Gary Anderson and
Ryan Searle have advanced to the final of the second
Players Championship tournament. The two darters, who regularly train together, will meet in final matches later this evening.
Anderson was able to deal with compatriot Peter Wright in his semifinal. A 10-darter in the third leg and a 13-darter in the fourth leg gave 'The Flying Scotsman' a 3-1 lead. Anderson did not give that lead away. Through two 11-darters at the end of the match, Anderson decided the match 7-5 and also recorded an average of 108.
Searle had to go deep to qualify for the final for the second consecutive day. After taking a 2-1 lead, "Heavy Metal" fell behind 4-2. Four wins in a row then put Searle back ahead 6-4 before Lukeman forced a deciding leg. Lukeman failed to capitalize on his two match darts in the final leg, before Searle struck with an 80 finish.
Results Players Championship 2
Last 16
Peter Wright (93.08) 6 | 2 (93.91) Cameron Menzies
Robert Owen (88.88) 6 | 4 (87.22) Ryan Joyce
Raymond van Barneveld (99.64) 6 | 4 (94.97) Gian van Veen
Gary Anderson (117.12) 6 | 0 (101.25) Andy Baetens
Martin Lukeman (97.96) 6 | 3 (102.58) Chris Dobey
Callan Rydz (98.66) 6 | 4 (90.96) Jose De Sousa
Ryan Searle (89.27) 6 | 1 (90.51) Arron Monk
Niels Zonneveld (87.38) 6 | 4 (82.49) Paul Krohne
Quarterfinals
Peter Wright (99.77) 6 | 2 (87.92) Robert Owen
Gary Anderson (97.38) 6 | 3 (85.50) Raymond van Barneveld
Martin Lukeman (93.64) 6 | 2 (90.51) Callan Rydz
Ryan Searle (92.17) 6 | 4 (90.16) Niels Zonneveld
Semi-final
Gary Anderson (108.00) 7 | 5 (93.42) Peter Wright
Ryan Searle (99.51) 7 | 6 (92.63) Martin Lukeman
Final
Gary Anderson - | - Ryan Searle