"I’m not paying for the food tonight, lads, that’s for sure!" jokes Chris Dobey after sealing 10th Players Championship title win

Chris Dobey secured his 10th Players Championship title with an impressive 8-4 victory over Justin Hood, producing a superb 105 average in a high-quality final.

Dobey was pushed throughout by Hood, who showed flashes of brilliance, particularly on the bullseye, but the Bedlington star’s consistency and clinical finishing proved decisive.

“It was ridiculous to watch,” Dobey admitted afterwards. “To be honest, it’s what I expected from him. That game at the Worlds, I think he was, what, 11 from 11, and when the first two bulls went in, it was like, ‘Not again.’ But he put up a good fight. I was sick of his bullseyes! Great shots at crucial times as well, but I’m delighted with another win. I played some good stuff all day.”

Despite the competitive nature of the contest, Dobey acknowledged the enjoyment of being involved in matches of such quality.

“Yeah, of course, and this is what I come for. Not being in the Premier League this year, I want to play in everything,” he said. “I missed Munich the other week, took the kids away for Easter weekend, and I’ll be doing everything throughout the rest of the year and hopefully keep picking these titles up.”

A key moment in the final came after the pair had shared the opening four legs. Hood missed a chance to move ahead after busting 68, allowing Dobey to capitalise and edge in front.

“It was massive, yeah,” Dobey said. “They’re the kind of shots you need to take because he’s a fantastic player. It kind of makes them think about it more than what I’m doing. But yeah, great game by both of us, as you can see on the stats there. I’m delighted with that one because he’s a tough opponent.”

Dobey’s performance level across the day was consistently high, with his ton-plus average in the final underlining the form he has shown throughout the season.

“Yeah, definitely, and the way I’ve been playing throughout the year, I’m hoping to pick up more. This is how you win these events,” he explained. “I was saying to Nathan, these are the ones he needs to come to. He’s having a week off relaxing, but I had my weekend off and he won in Munich. These are crucial, and that’s why I want to play in them. Hopefully it continues.”

Reaching double figures in Players Championship titles is a significant milestone, but Dobey remains focused on adding more silverware, particularly on the big stage.

“It’s hard just to win one. I think it took me a while to win my first one, and now I’ve proved I can do it time and time again,” he said. “But it’s a great feeling just to win one, never mind ten. I just want to start doing it on TV again and picking up European Tour titles. I know I can do it on the floor, it’s just about being consistent.”

Consistency, he believes, is the key difference between success on the ProTour and televised events.

“To be honest, I have produced those kinds of darts on TV, it’s just how they go on the day. It’s totally different,” Dobey added. “You’ve got to play well all day to win these, but on TV you need to play well one game at a time. It is hard because everybody’s the same, if they have one good day, they can play brilliant.

“The Premier League results didn’t go my way, but I felt I played well in some of them. I had a chat earlier today with Dimi (van den Bergh), it’s just how darts goes. If you play well, you can win or lose. It’s all about being consistent, and today I was pretty consistent and bagged another title.”

Now firmly established as one of the most dangerous players on the ProTour, Dobey believes confidence plays a huge role in these events.

“I think anybody can win these. You’ve seen over the last 18 months, anybody can pick these up. It’s about having a good day,” he said. “Once a few of the big names get knocked out early, everybody believes in themselves. I come in believing I can win every single one of these, it’s just all about being good on the day. And today was my day.”

With another title added to his growing collection and £15,000 in prize money secured, Dobey was already looking ahead, and joking about the evening ahead.

“Definitely,” he smiled when asked about returning for the next event. “And I’m not paying for the food tonight, lads, that’s for sure!”

With momentum on his side, Dobey will head into the next Players Championship event full of confidence as he looks to continue his excellent run of form.