Sporting Life
Andrew Gilding (Picture: PDC)
Andrew Gilding (Picture: PDC)

Darts results: Andrew Gilding wins maiden Players Championship 16 title at the 442nd attempt

Darts
Thu May 14, 2026 · 7h ago

Andrew Gilding claimed his first ProTour title with success at Players Championship Sixteen in Leicester, defeating Jonny Clayton 8-3 in the final on Wednesday.

Gilding - a six-time runner-up on the ProTour - produced a string of stellar displays at the Mattioli Arena to scoop the £15,000 top prize and join the winners enclosure.

The 55-year-old was pitted against world number five Clayton in a challenging final, but raced into a 3-0 lead.

The Welshman stopped the rot with a 61 outshot, but Gilding won another brace of legs - including a 100 checkout to break his opponent’s throw - to take a commanding 5-1 lead.

The former UK Open champion defended his throw vigilantly to see out the final few legs, surviving six darts at double from Clayton before pinning double ten to finally secure a ProTour title on his 442nd attempt.

“I’ve been waiting for this for a long while! I can’t believe it,” professed Gilding, who first made a Players Championship final in March, 2014.

“I’ve had some great finals before. I remember playing Gary Anderson many years ago, he had a 112 average and I had a 107 average. But I finally got over the line!

“Your form dips and rises. You just have to be patient.

“I’ve had such a good start to the season, I’ve more or less qualified for everything now.

“I’ve just got to keep that up and make sure I don’t drop out of the rankings, and I’ll get into the World Matchplay again and the European Championship.”

Gilding kickstarted his campaign with a hard-fought 6-4 victory over Wesley Plaisier, before coming back from 4-2 down to defeat World Championship star Arno Merk in a last-leg decider.

The 55-year-old then defeated Players Championship Fifteen finalist Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-4 with an impressive 102.36 average, followed up with by whitewashing Jermaine Wattimena to reach the quarter-finals.

The 2023 UK Open champion produced his best performance of the day in defeating Challenge Tour leader Joe Hunt 6-2 with a 103.82 average, before downing Ian White 7-5 in the last four to reach a second Players Championship final of the year.

Clayton, meanwhile, was denied his first PDC ranking title of the year, coming through three last-leg deciders en route to the showpiece.

The Welsh number one was taken to a last-leg shoot-out in his opening match of the day, edging past Marvin van Velzen to kick off his campaign.

A whitewash win over Mervyn King ensued, before Clayton registered his best performance of the day against fellow Welshman Derek Coulson, averaging 104.78 in a 6-4 victory.

The 51-year-old defeated Andy Boulton in another deciding-leg shootout to reach the quarter-finals, where he dispatched Gabriel Clemens to reach his second Players Championship semi-final of the year.

The Welshman faced Niko Springer in a remarkable last four clash, coming back from 3-0 down to deny the German with a 7-6 win, as Clayton took out a clutch 102 checkout with Springer waiting on tops to progress to the final.

Springer himself had a stellar day in Leicester, reaching the first Players Championship semi-final of his career.

The Hungarian Darts Trophy champion saw off the likes of Mensur Suljovic, Kevin Doets and former Masters winner Stephen Bunting to reach the last four, averaging over 92 in all of his six matches in Leicester.

White appeared in his first Players Championship semi-final in over a year, accounting for ninth seed Luke Woodhouse and World Championship quarter-finalist Justin Hood on the way, averaging north of 102 against the latter.

Players Championship Fifteen winner Michael van Gerwen crashed out in round one at the hands of Hunt, who had another impressive day on the circuit.

The Challenge Tour leader sits 21st on the 2026 Players Championship rankings so far after reaching his third quarter-final of the year.

Bunting reached the quarter-final stage for the second event straight in Leicester, seeing off Beau Greaves and Krzysztof Ratajski in the process, while Welshman Callum Goffin impressed - not only picking up his first win on the ProTour this year, but reaching the last eight stage after bagging three more victories.

Former World Championship semi-finalist Gabriel Clemens reached the quarter-finals for the second time this year, defeating Australian number one Damon Heta on the way.

Kim Huybrechts produced the performance of the day, thrashing Tavis Dudeney 6-1 with a 108.81 average in a display where the Belgian took out a show-stopping nine-darter in the second leg of the contest.

2026 Players Championship Sixteen

Last 16

  • Callum Goffin 6-5 Darius Labanauskas
  • Ian White 6-2 Justin Hood
  • Andrew Gilding 6-0 Jermaine Wattimena
  • Joe Hunt 6-5 Rob Owen
  • Stephen Bunting 6-3 Krzysztof Ratajski
  • Niko Springer 6-2 Kevin Doets
  • Jonny Clayton 6-5 Andy Boulton
  • Gabriel Clemens 6-4 Damon Heta

Quarter-Finals

  • Ian White 6-3 Callum Goffin
  • Andrew Gilding 6-2 Joe Hunt
  • Niko Springer 6-2 Stephen Bunting
  • Jonny Clayton 6-3 Gabriel Clemens

Semi-Finals

  • Andrew Gilding 7-5 Ian White
  • Jonny Clayton 7-6 Niko Springer

Final

  • Andrew Gilding 8-3 Jonny Clayton

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