Gary Anderson was on top form as he claimed his first PDC title of the year at Players Championship 2 in Wigan on Tuesday, defeating Ryan Searle 8-5 in the final.
Anderson produced four ton-plus averages across the day and missed double 12 for a nine-darter on three occasions, the last of which came in the final leg of the final.
The Scot had already missed a dart for perfection earlier in the match, having also missed an attempt in his semi-final win over Peter Wright.
A 117.12 average in a 6-0 win over Andy Baetens in the fourth round is the highest ever recorded by Anderson, who defeated Raymond van Barneveld in the quarter-finals.
Anderson, who began the day with wins over Daniel Klose, Adam Gawlas and Daryl Gurney, scoops the £15,000 top prize which sees him rise two places to 25th on the PDC Order of Merit.
“It’s always nice to win these events, especially the way I played today,” said Anderson, who won three Players Championship titles in 2023.
“Yesterday I felt like a kid at a new school, I was nervous but today I felt more settled and it showed in my performances.
“It’s been a long day and I’m happy to come out on top against a great player in Ryan.
“We’ve practiced together a couple of times since the World Championship, we spur each other on.
“He’s a great guy, he just gets on with it and plays darts, he puts the effort in so it’s nice to see him do well.
“I’ll just carry on doing what I do, I’m in a good place in my life and I’m enjoy playing darts.
“I’m looking forward to playing the European Tour events as well this year and I want to keep my form going.”
Another strong day from Searle saw him finish runner-up for a second successive day, having lost out to Luke Littler in the Players Championship 1 final.
Littler’s first taste of defeat on the ProTour came in the second round as he went down 6-5 to Radek Szaganski.
Improved displays from Wright saw him reach his first ranking semi-final since October, while it was another day to forget for World Champion Luke Humphries who lost 6-5 to Jurjen van der Velde in round one.
The 2024 PDC ProTour season continues with Players Championships 3-4 in Leicester on March 19-20, with coverage broadcast live through PDCTV and bookmakers’ websites worldwide.
The event draw and results are listed in the Match Centre.
2024 Players Championship 2
Robin Park Tennis Centre, Wigan
Tuesday February 13
Last 16
Peter Wright 6-2 Cameron Menzies
Robert Owen 6-4 Ryan Joyce
Raymond van Barneveld 6-4 Gian van Veen
Gary Anderson 6-0 Andy Baetens
Martin Lukeman 6-3 Chris Dobey
Callan Rydz 6-4 Jose De Sousa
Ryan Searle 6-1 Arron Monk
Niels Zonneveld 6-4 Paul Krohne
Quarter-Finals
Peter Wright 6-2 Robert Owen
Gary Anderson 6-3 Raymond van Barneveld
Martin Lukeman 6-2 Callan Rydz
Ryan Searle 6-4 Niels Zonneveld
Semi-Finals
Gary Anderson 7-5 Peter Wright
Ryan Searle 7-6 Martin Lukeman
Final
Gary Anderson 8-5 Ryan Searle
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