Stephen Bunting produced the highest average of Players Championship 21, recording a stunning 109.48 in his third-round match. 'The Bullet' averaged 101 in three of his games, but none of those make the top 15, highlighting the quality on display. His extraordinary showing gave Shane McGuirk no chance in a brutal 6-1 defeat, though Bunting's level dipped later in the day, resulting in a lacklustre quarter-final exit.
In the same round, Ross Smith posted the second-best display of the day with a cracking 107.88 average. The Players Championship 20 champion needed that performance against Michael Smith, who averaged 105.32 in that same game, bringing back flashbacks of vintage 'Bully Boy.' Smith would lose the Smith derby despite his sensational display, which put him fifth on the list.
Kai Gotthardt, not a name familiar in these lists, was a player in form in Wigan, with his pick of the crop being a 107.09 in the first round. A third of the top 15 list is split between Chris Dobey and Beau Greaves. Dobey was the better player throughout the day, posting averages of 105.09, 105.04, and 103.69, though his highest average was all in vain. Greaves found her stride after averaging below 90 in her first three games, following up with a 102.23 average and then a 105.90 in the quarter-final thriller against Dobey, the fourth highest average of the day.
There were positive signs from the Aussie duo of Damon Heta and Adam Leek, who were a massive disappointment at the World Cup of Darts in Frankfurt, losing both group stage matches. Heta averaged 104.98 in the first round, while Leek put in a 102.05 in a second-round triumph to just squeeze into the top 15. Other notable displays included Luke Woodhouse's 103.09 in the first round, Connor Scutt's 102.53 in a losing effort against Dobey, Callan Rydz's 102.59, and Dirk van Duijvenbode's 102.33 in the last-64.
