About Players Championship Finals 2021

Champion
Players Championship Finals Darts - 2021 Photographer: Lawrence Lustig/PDC Peter Wright
Total Prize Pool £500,000
Champion
£100,000
Runner-up
£50,000
Semi finalists
£25,000
Quarter finalists
£15,000
Last 16
£10,000
Last 32
£5,000
Last 64
£2,500

The fourteenth edition of the Players Championships Finals was held in Minehead from November 26 to 28. The top 64 players from the 2021 Players Championships participated in this tournament. Peter Wright won the title for the first time, beating Ryan Searle in the final.

Jose de Sousa is the number one seed for this tournament, having been the best player in the 30 Players Championships in 2021. The Portuguese beats Devon Petersen in the first round, after which he is too strong for Darius Labanauskas in the second round. After William O'Connor is also defeated in the last sixteen, 'The Special One' plays a mediocre match against Brendan Dolan. The Portuguese loses 10-4 and is therefore out of the tournament. For Dolan it is his first semifinal at a television tournament in nine years. In the last sixteen, 'The History Maker' had already dealt with the number one in the world: Gerwyn Price. After an exciting match it is Dolan who manages to take a 10-8 victory.

Title holder Michael van Gerwen starts with victories over compatriots Kevin Doets and Raymond van Barneveld (both times 6-3). In the last sixteen he beats Gary Anderson 10-6, but he does not get past the quarterfinals. He plays a fine match against Peter Wright, but cannot prevent the Scot from turning on the turbo in the second part of the match. 'Snakebite' wins 10-6 and advances to the semi-finals.

Vincent van der Voort also manages to reach the quarterfinals in Minehead. Van der Voort successively beats Jelle Klaasen (6-4), Andy Boulton (6-5) and Danny Noppert (10-7). In the last eight it is over for the Dutchman: 'The Dutch Destroyer' plays a bad game and loses quite without a chance against Jonny Clayton: 10-3. Danny Noppert achieved the last sixteen after good victories over Rowby-John Rodriguez and Dimitri van den Bergh- (both times 6-2).

In addition to semifinal spots for Brendan Dolan, Peter Wright and Jonny Clayton, there is also a first semifinal spot for Ryan Searle. 'Heavy Metal' survived two match darts against Simon Whitlock in the first round, before making up a 5-1 deficit against Ryan Joyce. In the last sixteen he convincingly beats Rob Cross (10-7) and in the quarterfinals he wins a thrilling match against Daryl Gurney: 10-9.

Either Brendan Dolan or Ryan Searle will be a finalist in the 2021 Players Championship Finals. Ultimately, Searle will advance to his first ever televised final. Until 5-5, both men are evenly matched, but after that it's Searle who is just a bit better on the doubles than Dolan. Searle wins 11-6 to try to land his first major television title. He will play against Peter Wright in the final. The Scot, who already played the final of the Grand Slam of Darts a week earlier, beats a disappointing Jonny Clayton. Wright wins 11-6 to reach the final of the Players Championship Finals for the first time.

The final between Peter Wright and Ryan Searle is a very exciting one. Both players remain close to each other, making it unclear for a long time who will take the title. With a 10-8 lead it is Wright who comes to match point, but he misses a number of match darts. Searle comes all the way back to 10-10, leading to a decisive leg. After a score of 177, Searle leaves double twelve, but it is Wright who throws a 62 finish to win the Players Championship Finals title for the first time.

Players Championship Finals 2021

Butlin's Minehead in
Minehead, ENG
Organizer:
Professional Darts Corporation
Sponsor:
Ladbrokes
Participants:
64
Prize Pool:
£500,000
Start Date:
26 Nov 2021
End Date:
28 Nov 2021
24 days
02 hours
28 minutes
25 seconds
Butlin's Minehead in
Minehead, ENG
22 Nov - 24 Nov Date
£600,000 Prize
Luke Humphries Reigning Champion