GILDING CREDITS WEIGHT GAIN FOR PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP 16 TRIUMPH
13/05/2026 By Aaron Nijjar
ANDREW GILDING admitted gaining nearly two stone may actually have helped his game after winning Players Championship 16.
Goldfinger defeated Jonny Clayton 8-3 in the final to seal glory on the floor for the first time in his career and pick up the £15,000 top prize.
The world No.27’s previous senior PDC title came with his stunning UK Open triumph in 2023.
Gilding averaged a superb 103.82 in a 6-2 quarter-final victory over Joe Hunt before beating veteran Ian White 7-5 in the semi-finals.
After finally getting over the line in a ProTour, Gilding admitted it had been a long time coming.
He said: “Oh man I have been waiting for this for a long while. I remember playing Gary Anderson many years ago [in a final].
“He had a 112 average and I had 107 or something like that. Finally got over the line.
“I don’t know what’s changed really. I have managed to keep my practice up.
“I’ve put on a bit of weight. I though the weight loss helped me win the UK Open but I’ve put on like nearly two stone since that.
“Your form dips, your form rises; You’ve just got to be patient.
“I’ve had such a good start to the season now. I have more or less qualified for everything. I just have to keep that up.
“I need to make sure I don’t drop down the rankings and I get into the Matchplay again and the European Championship.”
Elsewhere, Michael van Gerwen crashed out in the first round after a shock 6-3 defeat to Challenge Tour leader Hunt.
Beau Greaves exited in round two following a 6-3 loss to Stephen Bunting.
Raymond van Barneveld endured another miserable outing as he was whitewashed 6-0 by Karel Sedlacek in the opening round after averaging just 77.
Image by Taylor Lanning.
