RONNIE BAXTER picked up his first Players Championship victory for almost 12 months with a narrow 6-5 defeat of Denis Ovens, sealing the win in Barnsley with an 11-dart finish.
Baxter has not reached a final since winning the Las Vegas Players Championship at the end of June 2009, but a fine display at the Barnsley Metrodome saw the Blackpool man take the £6,000 title.
He dropped only two legs in wins over Par Riihonen and Michael Smith to kick off Sunday's event, before then going to the deciding leg in wins over Mark Dudbridge and Dennis Priestley as he reached the semi-finals.
Having already seen off one of his recent Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts rivals, Simon Whitlock, he then whitewashed Adrian Lewis in the last four to reach his maiden final of the year, hitting three 180s and a 150 checkout against the Stoke ace.
Ovens started the better in the final, breaking throw in the opening leg and doubling the lead - only for Baxter to hit back with finishes of 143 and 170 in winning three successive legs to lead 3-2.
He also won the next two to move to the brink of victory before Ovens punished missed match darts in two successive legs to pull back to 5-4, hitting a 122 checkout in the ninth.
A 180 from Baxter in the tenth left him a finish, but Ovens coolly checked out 72 in two darts to send the game to a decider.
But Baxter, who had won the pre-match bull to determine the order of throw, produced a sensational leg, hitting a 171 to leave 96 and taking out the finish in two darts for an 11-dart winning leg.
Ovens' run to the final follows his semi-final appearance in the Rileys Darts Zones UK Open last week, and included wins over in-form stars Mark Walsh, Andy Hamilton and Wes Newton, as well as defeats of former World Champions John Part and Anastasia Dobromyslova.
Walsh backed up Saturday's appearance in the final, where he lost to Gary Anderson, by reaching the last four on Sunday before losing 6-3 to Ovens, while Lewis' semi-final was his second in the past month.
Bristol's Steve Brown continued his bid to qualify for next month's StanJames.com World Matchplay by reaching the last eight, while Yorkshire's Dennis Priestley won through to the quarters on home soil before being edged out by Baxter in a decider.
Justin Pipe backed up his first PDC ProTour semi-final on Saturday by reaching the last 16 on Sunday, with Anderson, Joe Cullen, Roland Scholten and Vincent van der Voort also exiting at that stage.
Players Championship 16
First Round
Wes Newton (1) Bye
Jamie Atkins 6-5 Louis Blundell
Co Stompe (32) 6-0 Trevor Frost
Steve Musson 6-3 Andy Callaby
Steve Evans 6-5 Mervyn King (16)
John Part 6-1 Gary Mawson
Denis Ovens (17) 6-2 Anastasia Dobromyslova
Nigel Heydon Bye (Chris Mason withdrew)
Andy Hamilton (8) 6-2 Colin Monk
William O'Connor 6-3 Tony Martin
Jarkko Komula 6-5 Terry Jenkins (25)
Dave Smith 6-1 Adrian Gray
Steve Beaton (9) 6-0 Matt Clark
Andy Jenkins 6-2 Mick McGowan
Brendan Dolan (24) 6-2 Matt Draper
Michael Barnard 6-1 Stuart Bousfield
Mark Walsh (5) 6-3 Ian Jopling
Ian White 6-1 Mark Lawrence
Mareno Michels 6-3 Michael van Gerwen (28)
Kirk Shepherd 6-2 Peter Manley
Kevin McDine 6-4 Wayne Jones (12)
Roland Scholten 6-1 Anton Liscsey
Mark Hylton 6-5 Kevin Painter (21)
Jelle Klaasen 6-2 Harry Robinson
Gary Welding 6-5 Colin Lloyd (4)
John MaGowan 6-2 Daz Mawer
Steve Brown (29) 6-2 Steven Pearson
Dave Honey 6-5 Lionel Sams
Vincent van der Voort (13) 6-1 Dave Ladley
Alex Roy 6-3 Mark Cox
Robert Thornton (20) 6-2 Dean Allsopp
Mark Frost 6-3 Chris Loudon
Simon Whitlock (2) Bye
Steve Grubb 6-4 Andy Hutchings
Steve Hine (31) 6-5 Kevin Dowling
Nigel Birch 6-3 Tom Martin
Ronnie Baxter (15) 6-1 Par Riihonen
Michael Smith 6-1 Paul Rowley
Mark Dudbridge (18) 6-0 Andy Relf
Peter Hudson 6-1 Geoff Whitworth
Colin Osborne (7) 6-3 Chris Thompson
Steve Farmer 6-1 Mark Tiller
Mark Webster (26) 6-0 Tommy McIntosh
Justin Pipe 6-5 Darren Johnson
Jamie Caven (10) 6-3 Scott Rand
Steve Maish 6-1 Lee Hayes
Dennis Priestley (23) 6-4 Arron Monk
Stuart Dutton 6-5 Darren Latham
Gary Anderson (6) 6-2 Gary Eastwood
Wayne Atwood 6-1 Anthony Urmston-Toft
Peter Wright (27) 6-1 Sam Allen
Darren Weaver 6-2 Kevin Harris
James Wade (11) 6-0 Jim McKevitt
Tony Ayres 6-0 Paul Hodkin
Alan Tabern (22) 6-1 Richie Burnett
Nick Fullwell 6-5 Dennis Smith
Adrian Lewis (3) Bye
Matt Padgett 6-2 Tony Randell
Tony Eccles (30) 6-1 Gary Blades
Robbie Newland 6-4 Martyn Bevan
Joe Cullen 6-3 Andy Smith (14)
Martyn Turner 6-1 Ian McFarlane
Barrie Bates (19) 6-0 Andy Pearce
Stephen Hardy 6-5 Aodhagan O'Neill
Second Round
Wes Newton 6-3 Jamie Atkins
Co Stompe 6-2 Steve Musson
John Part 6-3 Steve Evans
Denis Ovens 6-1 Nigel Heydon
Andy Hamilton 6-2 William O'Connor
Dave Smith 6-5 Jarkko Komula
Andy Jenkins 6-5 Steve Beaton
Brendan Dolan 6-3 Michael Barnard
Mark Walsh 6-3 Ian White
Kirk Shepherd 6-3 Mareno Michels
Roland Scholten 6-5 Kevin McDine
Jelle Klaasen 6-3 Mark Hylton
Gary Welding 6-4 John MaGowan
Steve Brown 6-5 Dave Honey
Vincent van der Voort 6-1 Alex Roy
Robert Thornton 6-3 Mark Frost
Simon Whitlock 6-2 Steve Grubb
Steve Hine 6-0 Nigel Birch
Ronnie Baxter 6-1 Michael Smith
Mark Dudbridge 6-1 Peter Hudson
Steve Farmer 6-4 Colin Osborne
Justin Pipe 6-3 Mark Webster
Jamie Caven 6-3 Steve Maish
Dennis Priestley 6-4 Stuart Dutton
Gary Anderson 6-0 Wayne Atwood
Peter Wright 6-2 Darren Weaver
Tony Ayres 6-3 James Wade
Alan Tabern 6-4 Nick Fullwell
Adrian Lewis 6-1 Matt Padgett
Tony Eccles 6-0 Robbie Newland
Joe Cullen 6-5 Martyn Turner
Stephen Hardy 6-5 Barrie Bates
Losers £200
Third Round
Wes Newton 6-4 Co Stompe
Denis Ovens 6-3 John Part
Andy Hamilton 6-1 Dave Smith
Andy Jenkins 6-2 Brendan Dolan
Mark Walsh 6-4 Kirk Shepherd
Roland Scholten 6-5 Jelle Klaasen
Steve Brown 6-3 Gary Welding
Vincent van der Voort 6-4 Robert Thornton
Simon Whitlock 6-4 Steve Hine
Ronnie Baxter 6-5 Mark Dudbridge
Justin Pipe 6-2 Steve Farmer
Dennis Priestley 6-5 Jamie Caven
Gary Anderson 6-5 Peter Wright
Alan Tabern 6-4 Tony Ayres
Adrian Lewis 6-2 Tony Eccles
Joe Cullen 6-3 Stephen Hardy
Losers £300
Fourth Round
Denis Ovens 6-2 Wes Newton
Andy Hamilton 6-0 Andy Jenkins
Mark Walsh 6-3 Roland Scholten
Steve Brown 6-1 Vincent van der Voort
Ronnie Baxter 6-2 Simon Whitlock
Dennis Priestley 6-5 Justin Pipe
Alan Tabern 6-5 Gary Anderson
Adrian Lewis 6-2 Joe Cullen
Losers £500
Quarter-Finals
Denis Ovens 6-5 Andy Hamilton
Mark Walsh 6-0 Steve Brown
Ronnie Baxter 6-5 Dennis Priestley
Adrian Lewis 6-5 Alan Tabern
Losers £1,000
Semi-Finals
Denis Ovens 6-3 Mark Walsh
Ronnie Baxter 6-0 Adrian Lewis
Losers £1,500
Final
Ronnie Baxter 6-5 Denis Ovens
Winner £6,000
Runner-Up £3,000
Final - Leg by Leg
1-0 - Baxter misses darts at double top and ten and Ovens lands double ten for an immediate break of throw
2-0 - Ovens moves two legs up on double four
2-1 - Baxter takes out 143 to get off the mark in superb fashion
2-2 - Baxter breaks back with a double five finish to level, after Ovens missed double top for a 120 checkout
2-3 - A superb 170 finish gives Baxter the lead for the first time
2-4 - Misses from Ovens at double 18, nine and four allow Baxter in for a second break to lead 4-2
2-5 - Scores of 140, 140 and 180 give Baxter the advantage, and he lands double five to move to the brink of victory
3-5 - Baxter misses one dart at double 16 for the win and Ovens hits double ten with his third dart to stay in the game
4-5 - Baxter misses two darts at tops for victory and this time Ovens finishes 122 on double seven to remain alive
5-5 - Ovens forces a decider by finishing 72 in two darts with treble 16 and double 12, with Baxter waiting on 40
5-6 - Baxter takes victory in 11 darts with a superb winning leg, hitting a 171 to leave 96, which he checks out in two darts