James Hurrell and Gabriel Clemens make their mark with nine-dart perfection at Players Championship 2
PDCTuesday, 10 February 2026 at 17:48
James Hurrell and Gabriel Clemens stole the spotlight on Tuesday by hitting nine-darters during the Players Championship 2 in Hildesheim. James Hurrell’s perfect leg came in his opening match at the second Players Championship event of the season. At 2-2 in his clash with Maik Kuivenhoven, the Englishman opened the fifth leg with back-to-back 180s. A 141 checkout followed on his third visit. Moments later, Hurrell edged the match 6-5.
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It didn’t stop there for “Hillbilly,” as he also saw off Thomas Lovely (6-3) and Jermaine Wattimena (6-1) to reach the last 16. In that round he pushed Michael van Gerwen to the limit, but after a last-leg decider Hurrell had to concede. It was the third nine-darter of Hurrell’s career.
Clemens struck in the third round, sealing his match against Madars Razma in perfect fashion. After eight legs the score was 5-3 to the German. He then followed the classic route of 180-180-141 to complete the leg in nine darts and win the match.
It turned out to be a good day for the German overall. Not only did he throw his third official nine-darter, but thanks to wins over Ricardo Pietreczko (6-4), Darryl Pilgrim (6-3) and Madars Razma (6-3) he reached the last 16 at Players Championship 2. Ultimately, Danny Noppert proved too strong in the last 16 with a 6-2 victory.
Lucas MichaelDarts Journalist
Lucas Michael is a darts journalist and reporter based in Cambridge, UK, and has been part of the DartsNews team since 2025. He covers professional darts through reports, analysis, round-ups, and live coverage, with a focus on clear context and accurate reporting across the PDC calendar.
A key part of his work is liveblogging major tournaments throughout the year, providing real-time updates, match coverage, and contextual reporting across the professional circuit. He also reports regularly from events on site and has covered the PDC World Darts Championship from the venue, delivering first-hand insight throughout the tournament.
Within the newsroom, Lucas works closely with the editorial team and supports coverage alongside Chief Content Officer Samuel Gill and reporter Kieran Wood.
Lucas holds a BA (Hons) in Sports Journalism. In his work, he places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating content promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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