MICHAEL VAN GERWEN claimed his first PDC title for two years with a 6-4 victory over Vincent van der Voort in the final of the Taunton Players Championship.
The Dutchman, who turns 20 in a fortnight, followed up a win in the 2007 Open Holland with a maiden £6,000 PDC Pro Tour win.
In arguably his most consistent showing since moving onto the PDC circuit two years ago, the teenager battled through the field at the Wellsprings Leisure Centre to take victory.
He knocked out former World Matchplay champion Larry Butler in the first round, and then saw off Mark Jodrill, Mark Frost and Darren Latham.
Robert Thornton was defeated 6-2 in the quarter-finals, before he overcame Colin Osborne 6-3 in the last four.
He allowed van der Voort to lead 1-0 and 3-2 against the darts on the final, but three misses from the more experienced player proved crucial in leg six.
Van Gerwen levelled, and then traded 180s in the next before a 77 finish put him 4-3 up.
He then took out 112 to lead 5-3 and wrapped up the victory with a 13-dart leg.
"I'm very happy," said van Gerwen. "I've worked hard for a long time and it's very important for me.
"It will move me up the Order of Merit and also puts me into tournaments like the World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix, which I haven't played in before."
Van der Voort knocked out in-form Mark Walsh to reach the final, having seen off Mervyn King 6-0 in the quarter-finals.
Walsh's run saw him reach a fifth semi-final in the last four weekends, while Osborne was in the last eight for the third successive event.
World number two James Wade was an early casualty, losing to Martyn Turner in round two, while Terry Jenkins also fell in the last 64, losing in a deciding leg to Mark Frost.
Gary Anderson, who was the runner-up in both Players Championships last weekend in Holland, was a second round loser to Thornton in an all-Scottish battle.
Players Championship (Taunton)
First Round
Dennis Priestley (1) Bye
Lee Holden 6-3 Dave Honey
Barrie Bates (32) 6-1 Geoff Wylie
Steve Hine 6-1 Dave Ahmet
Steve Beaton (16) 6-2 Colin Monk
Sean Palfrey 6-3 Andy Relf
Vincent van der Voort (17) 6-4 Kevin Harris
Lee Williams 6-5 Paul Knighton
James Wade (8) 6-5 Stephen Hard
Martyn Turner 6-5 Michael Smith
Matt Clark (25) 6-0 Steve Perkins
Toon Greebe 6-1 Steve Perry
Mervyn King (9) 6-2 Dyson Parody
Roland Scholten 6-1 Jim Leighton
Dave Ladley 6-3 Tony Eccles (24)
Lionel Sams 6-2 Chris Daglish
Mark Walsh (5) Bye
Alan Caves 6-2 Shaun Dring
Jelle Klaasen (28) 6-3 Chris Allen
Ken Dobson 6-5 Nick Fullwell
Denis Ovens (12) 6-2 Richie Burnett
Darren Johnson 6-5 Stuart Holden
Andy Jenkins (21) 6-2 Arron Monk
Ricky Williams 6-1 Andy Fordham
Ronnie Baxter (4) Bye
Wayne Atwood 6-3 John Kuczynski
Wes Newton (29) 6-1 Ian Lever
Dennis Smith 6-5 Michael Barnard
Andy Hamilton (13) 6-4 Mick McGowan
John Part 6-5 Adrian Gray
Alex Roy (20) 6-1 Chris Cooper
Gary Welding 6-4 John Quantock
Alan Tabern (2) Bye
Jim Withers 6-2 Mickey Booth
Kevin McDine (31) 6-3 Ian Lilley
Co Stompe 6-3 Kevin Dowling
Adrian Lewis (15) 6-5 Mark Webster
Steve Musson 6-4 Bryan de Hoog
Wayne Jones (18) 6-2 Geoff Whitworth
Par Riihonen 6-0 Jon Archer
Colin Osborne (7) Bye
Jason Clark 6-2 Kirk Shepherd
Steve Maish (26) 6-0 Ian Perkins
Stuart Dutton 6-4 Dylan Duo
Colin Lloyd (10) 6-2 Ben Burton
Peter Wright 6-4 Dave Smith
Jamie Caven (23) 6-1 Gary Miles
Tony Ayres 6-4 Steve Grubb
Terry Jenkins (6) Bye
Mark Frost 6-2 Robbie Newland
Michael van Gerwen (27) 6-2 Larry Butler
Mark Jodrill 6-3 Chris Loudon
Mark Dudbridge (11) 6-2 Robert Alford
Jan van der Rassel 6-3 Ian Jopling
Louis Blundell 6-4 Peter Manley (22)
Darren Latham 6-5 Russell Mason
Robert Thornton (3) Bye
Gary Blades 6-1 Mark Tiller
Gary Anderson (30) 6-1 Steve Brown
Dennis Zijderhand 6-5 Jonathan Overton
Kevin Painter (14) 6-3 David Platt
Brendan Dolan 6-2 John MaGowan
Andy Smith (19) 6-1 Stuart Bousfield
Anastasia Dobromyslova 6-1 Norman Fletcher
Second Round
Dennis Priestley 6-1 Lee Holden
Steve Hine 6-5 Barrie Bates
Sean Palfrey 6-3 Steve Beaton
Vincent van der Voort 6-2 Lee Williams
Martyn Turner 6-4 James Wade
Toon Greebe 6-2 Matt Clark
Mervyn King 6-4 Roland Scholten
Lionel Sams 6-4 Dave Ladley
Mark Walsh 6-0 Alan Caves
Jelle Klaasen 6-2 Ken Dobson
Denis Ovens 6-3 Darren Johnson
Ricky Williams 6-5 Andy Jenkins
Ronnie Baxter 6-1 Wayne Atwood
Dennis Smith 6-3 Wes Newton
John Part 6-5 Andy Hamilton
Alex Roy 6-1 Gary Welding
Alan Tabern 6-0 Jim Withers
Co Stompe 6-4 Kevin McDine
Adrian Lewis 6-3 Steve Musson
Wayne Jones 6-4 Par Riihonen
Colin Osborne 6-0 Jason Clark
Stuart Dutton 6-5 Steve Maish
Peter Wright 6-3 Colin Lloyd
Jamie Caven 6-5 Tony Ayres
Mark Frost 6-5 Terry Jenkins
Michael van Gerwen 6-2 Mark Jodrill.
Jan van der Rassel 6-5 Mark Dudbridge
Darren Latham 6-4 Louis Blundell
Robert Thornton 6-1 Gary Blades
Gary Anderson 6-5 Dennis Zijderhand
Kevin Painter 6-4 Brendan Dolan
Andy Smith 6-2 Anastasia Dobromyslova
Losers £200
Third Round
Steve Hine 6-3 Dennis Priestley
Vincent van der Voort 6-5 Sean Palfrey
Toon Greebe 6-3 Martyn Turner
Mervyn King 6-2 Lionel Sams
Mark Walsh 6-3 Jelle Klaasen
Denis Ovens 6-0 Ricky Williams
Ronnie Baxter 6-1 Dennis Smith
John Part 6-4 Alex Roy
Alan Tabern 6-2 Co Stompe
Adrian Lewis 6-2 Wayne Jones
Colin Osborne 6-1 Stuart Dutton
Jamie Caven 6-5 Peter Wright
Michael van Gerwen 6-2 Mark Frost
Darren Latham 6-4 Jan van der Rassel
Robert Thornton 6-5 Gary Anderson
Kevin Painter 6-4 Andy Smith
Losers £300
Fourth Round
Vincent van der Voort 6-5 Steve Hine
Mervyn King 6-3 Toon Greebe
Mark Walsh 6-2 Denis Ovens
Ronnie Baxter 6-3 John Part
Alan Tabern 6-1 Adrian Lewis
Colin Osborne 6-5 Jamie Caven
Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Darren Latham
Robert Thornton 6-2 Kevin Painter
Losers £400
Quarter-Finals
Vincent van der Voort 6-0 Mervyn King
Mark Walsh 6-2 Ronnie Baxter
Colin Osborne 6-4 Alan Tabern
Michael van Gerwen 6-2 Robert Thornton
Losers £800
Semi-Finals
Vincent van der Voort 6-3 Mark Walsh
Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Colin Osborne
Losers £1,500
Final
Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Vincent van der Voort
Winner £6,000
Runner-Up £3,000
News Updates
First Round
Colin Lloyd takes 6-2 win over Ben Burton.
Jason Clark returns to action with 6-2 victory against Kirk Shepherd.
Adrian Lewis knocks out Mark Webster in a deciding leg.
James Wade is also taken to the 11th leg, in his win over Stephen Hardy.
Kevin Painter, Steve Beaton, Denis Ovens and Mervyn King also progress.
Lee Holden wins 6-3 against Dave Honey.
Jim Withers is 6-2 winner against Mickey Booth.
Alan Caves' win over Shaun Dring sets up second round clash with Mark Walsh.
Andy Hamilton is 6-4 winner against Mick McGowan.
Gary Blades wins 6-1 against Mark Tiller.
Mark Dudbridge defeats Robert Alford 6-2.
Steve Maish is the day's first whitewash winner, defeating Ian Perkins in style.
Gary Anderson, the runner-up in both Players Championships last weekend, knocks out Steve Brown with 6-1 win.
Kevin McDine is 6-3 winner against Ian Lilley.
Jelle Klaasen takes 6-3 victory over Chris Allen.
Peter Wright enjoys 6-4 win against Dave Smith.
Martyn Turner is narrow winner over Michael Smith.
Michael van Gerwen enjoys 6-2 win over former World Matchplay champion Larry Butler.
Brendan Dolan defeats Northern Ireland rival John MaGowan 6-2, and Jan van der Rassel is 6-3 winner against Ian Jopling.
Darren Johnson is 6-5 winner in tight game with Stuart Holden.
Three-time World Champion John Part takes narrow 6-5 win over Adrian Gray.
Steve Hine knocks out Dave Ahmet with 6-1 win.
Stuart Dutton is 6-4 winner against Dylan Duo.
Andy Smith takes out 161 finish to seal victory over Stuart Bousfield.
Co Stompe also progresses to last 64 with 6-2 win over Kevin Dowling.
Mark Jodrill sees off Scotland's Chris Loudon.
Wolverhampton's Wayne Jones is 6-2 winner against Geoff Whitworth.
Jamie Caven enjoys 6-1 win over Gary Miles.
Andy Jenkins defeats youngster Arron Monk 6-2.
Ken Dobson is deciding-leg winner against Nick Fullwell.
Matt Clark whitewashes Steve Perkins.
Vincent van der Voort, who hit a nine-darter last weekend, wins 6-4 against Kevin Harris.
Dave Ladley knocks out number 24 seed Tony Eccles.
Dennis Smith edges out Michael Barnard in a deciding leg.
Alex Roy is 6-1 winner against Chris Cooper.
Par Riihonen whitewashes Jon Archer to reach last 64.
Anastasia Dobromyslova progresses with 6-1 win over Norman Fletcher.
Tony Ayres is 6-4 winner against Steve Grubb.
Lionel Sams wins 6-2 against Chris Daglish.
Lee Williams edges out Paul Knighton in a deciding leg.
Darren Latham is another 6-5 winner, against Russell Mason.
Second Round
Dennis Priestley overcomes Lee Holden 6-1.
Colin Osborne whitewashes Jason Clark, and Alan Tabern enjoys same result against Jim Withers.
Mark Frost knocks out number three seed Terry Jenkins in a deciding leg.
Mark Walsh takes victory over Alan Caves in straight legs.
Steve Hine is 6-5 winner against Barrie Bates and now meets Priestley.
Ronnie Baxter is 6-1 winner against Wayne Atwood, and Robert Thornton wins in the same mannger against Gary Blades.
Adrian Lewis wins 6-3 against Steve Musson.
Stuart Dutton comes from 4-1 down to win in a decider against Steve Maish.
Peter Wright wins 6-3 against Colin Lloyd.
Martyn Turner knocks out world number two James Wade 6-4.
Sean Palfrey sends Steve Beaton crashing with 6-3 win, while Jelle Klaasen defeats Ken Dobson 6-2.
Gary Anderson edges out Dennis Zijderhand in a deciding leg to set up all-Scottish battle with Robert Thornton.
Michael van Gerwen defeats Mark Jodrill 6-2, and Kevin Painter wins 6-4 against Brendan Dolan.
Denis Ovens is 6-3 winner against Darren Johnson.
Wayne Jones wins 6-4 against Par Riihonen.
Vincent van der Voort is 6-2 victor in clash with Lee Williams.
Andy Smith is 6-2 winner against Anastasia Dobromyslova.
Lionel Sams defeats Dave Ladley 6-4 and now faces Mervyn King.
Ricky Wiliams is 6-5 victor in clash with Andy Jenkins.
Alex Roy wins 6-1 against Gary Welding.
Darren Latham overcomes Louis Blundell 6-4.
Third Round
Mark Walsh defeats Jelle Klaasen 6-3 and Steve Hine overcomes Dennis Priestley in the same manner.
Vincent van der Voort is 6-3 winner against Sean Palfrey.
Alan Tabern and Colin Osborne also progress to last 16 with wins over Co Stompe and Stuart Dutton.
Michael van Gerwen overcomes Mark Frost 6-2.
Robert Thornton wins all-Scottish tussle with Gary Anderson 6-5, coming from 5-3 down to take victory.
Adrian Lewis overcomes Wayne Jones 6-2.
Ronnie Baxter sees off Dennis Smith 6-1 to move into last 16.
Toon Greebe moves into fourth round with 6-3 win over Martyn Turner.
Kevin Painter is 6-4 winner against Andy Smith and now takes on Thornton.
Denis Ovens whitewashes Ricky Williams to move into round four.
Mervyn King overcomes Lionel Sams 6-2.
John Part wins 6-4 to reach last 16 in clash with Alex Roy.
Darren Latham sets up fourth round tie with Michael van Gerwen thanks to 6-4 win over Jan van der Rassel.
Fourth Round
Alan Tabern reaches quarter-finals with 6-1 thumping of Adrian Lewis.
Vincent van der Voort moves into last eight with narrow 6-5 win against Steve Hine.
Mervyn King is 6-3 winner against Toon Greebe to set up quarter-final against van der Voort,
Mark Walsh moves through to last eight with 6-2 win over Hertfordshire rival Denis Ovens.
Ronnie Baxter progresses with 6-3 win over John Part.
Colin Osborne wins a deciding leg battle with Jamie Caven to reach his third successive PDC Pro Tour quarter-final.
Robert Thornton enjoys 6-2 win over Kevin Painter.
Michael van Gerwen completes quarter-final line-up with 6-4 win over Darren Latham.
Quarter-Finals
Vincent van der Voort powers past Mervyn King without dropping a leg to reach his first semi-final since Germany in February.
Mark Walsh reaches the semi-finals of a PDC Pro Tour event for the fourth successive weekend after 6-2 win against Ronnie Baxter.
Colin Osborne wins high-quality quarter-final with Alan Tabern 6-4.
Michael van Gerwen reaches semis with 6-2 defeat of Robert Thornton.
Semi-Finals
Vincent van der Voort sweeps into final with 6-3 defeat of Mark Walsh.
Michael van Gerwen reaches his first Players Championship final with 6-3 win over Colin Osborne.