Ross Smith secured his seventh ProTour title with a commanding 8-2 victory over Chris Dobey in the final of Players Championship 5 in Leicester on Tuesday, February 24, 2026. Smith, averaging 104 with five 180s and a high checkout of 147, capitalized on early misses from Dobey to build an insurmountable lead, sealing his first Players Championship win since October 2025. The event was the fifth of the season, with a sixth scheduled for the following day.
Smith dominated the final from the outset, opening with an 85 checkout for an early break and extending his lead to 2-0 with a superb 147 checkout. He broke again for 3-0 as Dobey missed a hold chance, then surged to 4-0 on double nine. After Smith broke to 5-0, Dobey briefly responded with a break back but missed a 170 checkout that could have narrowed the gap to 5-2. Smith eventually closed out the match from 6-2 up, hitting a 140 to leave 62, which he pinned after Dobey missed another 170 attempt to stay alive.
In reaching the final, Dobey averaged 99 in a 7-4 semi-final win over Joe Cullen, following earlier victories over Christian Kist (6-0), Danny Noppert (6-5), and Kevin Doets (6-5 in a match where Doets averaged 108 to Dobey's 103). He also beat Ricky Evans and Cristo Reyes to start the day. Smith's path included a 6-3 win over Justin Hood with a 95 average, a 6-2 victory over Cor Dekker with a 103 average, and a standout 6-1 defeat of Michael Smith in the round of 32, averaging 106. He then beat Niko Springer 6-2, Dave Chisnall 6-3, and Karel Sedlacek 7-4 in the semi-finals, with the latter match mirroring Dobey's semi-final in score and average.
Notably, top players such as Michael van Gerwen, Luke Humphries, and Luke Littler were absent from the event, while Gerwyn Price, Josh Rock, and Jonny Clayton suffered early exits, leaving the field open for Smith and Dobey to shine.
