Massive win for Painter

Kevin Painter won the first major title of his career with a 13-9 victory over Mark Webster in the final of the Cash Converters Players Championship.

The 44-year-old proved he is still a force to be reckoned with after seven years in the wilderness following his sudden-death defeat to Phil Taylor in the 2004 World Championship final.
Webster edged the final's opening leg before Painter hit a nerve-settling 180 and double 16 to level and then broke by hitting the same bed.
However, a miss at double 18 in the next allowed Webster to win the fourth, and he then repeated the double top finish to lead 3-2.
Painter hit back with a 101 finish, and after Webster took the seventh following a 180 he then took three in a row, including a brilliant 11-darter, to move 6-4 up.
Double top gave Webster his fifth leg before a 68 finish from Painter edged him out to 7-5, although he paid the price for missing a single 20 to leave the bull in the next as the left-hander stepped in on double seven.
Any hopes Webster had of levelling the game, though, were shattered in the next as Painter hit back-to-back 180s in an 11-darter, which he followed with finishes of 110 and 104 to lead 10-6.
Double top gave Webster the next, but Painter again set up a potential nine-darter with two 180s.
He missed a seventh treble 20 for the second time, but again mopped up the leg in 12 darts to lead 11-7 before moving a leg away from victory on double 12 following two misses from the Welshman.
Webster hit double 16 to keep the game alive in the next, but his respite was brief as Painter hit a key 140 to leave 67, which he took out on double 16 before dropping to his knees in joy at the first major of his career.

Rand stunned

Painter had earlier ended the dreams of lorry driver Scott Rand, coming back from 9-6 down to win 10-9.
Rand continued his impressive emergence by leading 7-4 and then 9-6 but his superb finishing faltered for the first time in the tournament.
He missed two match darts for a 10-7 win as Painter took three successive legs to force a decider before snatching a sensational win on double eight.
Webster saw off Wes Newton 10-7 to reach his first major PDC singles final. The Welsh left-hander, who won the 2008 Lakeside Championship, booked his place in the final at the Doncaster Dome with another assured display.
He hit 180s in winning the first two legs before posting double ten in the third to leave Newton reeling at 3-0 down.
The Fleetwood ace hit tops to get off the mark in the fourth, and hit scores of 177 and 180 in the next to set up a potential nine-darter.
Although he was unable to achieve a perfect leg, he took out 86 for a 12-dart finish to pull back to 3-2 - Webster, though, hit a 168 to set up double ten in winning the sixth, and added tops to lead 5-2.
Newton pulled it back to 5-4 but Webster continued to keep his nose in front and edged into a 9-6 lead and while his opponent stayed alive by taking the next, the Welshman sealed victory on top 10.

Quarter-finals

Rand's incredible weekend had continued with a 9-5 quarter-final defeat of James Wade at the Doncaster Dome.
The lorry driver from Coventry dreamed of winning the £60,000 title and giving up his day job continued after he followed up Saturday's defeat of Raymond van Barneveld with another major scalp.
World number three Wade led 3-1 early on, but Rand took charge with a run of five successive legs in mid-game before holding his nerve to reach the last four in only his fourth major tournament.
Painter, the 2004 World Championship runner-up, defeated Mervyn King 9-7 to win through to his first televised semi-final since the 2009 UK Open.
King had knocked out reigning champion Phil Taylor on Saturday evening, but was unable to repeat the performance as Painter progressed.
The players ranked sixth and seventh in the world, Webster and Newton, booked their last four spots after winning through dramatic games.

Newton secured a 9-5 victory against Mark Walsh by hitting back-to-back 170 checkouts, while Webster edged past Dave Chisnall 9-8 following a tense final-leg thriller.