ALAN TABERN completed a Players Championship hat-trick with a final-leg triumph over Colin Osborne in Newport.
Tabern added to his wins in Wigan and Atlanta this year with a third PDC Pro Tour victory, which moves him up to a career-high tenth in the PDC Order of Merit.
He produced a superb comeback to claim the £5,000 title, having trailed 2-1 in sets to Osborne in the final before winning the fourth without reply and then taking the fifth in a deciding third leg after the Derby man missed two darts for victory.
Tabern dropped just one leg in a semi-final rout of Mervyn King, and also defeated Vincent van der Voort, Mick Savvery, Robert Thornton and Danny Pinhorne without losing a set.
Osborne overcame Andy Howarth 3-2 in his first round game, but then failed to drop a set in wins over Jan van der Rassel, Mark Walsh, Wayne Atwood, Andy Jenkins and Co Stompe to reach the final.
King's run to the semi-finals saw him jump above Kevin Painter into the top 16 of the Order of Merit for the first time, following his move to the PDC circuit 18 months ago.
A dramatic final event before the cut-off for Sky Poker World Grand Prix qualification saw Andy Smith jump into the Dublin tournament at the expense of Kevin McDine with his run to the quarter-finals.
Dutchman Co Stompe needed to win the event to earn a place in the World Grand Prix, but lost 3-0 to Osborne in a high-quality semi-final, after earlier knocking out world number three James Wade and Saturday's Players Championship winner Ronnie Baxter.
Andy Jenkins dropped only one set on the way to his third quarter-final of the year before losing to Osborne, while Holland's Vincent van der Voort also reached the last eight.
Terry Jenkins, Wayne Mardle, Colin Lloyd and Peter Manley all lost out in the first round, while Wade was joined by Roland Scholten in exiting at the last 64 stage, with the Dutchman losing to St Helens youngster Michael Smith, who went on to reach the last 16 for a second successive day.
The qualifiers for the Sky Poker World Grand Prix are:
PDC top 16: Phil Taylor, Raymond van Barneveld, James Wade, John Part, Terry Jenkins, Wayne Mardle, Colin Lloyd, Andy Hamilton, Adrian Lewis, Alan Tabern, Roland Scholten, Dennis Priestley, Peter Manley, Ronnie Baxter, Colin Osborne, Mervyn King.
Players Championship Order of Merit qualifiers: Chris Mason, Denis Ovens, Robert Thornton, Kevin Painter, Mark Walsh, Vincent van der Voort, Wayne Jones, Mark Dudbridge, Andy Smith, Tony Eccles, Felix McBrearty, Steve Beaton.
Leading four players from Ireland/Northern Ireland in Players Championship Order of Merit: Mick McGowan, John MaGowan, Brendan Dolan, Jacko Barry (James Keogh has not played the requisite six Players Championship events in 2008).
Welsh Players Championship (Sunday)
Preliminary Round
Michael Rosenauer 3-0 Ricky Williams
Frazer Hill 3-1 Karl Loiseau
Steve Johnson 3-1 Russell Mason
Brendan Dolan 3-1 Geoff Wylie
Mick Savvery Bye (Chris Beeston)
Lionel Sams 3-2 Owen Caffrey
Sean Palfrey 3-2 Alan Reynolds
Ian Jopling 3-0 David Nelson
Michael Barnard Bye (John Kuczynski)
Chris Allen 3-1 Tony Ayres
John Quantock 3-2 David Davies
James Barton 3-0 Steve Grubb
Chris Cooper 3-2 Peter Wright
Peter Walford 3-2 Dave Honey
Michael Smith 3-0 Mark Jodrill
Steve Brown 3-0 Mark Carter
Wayne Atwood 3-1 Lee White
Kevin Harris 3-1 Steve Cusick
Jan van der Rassel 3-1 Ian Perkins
Chris Thompson 3-0 Tom Martin
Dickie Foster 3-1 Paul Anthony
Norman Fletcher 3-2 Kevin Dowling
First Round
Alan Caves 3-1 Gary Mawson
Chris Hook 3-0 Chris Daglish
Stephen Hardy Bye (Phil Taylor)
Michael Rosenauer 3-1 Robbie Newland
Steve Evans 3-0 Chris Mason
Jim Withers 3-2 Joey Palfreyman
Vincent van der Voort Bye (Simon Cunningham)
Steve Johnson 3-0 Fraser Hill
Robert Thornton 3-1 Alex Roy
Steve Maish 3-1 Simon Pratt
Alan Tabern 3-0 Danny Pinhorne
Brendan Dolan 3-1 Danny King
Wayne Jones Bye (Jonathan Overton)
David Platt 3-0 Carl Minter
Kelvin Painter 3-0 Peter Manley
Mick Savvery 3-1 Andy Relf
Mick McGowan 3-1 Richie Burnett
John MaGowan 3-0 Francis Mellor
Andy Hamilton 3-1 Colin Monk
Lionel Sams 3-0 Jon Archer
Andy Smith 3-0 Dave Askew
Nick Fulwell 3-1 Ben Burton
Kevin Painter 3-0 Dave Ansell
Sean Palfrey 3-1 Ian Jopling
Michael van Gerwen 3-1 Darren Green
Shane Passey 3-1 Mark Tiller
Jacko Barry 3-1 Wayne Mardle
Gary Welding 3-2 Michael Barnard
Barrie Bates 3-2 Kevin McDine
Aaron Turner 3-1 Darren Latham
Mervyn King 3-0 Jelle Klaasen
John Quantock 3-0 Chris Allen
Matt Clark 3-0 Davey Mansell
Sam Rooney 3-0 Jim Leighton
James Wade 3-0 Tony Littleton
Co Stompe 3-0 James Barton
Kirk Shepherd 3-0 John Jenkinson
Robert Watson-Lang 3-1 Gary Barnett
Mark Dudbridge 3-1 Mark Layton
Chris Cooper 3-1 Peter Walford
Wes Newton 3-2 Mark Frost
Darren Johnson 3-0 Mike Herold
Roland Scholten 3-1 Darren Richardson
Michael Smith 3-0 Peter Aleman
Adrian Gray 3-0 Alan Weist
Matt Gallett Bye (Dave Smith)
Ronnie Baxter 3-0 Alan Warriner-Little
Steve Brown 3-0 Andy Mason
Steve Beaton 3-0 Ian Eames
Carlos Rodriguez 3-0 Steve Musson
Matt Jackson 3-0 Colin Lloyd
Wayne Atwood Walkover (Jason Clark withdrew mid-game)
Mark Walsh 3-0 Geoff Whitworth
Andrew Davies 3-2 Jamie Caven
Colin Osborne 3-2 Andy Howarth
Jan van der Rassel 3-2 Kevin Harris
Tony Eccles 3-2 Justin Pipe
Steve Hine 3-2 Simon Whatley
James Keogh 3-1 Terry Jenkins
Chris Thompson 3-1 Louis Blundell
Andy Jenkins 3-0 Ben Simpson
Martin Burchell 3-0 Joe Cullen
Denis Ovens 3-0 Steve Randall
Dickie Foster 3-2 Norman Fletcher
Second Round
Alan Caves 3-1 Chris Hook
Stephen Hardy 3-1 Michael Rosenauer
Steve Evans 3-1 Jim Withers
Vincent van der Voort 3-1 Steve Johnson
Robert Thornton 3-2 Steve Maish
Alan Tabern 3-2 Brendan Dolan
David Platt 3-2 Wayne Jones
Mick Savvery 3-1 Kelvin Painter
John MaGowan 3-2 Mick McGowan
Andy Hamilton 3-2 Lionel Sams
Andy Smith 3-0 Nick Fulwell
Sean Palfrey 3-1 Kevin Painter
Michael van Gerwen 3-0 Shayne Passey
Gary Welding 3-0 Jacko Barry
Barrie Bates 3-0 Aaron Turner
Mervyn King 3-1 John Quantock
Matt Clark 3-1 Sam Rooney
Co Stompe 3-2 James Wade
Robert Watson-Lang 3-0 Kirk Shepherd
Mark Dudbridge 3-2 Chris Cooper
Wes Newton 3-1 Darren Johnson
Michael Smith 3-2 Roland Scholten
Adrian Gray 3-0 Matt Gallett
Ronnie Baxter 3-1 Steve Brown
Carlos Rodriguez 3-1 Steve Beaton
Wayne Atwood 3-1 Matt Jackson
Mark Walsh 3-0 Andrew Davies
Colin Osborne 3-0 Jan van der Rassel
Tony Eccles 3-1 Steve Hine
James Keogh 3-2 Chris Thompson
Andy Jenkins 3-0 Martin Burchell
Denis Ovens 3-2 Dickie Foster
Losers £75
Third Round
Alan Caves 3-0 Stephen Hardy
Vincent van der Voort 3-0 Steve Evans
Alan Tabern 3-0 Robert Thornton
Mick Savvery 3-2 David Platt
Andy Hamilton 3-0 John MaGowan
Andy Smith 3-2 Sean Palfrey
Michael van Gerwen 3-0 Gary Welding
Mervyn King 3-1 Barrie Bates
Co Stompe 3-2 Matt Clark
Mark Dudbridge 3-0 Robert Watson-Lang
Michael Smith 3-2 Wes Newton
Ronnie Baxter 3-1 Adrian Gray
Wayne Atwood 3-2 Carlos Rodriguez
Colin Osborne 3-0 Mark Walsh
Tony Eccles 3-0 James Keogh
Andy Jenkins 3-0 Denis Ovens
Losers £150
Fourth Round
Vincent van der Voort 3-0 Alan Caves
Alan Tabern 3-0 Mick Savvery
Andy Smith 3-2 Andy Hamilton
Mervyn King 3-0 Michael van Gerwen
Co Stompe 3-2 Mark Dudbridge
Ronnie Baxter 3-0 Michael Smith
Colin Osborne 3-0 Wayne Atwood
Andy Jenkins 3-1 Tony Eccles
Losers £300
Quarter-Finals
Alan Tabern 3-0 Vincent van der Voort (2-1, 2-0, 2-1)
Mervyn King 3-0 Andy Smith (2-1, 2-0, 2-0)
Co Stompe 3-2 Ronnie Baxter (2-0, 0-2, 1-2, 2-0, 2-1)
Colin Osborne 3-0 Andy Jenkins (2-0, 2-0, 2-1)
Losers £600
Semi-Finals
Alan Tabern 3-0 Mervyn King (2-0, 2-0, 2-1)
Colin Osborne 3-0 Co Stompe (2-1, 2-1, 2-0)
Losers £1,250
Final
Alan Tabern 3-2 Colin Osborne (2-0, 1-2, 1-2, 2-0, 2-1)
Winner £5,000
Runner-Up £2,500
News Updates
Preliminary Round
Germany's Michael Rosenauer wins in straight sets against Ricky Williams.
Brendan Dolan wins the all-Northern Ireland battle with Geoff Wylie for the second successive day after the pair were drawn against each other for both Players Championships in Wales.
Sean Palfrey takes 3-2 victory in all-Welsh clash with Alan Reynolds.
Michael Smith, who reached the last 16 on Saturday, defeats Mark Jodrill 3-0, with James Barton and Steve Brown winning by the same scoreline.
Kevin Harris and Dickie Foster progress with 3-1 wins over Steve Cusick and Paul Anthony respectively.
Lionel Sams defeats Owen Caffrey in five sets - ending the Irishman's hopes of qualifying for the World Grand Prix.
Ian Jopling takes 3-0 win over David Nelson and will now meet Palfrey in the first round.
John Quantock edges out David Davies in five sets.
Norman Fletcher defeats Kevin Dowling 3-2 to progress to round one.
First Round
Michael van Gerwen wins 3-1 against Darren Green.
David Platt wins 3-0 against Carl Minter, and will meet Wayne Jones in round two.
Welshman Kelvin Painter sends Peter Manley to defeat with straight sets victory.
Wes Newton edges out Mark Frost in five sets.
Adrian Gray, Matt Clark and Steve Beaton open with 3-0 victories.
Alan Caves defeats American Gary Mawson 3-1, condemning the UK Open runner-up to a second successive first round loss.
Tony Eccles - one of the players battling to seal his World Grand Prix place - edges out Justin Pipe 3-2.
Mick McGowan defeats Welshman Richie Burnett 3-0.
Andy Smith, who dropped out of the qualifying places for the World Grand Prix on Saturday, overcomes Dave Askew in straight sets.
Spain's Carlos Rodriguez overcomes Steve Musson in straight sets to move into last 64, where he meets Beaton.
Mark Walsh wins 3-0 against Geoff Whitworth.
Saturday's champion Ronnie Baxter opens with 3-0 win over Alan Warriner-Little.
James Wade is straight sets winner against Tony Littleton.
Robert Thornton opens with 3-1 win over Alex Roy.
Matt Jackson defeats Colin Lloyd - last weekend's Windy City Open Players Championship winner - in straight sets.
John MaGowan defeats Francis Mellor in straight sets to set up second round meeting with Mick McGowan.
Steve Evans knocks Chris Mason out 3-0, while Steve Maish progresses with 3-1 win over Simon Pratt.
Kirk Shepherd defeats John Jenkinson in straight sets.
Co Stompe sets up second round clash with Wade after 3-0 win over James Barton.
Bristol's Steve Brown moves through to last 64 with straight sets win over Andy Mason.
Jacko Barry defeats Wayne Mardle 3-1.
Steve Hine edges out Simon Whatley 3-2.
Jason Clark withdraws during contest with Wayne Atwood due to recurrence of shoulder problem.
Andy Jenkins overcomes Ben Simpson in straight sets.
Alan Tabern opens with 3-0 win over Danny Pinhorne.
Barrie Bates survives Kevin McDine's comeback to take 3-2 win - leaving the youngster hoping other results go his way to hang on to a World Grand Prix place.
Michael Smith takes second straight sets win of the day, defeating Peter Aleman 3-0.
James Keogh, a semi-finalist on Saturday, defeats Terry Jenkins 3-1.
Saturday's runner-up Jamie Caven loses 3-2 to Welshman Andrew Davies.
Kevin Painter begins with 3-0 win over Dave Ansell, and will meet Sean Palfrey in the second round, following the Welshman's win over Ian Jopling.
Denis Ovens opens his challenge with 3-0 win over Steve Randall.
Mervyn King seals 3-1 win over Jelle Klaasen with 160 checkout.
John Quantock wins in straight sets against Chris Allen.
Second Round
David Platt takes narrow 3-2 win over Wayne Jones to reach last 32.
Adrian Gray moves into third round with 3-0 win over Matt Gallett.
Alan Caves progresses with 3-1 win over Chris Hook.
Carlos Rodriguez knocks out Steve Beaton 3-1.
Matt Clark defeats Sam Rooney 3-1.
Mick Savvery's win over Kelvin Painter sets up board four final against Platt.
Co Stompe produces a 12-darter against the throw to win a deciding leg against James Wade.
Michael van Gerwen defeats Shane Passey 3-0 to move into last 32.
Andy Smith's hopes of qualifying for the World Grand Prix are boosted by 3-0 win over Nick Fulwell.
Robert Thornton edges out Steve Maish 3-2, while Stephen Hardy defeats Germany's Michael Rosenauer 3-1.
Steve Evans follows up win over Chris Mason by defeating Jim Withers 3-1.
Michael Smith secures another big scalp with 3-2 defeat of Roland Scholten.
Wayne Atwood sets up board 13 final with Rodriguez after 3-1 win over Matt Jackson.
Sean Palfrey knocks out Kevin Painter 3-1.
Mark Dudbridge sneaks past Chris Cooper 3-2, and will meet Robert Watson-Lang in last 32, after the Essex youngster defeated Kirk Shepherd in straight sets.
Denis Ovens edges out Dickie Foster 3-2 and now meets Andy Jenkins.
Mervyn King defeats John Quantock 3-1.
Andy Hamilton defeats Lionel Sams 3-2 to set up board final with John MaGowan.
Colin Osborne wins in straight sets against Jan van der Rassel.
Third Round
Mick Savvery wins board four with 3-2 defeat of David Platt.
Alan Caves reaches last 16 with 3-0 win over Stephen Hardy.
Ronnie Baxter remains on course for back-to-back titles with 3-1 win over Adrian Gray.
Wayne Atwood edges past Carlos Rodriguez in five sets to move into fourth round.
Michael van Gerwen progresses to last 16 with straight sets defeat of Gary Welding.
Michael Smith secures second successive last 16 appearance with narrow win over Wes Newton, earning him fourth round clash with Baxter.
Co Stompe edges out Matt Clark 3-2, and another Dutchman, Vincent van der Voort, defeats Steve Evans to progress.
Alan Tabern defeats Robert Thornton in straight sets to move into last 16, where he meets Mick Savvery.
Andy Smith wins in five sets against Sean Palfrey to reach round four.
Mark Dudbridge moves into last 16 with straight sets win over Robert Watson-Lang.
Andy Hamilton wins 3-0 against John MaGowan to set up last 16 clash with Andy Smith.
Mervyn King's 3-1 win over Barrie Bates leaves Wayne Atwood as the sole Welshman remaining in Newport.
Colin Osborne completes last 16 line-up with 3-0 win over Mark Walsh.
Fourth Round
Ronnie Baxter marches into quarter-finals with 3-0 whitewash of Michael Smith.
Vincent van der Voort sweeps into quarter-finals in straight sets against Alan Caves.
Alan Tabern sets up quarter-final with van der Voort after 3-0 win over Mick Savvery.
Co Stompe holds off Mark Dudbridge's fightback to win in a deciding set, with the Bristol man having come back from 2-0 down to level.
Andy Jenkins knocks out Tony Eccles 3-1 to reach the quarter-finals.
Mervyn King reaches quarter-finals with 3-0 defeat of Michael van Gerwen.
Andy Smith wins tense five-set clash with Andy Hamilton in a deciding leg, with the Stoke man missing six darts for the win in the deciding leg.
Colin Osborne seals quarter-final place with 3-0 win over Wayne Atwood.
Quarter-Finals
Alan Tabern drops just two legs in straight sets win over Vincent van der Voort.
Co Stompe reaches his first PDC Pro Tour semi-final with five-set win over Ronnie Baxter, coming from 2-1 down to win four of the final five legs.
Mervyn King drops just one leg in win over Andy Smith to remain on course for second PDC Pro Tour win of 2008.
Colin Osborne reaches semi-finals with 3-0 win over Andy Jenkins, also dropping just one leg.
Semi-Finals
Colin Osborne reaches only his second PDC Pro Tour final of the year with a straight sets win over Co Stompe. He edged the first set 2-1, and took out 108 to win the second in a decider before claiming the win by taking the third without reply.
Alan Tabern defeated Mervyn King in style, dropping just one leg in a 3-0 win. Tabern won the first set 2-0 after King missed four darts at a double to level, and an 11-darter saw him take the second without reply. Tabern missed two darts for the match in leg two of the third, as King got off the mark, but King - who moves up to 16th in the PDC Order of Merit - missed two more darts at a double in the next and the St Helens man landed double 12 for victory.
Sky Poker World Grand Prix
Mervyn King moves above Kevin Painter into the top 16 of the PDC Order of Merit, although Painter still qualifies for the World Grand Prix through the Players Championship Order of Merit.
Andy Smith's run to the last eight puts him back into the 12 qualifying places.
Steve Beaton's £75 puts him level with Kevin McDine, but above the youngster in the 12th qualifying place on count-back after Co Stompe and Andy Jenkins failed to reach the final.