2018 Austrian Darts Open Day Two

European Tour

JAMES WADE sent number one seed Peter Wright crashing out in the second round of the 2018 Austrian Darts Open.

2018 Austrian Darts Open Day One

European Tour

JAMES WADE will face Peter Wright in the second round of the 2018 Austrian Darts Open - first round round-up here.

Burger & Schnier Head Austrian Qualifiers

European Tour

DIETMAR BURGER and Hannes Schnier were amongst the five Host Nation Qualifiers to win places in the Austrian Darts Open.

2018 Austrian Darts Open Draw

European Tour

THE draw and schedule of play for the 2018 Austrian Darts Open are now available ahead of the European Tour event in Graz.

Players Championship 9-10 Entries

ProTour

ENTRIES have been confirmed for the next Players Championship double-header, which will be held on April 28-29 in Wigan.

Incredible Hopp Wins First Euro Title

European Tour

MAX HOPP created history as he won his first PDC European Tour title at the German Darts Open in Saarbrucken.

2018 German Darts Open Day Two

European Tour

ROB CROSS & Dave Chisnall turned on the style in the German Darts Open on Saturday, as Peter Wright crashed out.

2018 German Darts Open Day One

European Tour

HOME favourite Max Hopp delighted the crowd at the German Darts Open in Saarbrucken with a superb first round display.

Double Qualifying Success For Trio

European Tour

MAX HOPP, Dimitri Van den Bergh & Ronny Huybrechts enjoyed a double success for the German Darts Open and Austrian Darts Open.

Mighty Mickey Claims Maiden PDC Title

ProTour

MICKEY MANSELL claimed his maiden PDC title after a 6-4 win over Adrian Lewis in the final of Players Championship Eight

Players Championship events are held throughout the year, with prize money won counting towards the ProTour Order of Merit

All Players Championship events will be streamed live for PDCTV-HD Subscribers worldwide with coverage from two boards throughout each event.

WILLIAM O'CONNOR claimed his first PDC title at Players Championship 13 in Barnsley on Tuesday.

The opening day of the ProTour mid-week double-header at the Barnsley Metrodome saw O'Connor defeat UK Open Champion Nathan Aspinall 8-4 in just his second PDC final, following up his European Darts Matchplay final appearance in July 2018.

O'Connor, who has competed on the PDC ProTour circuit since 2011, edged out Rowby-John Rodriguez 6-5 in his opening game of the day, before seeing off Luke Humphires and Luke Woodhouse 6-2 to reach the last 16.

There, he produced a stunning display, averaging 105.8 in a 6-4 win over Steve Beaton, which the Irishman followed up with a 6-5 quarter-final triumph over Jeffrey de Zwaan.

A 102.2 average was enough to overcome Daryl Gurney 7-5 in the semi-finals, before a convincing victory over Aspinall saw O'Connor land the £10,000 top prize.

"I'm a bit overwhelmed by it but I'm so happy to have won my first title," said O'Connor, who will represent the Republic of Ireland at the BetVictor World Cup of Darts in June.

"I've been playing well all year but haven't had any good results, so maybe I've used all my luck in one day.

"I'm happy to move up the rankings a bit and now I want to add a couple more titles to my name and see where it takes me.

"I have the game to win more, I just need to be more consistent and produce a lot better than I have been doing over the years, but the same can be said for many players on tour."

A hard-fought final began with four consecutive breaks of throw, before the pair exchanged holds to make it 3-3 after a tight opening.

O'Connor then hit tops to hold throw once again, and followed it with an 11-dart break to open up a two-leg gap for the first time at 5-3.

The Irish number two made no mistake on double 16 to assert his dominance at 6-3, before Aspinall stopped the rot with a hold of throw.

However, O'Connor showed no signs of wavering as he found double 12 for a 13-darter to go within a leg of the title, before the determined former Tom Kirby Memorial Trophy winner saw off 68 to seal a famous win.

Despite a below-par display in the final, Aspinall continued his sensational form with a first final appearance since being crowned UK Open Champion in March.

The World Championship semi-finalist, who claimed his first PDC title in Barnsley in September 2018, defeated Adrian Lewis 7-4 in a thrilling semi-final in what turned out to be the highlight of the Stockport thrower's day.

Elsewhere, Justin Pipe made it two quarter-final appearances in just over a month, while Christian Kist enjoyed a return to form with a first quarter-final berth since November 2016.

Departing Dutchman Raymond van Barneveld continued his resurgence with a run to the last 16, which included a first round defeat of Corey Cadby, while Peter Wright also made it to the last eight.

Premier League stars Gerwyn Price and Michael Smith were joined by Glen Durrant in exiting the tournament before the last 16 stage, while it was a disappointing return to Gary Anderson who was eliminated in the first round.