Andrew Gilding defeated Jonny Clayton 8-3 to win Gamers Championship 16 in Leicester, securing his first ProTour title.
Gilding – a six-time runner-up on the ProTour – produced a string of stellar shows on the Mattioli Area to scoop the £15,000 high prize.
Assembly Clayton within the closing, Gilding raced to a 3-0 lead. The Welshman stopped the rot with a 61 outshot, however Gilding gained one other brace of legs – together with an 100 checkout to interrupt his opponent’s throw – to take a commanding 5-1 lead.
The previous UK Open champion defended his throw vigilantly to see out the ultimate few legs, surviving six darts at double from Clayton. Earlier than pinning double 10 to lastly safe a ProTour title on his 442nd try.
“I’ve been waiting for this for a long while. I can’t believe it,” Gilding mentioned, who first made a Gamers Championship closing in March 2014.
“I’ve had some nice finals earlier than. I bear in mind taking part in Gary Anderson a few years in the past, he had a 112 common and I had a 107 common. However I lastly received over the road!
“Your form dips and rises. You just have to be patient,” he continued. “I’ve had such an excellent begin to the season, I’ve roughly certified for the whole lot 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.”
Clayton misplaced to Gilding within the closing
Gilding kickstarted his marketing campaign with a hard-fought 6-4 victory over Wesley Plaisier, earlier than getting back from 4-2 all the way down to defeat World Championship star Arno Merk in a last-leg decider.
The 55-year-old then defeated Gamers Championship 15 finalist Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-4 with a powerful 102.36 common, adopted up with by whitewashing Jermaine Wattimena to succeed in the quarter-finals.
The 2023 UK Open champion produced his finest efficiency of the day in defeating Problem Tour chief Joe Hunt 6-2 with a 103.82 common, earlier than downing Ian White 7-5 within the final 4 to succeed in a second Gamers Championship closing of the yr.
2026 Gamers Championship 16 Chosen Outcomes – Leicester
Final 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
Last
Andrew Gilding 8-3 Jonny Clayton
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