GERWYN PRICE won his second consecutive Players Championship title on Saturday in Coventry after averaging over 108 in the final against Jamie Caven.
With the world’s top four players absent from the Ricoh Arena following Thursday’s Premier League Play-Offs and ahead of the Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters – it was Price who stepped up and took home the £10,000 top prize.
The Welshman started his day in Coventry with a 6-4 win over Terry Temple before victories against Dirk van Duijvenbode, Mervyn King and Cristo Reyes earned him a place in the quarter-finals.
The last eight provided Price with his toughest test of the day as he needed a deciding leg to see off ninth seed Mensur Suljovic.
The 31-year-old then faced a resurgent Ronnie Baxter – who earlier in the day had beaten Kim Huybrechts and Simon Whitlock – in the semi-finals as a 6-4 triumph moved him through to the final, where he saved his best display for last.
Price enjoyed a 6-1 victory with a 108 average against Caven – who himself averaged 101 – as Price won his second Players Championship title in less than a month.
The following day it was Benito Van de Pas’ turn to taste success once again as he won his second Players Championship title in the space of six weeks with a brilliant display culminating in a 6-0 demolition of Joe Cullen in the final.
The Dutch star had claimed his first senior victory back in April after defeating Michael van Gerwen in the final and he claimed another £10,000 top prize with a brilliant disaply of darts throughout Sunday.
Early wins over fellow countryman Christian Kist and Andy Boulton were followed by a whitewash of PDC Unicorn World Youth Championship runner-up Nathan Aspinall and a 6-1 win over Jason Wilson as van de Pas progressed to the quarter-finals.
There, the 23-year-old saw off Justin Pipe 6-3 before dropping only one leg against Darren Webster in the semi-finals, but it was his stunning display in the decider against Cullen which crowned his success, averaging over 111 in a six-leg blitz.
After winning the opening leg, he added back-to-back 12-dart legs to move 3-0 up, and after another pair of 15-dart finishes, including a 136 finish, before taking his tally of 180s for the game to three with two in leg six, and though he missed out on a perfect leg he took out another 12-darter for victory.
Premier League stars Peter Wright and Dave Chisnall both warmed up for the forthcoming Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters with runs to the quarter-finals, although James Wade – the only other World Series of Darts competitor in action on Sunday – lost out in the first round to Andrew Gilding.
