Luke Littler was beaten by Chris Dobey at the Players Championship in Wigan (Image: GETTY)
showed his classy side after losing a final-leg decider to Chris Dobey at the Players Championship in Wigan. The 17-year-old looked set to complete a stunning comeback but was denied by Dobey, who later beat Stephen Bunting in the final to win the event.Littler made a slow start to the quarter-final clash, with his rival storming into a 5-2 lead. He battled back by winning three legs on the bounce to send it to a decider and looked on course to win after leaving 170 before Dobey had got down to a finish.The teenager was unable to make it stick, though, with Dobey securing a 150 checkout to win the decisive leg and the match. Littler was seen grimacing as Dobey lined up his match-winning dart but was gracious in defeat, smiling and shaking his opponent’s hand.
The 17-year-old grimaced as Dobey checked out 150 to win the decisive final leg (Image: PDC)
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He took to social media after the match to congratulate Dobey on his victory with a six-word message, : “Face said it all. Fair play @Dobey180.”Dobey went on to win his third Players Championship event of the season, drawing level with Littler for the most victories. He breezed past Daryl Gurney with a 7-1 thrashing in the semi-finals before securing an 8-3 win over Bunting in the final.His latest triumph means he remains on track to qualify for the Players Championship Finals in November as the top seed.Speaking afterwards, Dobey said: “Confidence is key. I have won a couple of Players Championships already before today, and I know where I am in the Players Championship standings.
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“Once I saw I was in that number one spot, I set myself the target of being there at the end, and it has given me the motivation to get on the practice board and start performing like this on a regular basis.”Littler, meanwhile, will have another opportunity to win his fourth ProTour event of the year on Thursday. His most recent Players’ Championship victory came last month, with that event also being held in Wigan.On the weekend, Littler will face a tough test at the World Grand Prix where he faces fourth seed and former world champion Rob Cross in the opening round. The unique double-start event will take place in Leicester over seven days with Luke Humphries the defending champion.