Chris Dobey picked up his first nightly win of this year’s Premier League by taking the crown in night eleven in Rotterdam.
The Geordie beat Luke Humphries and Nathan Aspinall before comfortably dispatching Stephen Bunting 6-2 in the final.
Speaking to Sky Sports after his triumph, he said: “It feels great to be back in the winning circle. I knew I could do it, it’s just about performing on the night. I am a fighter, kept believing and I am here to win. Three great performances and I am back in the play-off mix. I believe I can still get into the top four if I can keep this performance up. I think I have a good chance.”
Dobey’s run to success began in the quarter-final, against the world number one Luke Humphries. The match began in a relatively even manner, with the first two legs being breaks of throw before the next two were holds to leave the game locked at 2-2 after four legs.
Hollywood would get a run going however, winning three straight legs, which included a 126 out in leg seven, to leave himself 5-2 up and within a leg of victory. Humphries won the eighth leg to end the run, but he was only delaying the inevitable. Dobey took the next leg to secure an impressive 6-3 victory, and in turn passage to just a fourth semi-final of his campaign.
In the other quarter-finals, Nathan Aspinall defeated Gerwyn Price 6-3, Stephen Bunting defeated Dutch favourite Michael van Gerwen 6-5, and Luke Littler got the better of Rob Cross by the same scoreline.
In the semi-finals, Dobey was to face a fellow Englishman in the form of Nathan Aspinall. Hollywood started very well, winning the first three legs, which included a break in the second, and a 104 out in the third, to put him in a commanding position. The Asp looked like he was threatening a comeback, as he took two legs in a row, to make it 3-2, and giving him throw to draw level.
Dobey was to end any hint of a comeback though, and went on another burst, this time taking four legs in a row, which included his highest checkout of the match, a 127, in leg nine. This burst secured him a 6-2 win, and a place in a nightly final for the first time since night one.
In the other semi-final, Stephen Bunting produced an impressive display to beat Luke Littler 6-5, and secure a place in a nightly final for the second time in three weeks.
It was the Bullet who won the first leg, but it was to go downhill rapidly for him. Dobey produced yet another rally, this time winning five legs in a row, which included two breaks, to storm into a 5-1 lead and put himself already within a leg of the match.
Bunting tried to get a resurgence going when he ended Dobey’s streak in leg seven, but Hollywood put to bed any chance of that, as he took the next leg to secure another impressive win, 6-2 being the score. This was the victory which won him his first nightly crown in this year’s Premier League.
Littler remains top of the table, and with a semi-final exit becomes the first player this year to reach 30 points. Humphries stays in second, but with a quarter-final exit, he remains on 23 points, and the gap between him and Littler is extended to seven points.
Nathan Aspinall took advantage of those around him dropping points to move up to third, on 17 points, and Gerwyn Price rounds out the top four, still on 15 points. The darts is back in the UK next week, with Liverpool playing host to the action.