Andrew Gilding beats Jonny Clayton to win Players Championship 16 and secure first ProTour title on 442nd attempt

Andrew Gilding defeated Jonny Clayton 8-3 to win Players Championship 16 in Leicester, securing his first ProTour title.

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.

Meeting Clayton in the final, Gilding raced to a 3-0 lead. The Welshman stopped the rot with a 61 outshot, but Gilding won another brace of legs - including an 100 checkout to break his opponent's throw - to take a commanding 5-1 lead.

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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 10 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," Gilding said, 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," he continued. "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 15 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.

2026 Players Championship 16 Selected Results - Leicester

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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