Ross Smith wins Players Championship 5 in Leicester as Chris Dobey makes nine-darter against Ricky Evans
Ross Smith dominated Chris Dobey in the fifth Players Championship event of 2026 to secure Tuesday's title in Leicester; Dobey had hit a nine-darter earlier in the day; watch the Premier League Darts in Belfast this Thursday from 7pm, live on Sky Sports
Tuesday 24 February 2026 19:25, UK
Ross Smith thrashed Chris Dobey 8-2 to win his seventh career Players Championship title
Smith averaged over 95 in all but one of his seven wins in Leicester on Monday with relatively comfortable victories over Czechia's Karel Sedlacek and Dave Chisnall in the semi-finals and quarter-finals to make the final.
The 37-year-old also beat Niko Springer, Michael Smith, Cor Dekker and Justin Hood earlier in the day and averaged 104.39 to see off a poor Dobey in Tuesday's final.
- Premier League darts: Latest schedule and results ✅
- Darts in 2026: Key dates, calendar, results 📅
- Got Sky? Watch on the Sky Sports app 📱
- Not got Sky? Get instant access with NOW 📺
"I played consistently well today. I rode my luck a bit but you need a bit of luck along the way to win a title, unless you're playing exceptional," said Smith.
"Thankfully for me, Chris didn't turn up. We all know Chris is one of the best in the world. I'm grateful to beat him and I'm happy.
"I felt relaxed today. It's the best I've felt this year. I'm glad with the win. I always set myself a target of winning at least one title every year, so I'm on course now for 2026."
Dobey produced the moment of the day though with a nine-darter against Ricky Evans in the second round before deciding leg wins against Dutch duo Kevin Doets and Danny Noppert.
He saw off Christian Kist in the quarter-finals and Joe Cullen in the semi-finals only to deliver a disappointing performance in the final where he missed 13 darts at double.
Top seed Gerwyn Price was stunned 6-2 by Adam Lipscombe in his opening match, with other Premier League Darts stars Jonny Clayton and Josh Rock also beaten in the first round.
Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen, Michael van Gerwen and Stephen Bunting were among those not to enter this week's Players Championship events in Leicester, with another competition on Wednesday.
Who will win this year's Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries is defending his title and you can watch the action every single Thursday until May on Sky Sports. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.
