GERWYN PRICE won his second consecutive Players Championship title on Saturday, averaging over 108 in the final against Jamie Caven.
With the world's top four players absent from Players Championship Eight at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry - following Thursday's Betway Premier League Play-Offs and ahead of the Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters - it was Price who stepped up and took home the £10,000 top prize.
The Welshman started his day in Coventry with a 6-4 win over Terry Temple before victories against Dirk van Duijvenbode, Mervyn King and Cristo Reyes earned him a place in the quarter-finals.
The last eight provided Price with his toughest test of the day as he needed a deciding leg to see off ninth seed Mensur Suljovic.
The 31-year-old then faced a resurgent Ronnie Baxter - who earlier in the day had beaten Kim Huybrechts and Simon Whitlock - in the semi-finals as a 6-4 triumph moved him through to the final, where he saved his best display for last.
The former rugby star enjoyed a 6-1 victory with a 108 average against Caven - who himself averaged 101 - as Price won his second Players Championship title in less than a month.
Caven’s route to the final saw him face and defeat Paul Milford, Simon Stevenson, Matthew Dennant, Scott Dale, Andy Jenkins and third seed Dave Chisnall before running into an inspired Price in the final.
Baxter's run to the semi-finals was his best performance for a year as he defeated Andy Hamilton, Kim Huybrechts, Alan Tabern, Simon Whitlock and Jonny Clayton to reach the last four alongside in-form Chisnall, who has been a European Tour runner-up for the past two weekends.
Austrian ace Suljovic was joined in the quarter-finals by Welsh left-hander Mark Webster, Clayton and experienced Portsmouth ace Jenkins.
Sunday sees the PDC ProTour weekend in Coventry conclude with Players Championship Nine, with a further £75,000 in prize money on offer.
Players Championship Eight
Saturday May 21, Ricoh Arena, Coventry
First Round
Peter Wright (1) 6-5 Wes Newton
Jan Dekker 6-1 Mick Todd
Cristo Reyes (32) 6-2 Andy Smith
Nathan Derry 6-0 Ian Moss
Gerwyn Price (16) 6-4 Terry Temple
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-2 Stephen Willard
Mervyn King (17) 6-5 Harry Robinson
Andy Boulton 6-0 Jamie Robinson
Jelle Klaasen (8) 6-3 Nigel Heydon
Steve West 6-2 Ryan Meikle
Wayne Jones 6-4 Rowby-John Rodriguez (25)
Prakash Jiwa 6-5 Jerry Hendriks
Mensur Suljovic (9) 6-2 Shaun Griffiths
Paul Nicholson 6-2 Peter Hudson
Steve Beaton (24) 6-5 Mike Zuydwijk
Robbie Green 6-5 Jonathan Worsley
James Wade (5) 6-1 Jay Foreman
Darren Webster 6-1 Dick van Dijk
Ricky Evans 6-5 Max Hopp (28)
Andrew Gilding 6-3 Ray Campbell
Stephen Bunting (12) 6-3 Dean Winstanley
Mike De Decker 6-0 Ryan Palmer
Brendan Dolan (21) 6-4 Marc Dewsbury
Jonny Clayton 6-3 Jeffrey de Zwaan
Kim Huybrechts (4) 6-4 William O'Connor
Ronnie Baxter 6-1 Andy Hamilton
Alan Tabern 6-1 Jamie Lewis (29)
Jason Marriott 6-2 Jyhan Artut
Simon Whitlock (13) 6-3 Nathan Aspinall
Keegan Brown 6-5 Antonio Alcinas
Joe Cullen (20) 6-1 Jim Walker
Matthew Edgar 6-4 Christian Kist
Michael Smith (2) 6-3 Ron Meulenkamp
Tony Newell 6-4 Brian Woods
Andy Jenkins 6-1 Kevin Painter (31)
Steve Brown 6-4 Mickey Mansell
Mark Walsh 6-5 Daryl Gurney (15)
Dave Ladley 6-5 Darren Johnson
Justin Pipe (18) 6-3 James Richardson
Matt Clark 6-4 Ted Evetts
Matthew Dennant 6-2 Benito van de Pas (7)
Ken MacNeil 6-5 Nigel Daniels
Jamie Caven (26) 6-5 Paul Milford
Simon Stevenson 6-4 Mick McGowan
Dimitri Van den Bergh 6-5 Terry Jenkins (10)
Scott Dale 6-5 Magnus Caris
Josh Payne (23) 6-3 Joe Murnan
Yordi Meeuwisse 6-3 Simon Preston
Ian White (6) 6-0 Darron Brown
Lee Evans 6-2 Robert Owen
Kyle Anderson (27) 6-2 Ricky Williams
Dennis Smith 6-2 Kevin Dowling
Robert Thornton (11) 6-5 Ronny Huybrechts
Chris Dobey 6-3 Stephen McNally
Mark Webster (22) 6-4 Curtis Hammond
Mark Frost 6-4 Mark Barilli
Dave Chisnall (3) 6-5 Steve Hine
James Wilson 6-1 Jason Lovett
John Henderson (30) 6-3 John Part
Stuart Kellett 6-2 Jeffrey de Graaf
Alan Norris (14) 6-3 Vincent Kamphuis
John Bowles 6-4 Devon Petersen
Vincent van der Voort (19) 6-3 Jermaine Wattimena
Berry van Peer 6-5 Ross Smith
Second Round
Jan Dekker 6-3 Peter Wright
Cristo Reyes 6-1 Nathan Derry
Gerwyn Price 6-3 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Mervyn King 6-5 Andy Boulton
Steve West 6-1 Jelle Klaasen
Wayne Jones 6-2 Prakash Jiwa
Mensur Suljovic 6-1 Paul Nicholson
Robbie Green 6-5 Steve Beaton
Darren Webster 6-5 James Wade
Ricky Evans 6-3 Andrew Gilding
Mike De Decker 6-3 Stephen Bunting
Jonny Clayton 6-4 Brendan Dolan
Ronnie Baxter 6-5 Kim Huybrechts
Alan Tabern 6-2 Jason Marriott
Simon Whitlock 6-5 Keegan Brown
Joe Cullen 6-3 Matthew Edgar
Michael Smith 6-5 Tony Newell
Andy Jenkins 6-2 Steve Brown
Mark Walsh 6-2 Dave Ladley
Justin Pipe 6-3 Matt Clark
Matthew Dennant 6-5 Ken MacNeil
Jamie Caven 6-1 Simon Stevenson
Scott Dale 6-5 Dimitri Van den Bergh
Yordi Meeuwisse 6-3 Josh Payne
Ian White 6-1 Lee Evans
Kyle Anderson 6-0 Dennis Smith
Robert Thornton 6-4 Chris Dobey
Mark Webster 6-0 Mark Frost
Dave Chisnall 6-3 James Wilson
Stuart Kellett 6-5 John Henderson
John Bowles 6-3 Alan Norris
Berry van Peer 6-3 Vincent van der Voort
Losers £500
Third Round
Cristo Reyes 6-4 Jan Dekker
Gerwyn Price 6-1 Mervyn King
Steve West 6-3 Wayne Jones
Mensur Suljovic 6-3 Robbie Green
Darren Webster 6-2 Ricky Evans
Jonny Clayton 6-4 Mike De Decker
Ronnie Baxter 6-5 Alan Tabern
Simon Whitlock 6-3 Joe Cullen
Andy Jenkins 6-3 Michael Smith
Justin Pipe 6-1 Mark Walsh
Jamie Caven 6-1 Matthew Dennant
Scott Dale 6-5 Yordi Meeuwisse
Kyle Anderson 6-1 Ian White
Mark Webster 6-4 Robert Thornton
Dave Chisnall 6-1 Stuart Kellett
John Bowles 6-4 Berry van Peer
Losers £1,000
Fourth Round
Gerwyn Price 6-2 Cristo Reyes
Mensur Suljovic 6-5 Steve West
Jonny Clayton 6-3 Darren Webster
Ronnie Baxter 6-3 Simon Whitlock
Andy Jenkins 6-2 Justin Pipe
Jamie Caven 6-0 Scott Dale
Mark Webster 6-2 Kyle Anderson
Dave Chisnall 6-1 John Bowles
Loser £1,500
Quarter-Finals
Gerwyn Price 6-5 Mensur Suljovic
Ronnie Baxter 6-5 Jonny Clayton
Jamie Caven 6-0 Andy Jenkins
Dave Chisnall 6-2 Mark Webster
Losers £2,250
Semi-Finals
Gerwyn Price 6-4 Ronnie Baxter
Jamie Caven 6-4 Dave Chisnall
Losers £3,000
Final
Gerwyn Price 6-1 Jamie Caven
Winner £10,000
Runner-Up £6,000