Charlie Manby clinched the first PDC title of his career on Wednesday 28 October, defeating Dutchman Maik Kuivenhoven 8-2 in the final of the Players Championship 31 in Maassport Den Bosch. The 21-year-old from Huddersfield pocketed £15,000 and, in doing so, secured his place in the Grand Slam of Darts.
A one-sided final
Manby didn’t let the match settle. The Yorkshireman took a five-leg lead before Kuivenhoven fought back to make it 5-2. The comeback lasted just two legs: Manby sealed the final by winning the next three in a row, without giving the Dutchman the slightest chance to reignite the suspense.
For a 21-year-old who had never previously progressed beyond the quarter-finals of a ranked tournament, the composure he displayed in the final stood in stark contrast to his performance earlier in the day, when he had to come from behind on several occasions.
A boss’s performance
Manby’s day in Den Bosch will go down as the most successful of his young career:
- First round: 6-1 against Karel Sedlacek, a clear-cut start.
- Second round: 6-5 against Dennie Olde Kalter, after having been behind.
- Round of 32: 6-4 against Adam Leek.
- Round of 16: 6-3 against Dominik Gruellich, with an average of 112.16.
- Quarter-finals: 6-3 against Alan Soutar, again after falling behind (3-0 to the Scot).
- Semi-final: 7-5 against Beau Greaves.
The only real dip in form of the day therefore came in the quarter-finals, against Soutar. Manby recovered from it without rushing, which also explains the composure he displayed two hours later in the final.
Kuivenhoven, who knocked out van Duijvenbode
On the other side of the draw, Maik Kuivenhoven had secured his place in the semi-finals by beating Dirk van Duijvenbode 7-6, in a match where the two Dutchmen traded blows blow for blow. Today’s finalist certainly deserved his place, but he came up against an opponent who gave him no breathing space in the final.
The Grand Slam in his sights
This victory is worth far more than the £15,000 in prize money, approximately €17,920. It secures Manby’s place at the Grand Slam of Darts, scheduled for 14-22 November in Wolverhampton. For a player who had never previously reached the quarter-finals of a ranking event, this is a huge leap forward: he heads into the end-of-year tournament with a title, a new status and a target on his back.
His reaction
“It’s absolutely incredible, I’m literally lost for words. There are so many good players here, it’s mad that I’ve managed it. I knew I was capable of winning a title, but I’m over the moon.”
Beau Greaves’ day
Beau Greaves also made her mark on the day: the Englishwoman knocked out Ireland’s Keane Barry 6-5 in the last 16 before losing 7-5 to Manby in the semi-final. These two runs underline the strength of the women’s circuit and the new generation coming through on the Pro Tour.
And now
Manby will no longer be a surprise in the draw. With his first title, a Grand Slam spot and an average of 112 in a knockout match, he has moved into a different league in the eyes of his opponents. The end of the season will reveal whether this day in Den Bosch was a turning point or a one-off.
