He then stretched the lead to 7-3 and looked on course to close it out comfortably. However, a series of missed match darts opened the door for Van Duijvenbode, who punished the errors by reeling off four consecutive legs to force a deciding 11th leg.

Keeping His Cool in the Decider

Despite the momentum shift, Dobey composed himself brilliantly in the final leg. Holding throw under immense pressure, he pinned double eight with his last dart in hand to seal an 8-7 victory and with it, the title.

“His scoring power is unbelievable—probably up there with the best in the world,” Dobey said in praise of Van Duijvenbode after the match. “I had to dig in!”

He added: “This is my second win of the year, but just to win one tournament is an achievement. Every tournament is a tough task now, there are so many good players… I’m delighted to pick up another title.”

Big Names Crash Early as Race to Blackpool Continues

It was a day of upsets early on, with several big names bowing out in the first round. Dave Chisnall, Jonny Clayton, Ryan Searle, and Gary Anderson all exited prematurely. Anderson’s defeat was particularly harsh, as he averaged 105.14 in a 6-2 loss to Justin Hood.

The second round brought standout displays from Mario Vandenbogaerde, Tom Bissell, William O’Connor, Ross Smith, and Josh Rock, all of whom averaged over 100 in their victories.

Further down the draw, Damon Heta produced the highest average of the day with a 108.94 in his quarter-final win over Richard Veenstra. Heta eventually reached the semi-finals, where he fell to Van Duijvenbode.

There was also joy for Thibault Tricole, who reached a Players Championship quarter-final for the third time in his career, showing continued improvement on the ProTour circuit before bowing out to Van Veen.

Meanwhile, Michael Smith made up crucial ground in his effort to qualify for the World Matchplay. The 2023 world champion reached the quarter-finals but was soundly beaten 6-1 by Van Duijvenbode in one of the most one-sided clashes of the day.

More Action to Come

Dobey now sits in an increasingly strong position as the week of Players Championship events in Leicester continues. With two more titles up for grabs before the weekend, “Hollywood” is keen to build on his success.

“I want to be competing with the top boys,” he said. “I’ll be here all week!”

Delight for Dobey as ‘Hollywood’ Seals Players Championship 17 Title in Leicester

2025 Players Championship 17

Tuesday June 17

Mattioli Arena, Leicester

Last 16

Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-4 William O’Connor

Michael Smith 6-5 Darius Labanauskas

Richard Veenstra 6-4 Stephen Bunting

Damon Heta 6-1 Wessel Nijman

James Wade 6-2 Carl Sneyd

Chris Dobey 6-3 Josh Rock

Thibault Tricole 6-3 Darren Beveridge

Gian van Veen 6-4 Dimitri Van den Bergh

Quarter-Finals

Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-1 Michael Smith

Damon Heta 6-2 Richard Veenstra

Chris Dobey 6-3 James Wade

Gian van Veen 6-3 Thibault Tricole

Semi-Finals

Dirk van Duijvenbode 7-6 Damon Heta

Chris Dobey 7-5 Gian van Veen

Final

Chris Dobey 8-7 Dirk van Duijvenbode