Andrew Gilding first made a Players Championship final in March 2014
Former UK Open champion Andrew Gilding claimed his first ProTour title on his 442nd attempt by winning the Players Championship 16 event in Leicester.
Previously a six-time runner-up, Gilding defeated Jonny Clayton 8-3 in the final on Wednesday.
The 55-year-old Englishman scooped the £15,000 top prize after racing into a 5-1 lead, hitting double 10 to secure victory.
"I've been waiting for this for a long while. I can't believe it," Gilding said.
"I've had some great finals before. I remember playing Gary Anderson many years ago, he had a 112 average and I had a 107 average. But I finally got over the line.
"Your form dips and rises. You just have to be patient. I've had such a good start to the season, I've more or less qualified for everything now."
Gilding. who won the UK Open in 2023, produced his best performance of the day in defeating Challenge Tour leader Joe Hunt 6-2 with a 103.82 average, before downing Ian White 7-5 in the last four to reach a second Players Championship final of the year.
The PDC ProTour is a series of professional darts tournaments organised by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) for players holding a PDC Tour Card.
The tournaments are not usually televised, with the 2026 season featuring 34 Players Championship events.
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