Luke Littler was denied in a final-leg decider by Chris Dobey in the quarter-finals of Players Championship 25 in Wigan on Tuesday afternoon
Luke Littler demonstrated his sportsmanship after a nail-biting final-leg decider against Chris Dobey at the Players Championship in Wigan. The 17-year-old was on the brink of an impressive comeback but was thwarted by Dobey, who later triumphed over Stephen Bunting to clinch the event.
Littler had a sluggish start to the quarter-final match, with Dobey quickly taking a 5-2 lead. However, he rallied, winning three consecutive legs to force a decider and seemed poised for victory after leaving 170 before Dobey could finish.
Unfortunately for the teenager, Dobey secured a 150 checkout to win the crucial leg and the match. Despite visibly wincing as Dobey prepared his match-winning dart, Littler was gracious in defeat, offering a smile and a handshake to his opponent.
After the match, he took to social media to commend Dobey on his win with a succinct six-word message, posting on X (formerly Twitter): “Face said it all. Fair play @Dobey180.”
Following this, Dobey clinched his third Players Championship event of the season, equalling Littler’s record for most victories. He dominated Daryl Gurney in the semi-finals with a 7-1 victory and then went on to beat Bunting 8-3 in the final, reports the Express.
His latest success keeps him on course to potentially enter the Players Championship Finals in November as the top seed. Reflecting on his performance, Dobey shared: “Confidence is key. I have won a couple of Players Championships already before today, and I know where I am in the Players Championship standings.”
“Once I saw I was in that number one spot, I set myself the target of being there at the end, and it has given me the motivation to get on the practice board and start performing like this on a regular basis.”
Meanwhile, Littler is gearing up for another shot at his fourth ProTour title of the year this Thursday. His last Players’ Championship triumph was just last month in Wigan.
This weekend, Littler faces a challenging encounter at the World Grand Prix against fourth seed and ex-world champ Rob Cross in the first round. The distinctive double-start tournament will unfold in Leicester across seven days, with Luke Humphries entering as the reigning champion.
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