WATTIMENA STORMS TO PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP 31 TITLE

JERMAINE WATTIMENA clinched the Players Championship 31 crown after beating Nathan Aspinall 8-2 in the final.

‘The Machine Gun’ picks up a second title of the year and the £15K top prize.

World No. 22 Wattimena came back from 2-0 down and rattled off eight consecutive legs to deny ‘The Asp’ in Wigan.

Wattimena warned rivals he’s “a dangerous player for everyone” after a dominant display on the ProTour.

He admitted: “I’m feeling good I’m really happy with this win. It’s my second Players Championship title.

“I feel really confident; I survived some match darts in the first round but after I felt I played amazing.

“There were some ton-plus averages, so I am really happy with this one. I beat some really good players today.

“I’ve changed my throw a little bit and my material from last year.

“I take more belief in myself, and I have worked on myself.

“I remember what Stephen Bunting said when I lost against him in the final Leicester.

He said, ‘When you win one, you win more.’ So, you see — I won one earlier and now I’ve got a second one.

“I have worked hard, and my form is really good in the last few months.

“I am a dangerous player for everyone.”

The Dutchman produced a 13-darter and a pinpoint 80 checkout to haul himself level at 2-2 against Aspinall.

Wattimena then hit top gear, firing in another 13-darter before coolly dispatching an 81 finish to storm 4-2 ahead at the Robin Park Tennis Centre.

The 37-year-old piled on the pressure with back-to-back legs and sealed his surge with a superb 116 checkout to move within one of victory.

Wattimena kept his composure in the decider, nailing double 20 to complete a dominant triumph.

Former major finalist Wattimena averaged a stellar 101.16 to dispatch Niels Zonneveld 7-0 in the semi-final.

Wattimena defeated Chris Landman 6-1 in the quarter-final.

Earlier in the day, Aspinall smashed in TWO nine-darters to cap off a brilliant day of displays.

Two-time major winner Aspinall nailed his first perfect leg in a 6-4 win over Steve Lennon in round two, before repeating the feat in dramatic fashion during his 6-5 victory against Lukas Wenig in the last 16.

Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen both suffered shock first-round exits, leaving the superstar duo still outside the top 64 cut-off for the Players Championship Finals.

Image by Taylor Lanning.