Players Championship 32 | Chris Dobey culminates staggering day of darts with fine title triumph against Tommy Morris

Chris Dobey is back in the winning enclosure, and in style. A 103.01 average in the final was not even part of the top three averages on the day for him, as he saw off the unlikely final opponent of Tommy Morris 7-4 at Players Championship 32.

That is now three years in a row in which Dobey has won three Players Championship titles in the same season. An astonishing record from a serial winner who produced some immaculate darts throughout the day that has recognised him as one of the best players in the world.

While that has not been showcasing himself on the big stage, he has shown to the world why he should be taken seriously going into the latter stages of the year. His doubling has been the problem, but today that did not seem to be an issue.

It was a brilliant day for Morris. His run today has all-but confirmed his spot in Minehead and Ally Pally. A statement of intent after a phenomenal outing in Den Bosch.

Dobey had won two floor titles in 2026, the last coming in PC9. He was very dangerous in this setting, and that showed with some spell-binding performances. He began with a 6-2 win over Marvin Craft before averaging over 108 against Owen Bates in a whitewash victory. Mickey Mansell and Bradley Brooks were defeated 6-2, and that is when he moved up the gears. A 111.12 average saw off Krzysztof Ratajski 6-1 before he reached the final with a 109.68 average against William O’Connor, winning 7-4.

The number three on the Challenge Tour, Morris has certainly showcased his potential and talent among the best players in the world. Mervyn King and Kim Huybrechts were the first victims in 6-2 and 6-4 scorelines. Then came a huge surprise as he dumped out Michael van Gerwen 6-4. PC31 champion Charlie Manby and Michael Smith would fall to the exceptional Morris, both by 6-2. He averaged over 101 against the 2023 world champion, but it would be even better against Scott Williams. He won 7-4 with a ginormous 106.98 average, putting him in good stead for a brilliant clash against Dobey.

Dobey won the bull but almost found himself behind in the opening stages. Morris missed two darts at double 16 to break, and a leg later that target was found by ‘Hollywood’ who broke in 11-darts.

The former Masters champion was strutting his stuff with a comfortable hold of throw to make it 3-0. He was waiting on double 15 for a double break, but Morris was able to combat this by pinning double 14 to get on the board.

Dobey reached the halfway mark on double 12 after Morris failed to threaten the 102. The gap was quickly closed back to two with a comfortable leg for once, finished with two double 16s in exhibition fashion. A break was needed, but it was not going to come in the next leg with both players flexing their muscles on throw.

Morris made it 5-3, but Dobey was quick to get back ahead. Another break would finally come, but it went the way of Dobey. He seized full control but was sloppy on the outer ring for the first time in the match. He finally found double eight and was one away. Morris’ race seemed run, but he was not backing down without a fight. Double nine was just about found, and he broke back to make it 7-4. He did not make it count, and a timely 180 put him in range. 81 went in three, and he sealed another ProTour title, and in terms of performances, it was one of his best.

PC 32 followed a similar theme to PC 31, in which not many of the big guns turned up. James Wade was the only top 10 player featuring in Den Bosch, and he was dumped out in the opening match 6-5 against Darius Labanauskas. Van Gerwen moved up a spot in the PDC Order of Merit but was only able to get to the third round.

Nine-dart hero Bradley Brooks seriously boosted his hopes of reaching Minehead, with Tom Sykes also striking perfection. A quarter-final run for Ricardo Pietreczko is his best result on the floor in 2026 and pushes him up to 73rd. He will need to showcase his best form in Leicester next week with the cut-off for the Players Championship Finals occurring then.

Alarm bells will be ringing for the reigning champion Luke Littler, whether he is still interested in trying to qualify. Josh Rock and Nathan Aspinall are notable names outside the top 64, with Gary Anderson dropping out of it after not featuring. Adding to that, Raymond van Barnevend, Peter Wright, Ryan Joyce, Ricky Evans and Dimitri Van den Bergh are all familiar names who may not make the trip to Minehead.