Associate Member Scott Williams seals maiden PDC ranking title at Players Championship 17 with superb Aspinall win

Challenge Tour leader, Scott Williams has brought his talents onto the ProTour this season and has gone all the way at Players Championship 17 despite not having a Tour Card to his name yet.

Williams likely will seal one come what may whether through the secondary tour or by right on the main tour but has delivered on his brilliant 2022 so far by seeing off Nathan Aspinall in the final 8-5 to become a PDC ranking winner.

In doing so, he becomes the first Associate Member to do so since Krzysztof Ratajski back in 2018 to complete the feat and one which saw ‘The Polish Eagle’ go on to become an elite PDC star but can this propel the 32 year old to new heights?

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To begin the tie, Williams missed double 16 for a 101 after going the bull route but returned for double 16 to break and take the early lead. Aspinall hit a 180 but not a lot after that and Williams took aim at 89 only to miss double 16. He allowed Aspinall back but he missed 117 and the Lincolnshire ace made it 2-0.

A 171 left 94 for Williams. Aspinall missed two darts for the leg but Williams missed the second double off 94 and ‘The Asp’ pinned double 16 first time to hold.

A 127 setup left 40 for Aspinall who took it out for a break and parity at 2-2 but only after Williams couldn’t get a second dart to go for 152.

A 133 set up for Williams to leave 70 was there and he went for it after Aspinall missed three clear at double 16. Only for ‘Shaggy’ to miss the same target and Aspinall got a reprieve to make it 3-2.

Both hit 180’s with Aspinall making Williams go for 104 which he couldn’t get a dart at and he took aim at 84 only to go into treble one straight away which allowed Williams back for double six for parity and a rot stopper at 3-3.

Williams missed the bull for a 170 to break and make it 4-3 and Aspinall picked his pocket with a 72 checkout on double 12 to go ahead again.

It was another hold as Williams hit double 12 to make it 4-4. It was a second 180 for Williams who followed it up with a 140 to attempt to steal the throw only for Aspinall to be first to a finish with a maximum of his own.

A 90 setup from Williams left 91 and he took aim with Aspinall leaving double 20 from 140 and hit double 10 to break and go 5-4 up.

Williams went double double again but couldn’t pin double 20 again only to return with Aspinall missing two darts at 75. ‘Shaggy’ began to snatch at darts and missed three to go two away only for Aspinall to miss more and Williams made it 6-4.

He missed 48 to break and go one away but Aspinall spurned more darts this time to hold and Williams went 7-4 up.

He set up 40 from 136 for the win and got match darts with Aspinall slipping into the single one on 120 but three darts went begging for ‘Shaggy’ and Aspinall prolonged the tie on double 20 at 7-5 down.

Williams hit two 180’s in a leg to attempt to stop the great escape but missed more match darts only for Aspinall to miss 72 and the Associate Member pinned double two.

Last 16

Mike De Decker (102.94) 6 | 4 (89.94) Steve Beaton

Nathan Aspinall (102.83) 6 | 5 (91.52) Jim Williams

Peter Wright (91.58) 6 | 3 (93.27) Ross Smith

Kim Huybrechts (104.68) 6 | 4 (92.49) Damon Heta

Chris Dobey (91.01) 6 | 5 (91.01) Simon Whitlock

Dirk van Duijvenbode (89.11) 6 | 3 (95.10) Martin Lukeman

Rob Cross (102.45) 6 | 3 (98.24) Daryl Gurney

Scott Williams (85.90) 6 | 3 (75.50) John Henderson

Quarter-Finals

Mike De Decker (79.52) 2 | 6 (89.86) Nathan Aspinall

Peter Wright (86.44) 0 | 6 (107.36) Kim Huybrechts