Charlie Manby won his first PDC ranking title at the Players Championship 31, defeating Maik Kuivenhoven 8-2 in the final. The 21-year-old also secured his spot in next month’s Grand Slam of Darts.
Manby’s victory in the Netherlands marked a significant milestone, as he had never advanced beyond the quarter-finals in a PDC ranking event before. He took home the top prize of £15,000.
Manby’s Road to Victory
Manby began his campaign with a 6-1 win over Karel Sedlacek, averaging 104. He then defeated Dennie Olde Kalter, Adam Leek, and Dominik Gruellich, with an impressive 112.16 average against Gruellich.
In the semi-finals, Manby faced Beau Greaves, overcoming a 3-0 deficit to win 7-5. He then dominated the final against Kuivenhoven, taking a 5-0 lead and never looking back.
Other Notable Performances
Beau Greaves also had a strong showing, climbing to seventh in the Players Championship rankings. She achieved ton-topping averages in wins against Niels Zonneveld and Kevin Doets.
Spanish player Cristo Reyes hit a nine-darter during his opening-round match against Cor Dekker, his second perfect leg in three Players Championship events.
A darts enthusiast from Huddersfield, Manby expressed his disbelief at the win, stating, “It’s absolutely amazing… I’m literally lost for words here.”
The Players Championship 31 saw several high-profile early exits, including Nathan Aspinall, Jermaine Wattimena, Damon Heta, and Joe Cullen.
Tournament Results
The following are the results from the latter stages of the tournament:
Last 16
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-4 Tommy Morris
Jeffrey de Graaf 6-4 Martin Schindler
Maik Kuivenhoven 6-5 Rob Owen
Mike De Decker 6-4 Ricardo Pietreczko
Kevin Doets 6-2 Michael van Gerwen
Beau Greaves 6-5 Keane Barry
Charlie Manby 6-3 Dominik Gruellich
Alan Soutar 6-5 Kim Huybrechts
