Tommy Morris beats Humphries 8:5 and wins Players Championship 34
Tommy Morris wins Players Championship 34 with an 8:5 in the final against Luke Humphries. Ricardo Pietreczko goes out in the Last 16 to the eventual finalist with an Average of 104,79.
Tommy Morris has won Players Championship 34: 8:5 against Luke Humphries in the final, with 95,76 to 92,43 in Average. The Englishman started in the last 128 and needed seven wins for the title – no opponent got more than five Legs. The best German-speaking starter was Ricardo Pietreczko, who went out to Humphries in the Last 16.
Players Championship 34: winner Tommy Morris's route to the title
- Last 128: 6:3 against Rob Cross (96,02)
- Last 64: 6:0 against Ricky Evans (93,94)
- Last 32: 6:3 against Rob Owen (97,71)
- Last 16: 6:3 against Wessel Nijman (102,32)
- Quarter-final: 6:3 against Jermaine Wattimena (93,76)
- Semi-final: 7:4 against Cristo Reyes (97,77)
- Final: 8:5 against Luke Humphries (95,76)
Morris threw his best match Average in the Last 16 against Nijman (102,32), while in the quarter-final he got past Wattimena despite the lower Average (93,76 to 96,74). Across the whole tournament he stands at 96,75.
How the German-speaking players fared at Players Championship 34
| Player | Record | Average | Out in round |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ricardo Pietreczko | 3-1 | 97,96 | Last 16 |
| Marvin Kraft | 2-1 | 87,94 | Last 32 |
| Martin Schindler | 1-1 | 94,47 | Last 64 |
| Lukas Wenig | 1-1 | 89,02 | Last 64 |
| Mensur Suljovic | 1-1 | 86,41 | Last 64 |
| Stefan Bellmont | 1-1 | 85,56 | Last 64 |
| Niko Springer | 0-1 | 95,30 | Last 128 |
| Gabriel Clemens | 0-1 | 92,11 | Last 128 |
| Leon Weber | 0-1 | 81,17 | Last 128 |
| Rusty-Jake Rodriguez | 0-1 | 80,89 | Last 128 |
| Max Hopp | 0-1 | 79,58 | Last 128 |
| Dominik Gruellich | 0-1 | 77,80 | Last 128 |
| Arno Merk | 0-1 | 76,72 | Last 128 |
Pietreczko was the only one to get past the Last 32 and met the eventual finalist in the Last 16: 104,79 in Average was not enough against Humphries' 107,31 – it was the highest match Average by a German-speaking player at the tournament. Martin Schindler lost 1:6 to Nick Kenny in the Last 64, even though he was ahead in Average (93,55 to 91,70). Niko Springer went down 5:6 to Tom Bissell in his opening match with 95,30, Gabriel Clemens to Tom Sykes (4:6) with 92,11.
The highlights: the highest match Averages at Players Championship 34
| Player | Match Average | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Dobey | 112,61 | 6:1 against Tom Bissell, Last 32 |
| Michael van Gerwen | 109,98 | 6:0 against Dirk van Duijvenbode, Last 32 |
| Luke Humphries | 107,31 | 6:3 against Ricardo Pietreczko, Last 16 |
| Dirk van Duijvenbode | 105,31 | 0:6 against Michael van Gerwen, Last 32 |
| Ricardo Pietreczko | 104,79 | 3:6 against Luke Humphries, Last 16 |
| Jermaine Wattimena | 104,43 | 6:4 against Cam Crabtree, Last 32 |
Dobey's 112,61 is the highest match Average of the tournament; one round later it was over in the Last 16 against Cristo Reyes (103,64). Van Duijvenbode lost his match 0:6 with an Average of 105,31 of his own.
The tournament in numbers: Players Championship 34 statistics
The best Averages
| Player | Tournament Average | best match Average | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Dobey | 102,79 | 112,61 | 3-1 |
| Dirk van Duijvenbode | 100,86 | 105,31 | 2-1 |
| Jonny Clayton | 98,57 | 100,89 | 1-1 |
| Andrew Gilding | 98,25 | 100,18 | 1-1 |
| Ricardo Pietreczko | 97,96 | 104,79 | 3-1 |
The finalists in numbers
| Player | Tournament Average | best match Average | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tommy Morris | 96,75 | 102,32 | 7-0 |
| Luke Humphries | 97,65 | 107,31 | 6-1 |
Results from the quarter-finals onwards
| Round | Match-up | Result | Averages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarter-final | Tommy Morris – Jermaine Wattimena | 6:3 | 93,76 : 96,74 |
| Quarter-final | Kim Huybrechts – Cristo Reyes | 5:6 | 88,41 : 92,13 |
| Quarter-final | Michael van Gerwen – Luke Humphries | 3:6 | 98,53 : 99,96 |
| Quarter-final | Jack Aldridge – Danny Noppert | 6:4 | 99,66 : 98,07 |
| Semi-final | Tommy Morris – Cristo Reyes | 7:4 | 97,77 : 90,37 |
| Semi-final | Luke Humphries – Jack Aldridge | 7:5 | 100,24 : 101,82 |
| Final | Tommy Morris – Luke Humphries | 8:5 | 95,76 : 92,43 |
A total of 127 matches were played; the players recorded in the statistics come from at least 13 nations. In the semi-final against Aldridge, Humphries had the lower Average (100,24 to 101,82) and still won 7:5.
The verdict on Players Championship 34
Morris takes the title with 96,75 in tournament Average and never gave up more than five Legs in seven matches. Humphries threw the higher average at 97,65 and had his strongest match in the Last 16 against Pietreczko, but could not get back to that level in the final. From a German-speaking point of view, Pietreczko's Last 16 remains the best result.