Gerwyn Price Powers To Players Championship 6 Title “Two years ago I had the worst year I’ve ever had in the PDC, so I’m defending absolutely nothing this year”
Gerwyn Price Powers To Players Championship 6 Title “Two years ago I had the worst year I’ve ever had in the PDC, so I’m defending absolutely nothing this year”
Gerwyn Price produced a commanding display to clinch his first PDC ranking title of 2026, dismantling Andrew Gilding 8-1 in the final of Players Championship Six in Leicester.
Having finished runner-up to Wessel Nijman at Players Championship Two earlier this month, Price returned to the Mattioli Arena determined to go one step further — and he did so in emphatic fashion. The former World Champion posted a superb tournament average of 102.82 across the day and dropped just 14 legs in seven matches, underlining the authority of his triumph.
The victory also propelled Price to the summit of the 2026 Players Championship Order of Merit after six events, leapfrogging Nijman in the standings.
“I thought I played decent today,” reflected Price, who now turns his attention to a Premier League showdown with Michael van Gerwen in Belfast on Thursday.
“There were one or two games where I wasn’t at my best – even in the final – but I had enough in the tank.
“It’s a big night for me in the Premier League [on Thursday], so it’s great to get a bit of confidence by winning this and I’m looking forward to tomorrow now.
“I’m feeling good. Two years ago I had the worst year I’ve ever had in the PDC, so I’m defending absolutely nothing this year.
“Whoever is above me, I’m going to catch them!”
Price set the tone early with consecutive 6-1 victories over Cristo Reyes and Maik Kuivenhoven, before dispatching Lukas Wenig by the same scoreline to surge into the latter stages.
His fourth-round clash against Scott Waites — a fellow former Grand Slam champion — proved equally one-sided. Price averaged a blistering 109.48 in a 6-1 demolition to maintain his relentless momentum.
The Welshman then produced another high-calibre display in the quarter-finals, averaging 108.59 to see off Kevin Doets and book a semi-final encounter with World Cup partner Jonny Clayton.
Clayton had ended a ten-match losing run against Price in the Premier League the previous week, but there was to be no repeat in Leicester. Price averaged 104.47 in a 7-4 success to secure his place in the final.
The title decider began in dominant fashion for Price. A clinical 104 checkout on tops was followed by back-to-back 15-darters as he raced into a 3-0 advantage. Gilding, contesting his first Players Championship final since April 2022, responded with an eye-catching 84 finish on the bull to open his account.
However, that proved little more than a brief interruption. Price reeled off the final five legs without reply, punctuating the performance with a spectacular 153 checkout in the penultimate leg to wrap up the £15,000 winner’s prize in style.
Gilding’s run to the final had been built on resilience and experience. He edged through attritional early-round ties against Scott Williams, Leon Weber and Martijn Dragt, before raising his level with a ton-plus average in a victory over Kim Huybrechts.
In the quarter-finals, Gilding held his nerve to defeat Tuesday’s champion Ross Smith, landing a clutch 105 checkout in a deciding-leg thriller. He then survived another last-leg encounter in the semi-finals to deny French star Thibault Tricole and secure £10,000 in prize money.
Tricole’s run to the semi-finals included a memorable victory over Max Hopp, despite Hopp producing a nine-darter earlier in their contest. The Frenchman also eliminated Scotland’s David Sharp in the quarter-finals.
Sharp had enjoyed a breakthrough day, defeating major names including Peter Wright, Beau Greaves and Alan Soutar to reach his first Players Championship quarter-final.
Greaves herself etched her name into the history books in Leicester, becoming the first woman to achieve a nine-dart finish on the PDC ProTour. After edging past Chris Landman in round one, she delivered perfection against Mensur Suljovic in round two before surviving match darts to complete a dramatic victory.
Clayton was the day’s other semi-finalist, recording two whitewash wins during his run. He had earlier required an 11-dart decider to overcome James Hurrell and averaged 102 in his quarter-final triumph over Christian Kist, who reached back-to-back quarter-finals across the Leicester double-header.
Attention now shifts to the next stage of the 2026 PDC ProTour season. The European Darts Trophy in Göttingen from March 13-15 will precede the return to Players Championship action, with Events 7-8 scheduled at the Mattioli Arena on March 30-31.
Gerwyn Price Powers To Players Championship 6 Title
2026 Players Championship Six
Wednesday February 25
Mattioli Arena, Leicester
Last 16
Gerwyn Price 6-1 Scott Waites
Kevin Doets 6-4 Danny Noppert
Jonny Clayton 6-0 Jimmy van Schie
Christian Kist 6-2 Jurjen van der Velde
Ross Smith 6-5 Tom Bissell
Andrew Gilding 6-4 Kim Huybrechts
Thibault Tricole 6-2 Adam Lipscombe
David Sharp 6-2 Alan Soutar
Quarter-Finals
Gerwyn Price 6-4 Kevin Doets
Jonny Clayton 6-3 Christian Kist
Andrew Gilding 6-5 Ross Smith
Thibault Tricole 6-3 David Sharp
Semi-Finals
Gerwyn Price 7-4 Jonny Clayton
Andrew Gilding 7-6 Thibault Tricole
Final
Gerwyn Price 8-1 Andrew Gilding
Nine-Darters!
Beau Greaves hit a nine-darter in her round two tie against Mensur Suljovic.
Max Hopp hit a nine-darter in his round three tie against Thibault Tricole.
