Josh Payne wins Players Championship Six in Barnsley
Saturday 30 April 2016 19:52, UK
Josh Payne won his first senior title at Players Championship Six as he edged out James Wade 6-5 with a brilliant display to take the £10,000 title at the Barnsley Metrodome.
Kent-based Payne, 22, has won three tournaments on the PDC's Challenge and Development Tour over the past four years, but continued his emergence at the highest level with his first ProTour success.
He kicked off a memorable day with wins over Gerwyn Price, Ronny Huybrechts and Wes Newton before seeing off former major winner Kevin Painter 6-4 in the last 16.
He then edged out Mensur Suljovic in a deciding leg in the quarter-finals and dropped just three legs in his semi-final win over Steve Brown before taking Wade all the way in the final, eventually sealing victory with a 116 checkout as his opponent waited on tops.
Wade had been bidding to win his first Players Championship title since last July but had to settle for the £6,000 runner-up prize on the day.
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The No 8 seed dropped only three legs in early wins over Dave Ladley and Dean Winstanley before picking up tight victories against Devon Petersen, Jim Walker, Peter Wright and Vincent van der Voort on his way to the final.
Van der Voort's run to the semi-finals was his best finish in a ranking event since February 2015, as he overcame Peter Hudson, Paul Nicholson, Robert Thornton, Jamie Caven and Nathan Aspinall.
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Bristol ace Brown, whose only PDC ranking title came in Barnsley in February 2011, reached a ranking semi-final for the first time in almost five years as he defeated Joe Cullen, James Richardson, Antonio Alcinas, James Wilson and Simon Whitlock.
Dave Chisnall achieved his sixth nine-dart finish on the PDC circuit during his third-round clash with Caven, although he went on to lose narrowly in a deciding leg.
