Chris Dobey’s scoring surge offers route back after four straight first-round exits in televised tournaments

Chris Dobey’s recent form points towards a player capable of challenging for major titles. His results on television have told a different story.

The latest PDC assessment, published on 3 November, records 90 maximums across his previous 200 legs — only five fewer than Luke Littler. Yet Dobey had also suffered first-round defeats in four consecutive televised tournaments.

That contrast makes his Players Championship 32 victory significant. The task now is to reproduce that level when the cameras return for the season’s biggest events.

Chris Dobey’s form puts him among the leading scorers

Christopher Kempf’s PDC form guide, reproduced by the Australian Darts Association, also places Dobey second for leg-winning efficiency in its latest sample.

The measure assesses how effectively players convert their scoring into winning legs. It supports the view that Dobey’s recent improvement extends beyond hitting frequent 180s.

Those figures are a snapshot taken before this week’s Leicester double-header. They cannot predict his next result, but they give substance to the optimism generated by his latest title.

Den Bosch showed what Dobey can produce

Dobey beat Tommy Morris 8–4 in the final on 29 October to collect his third ranking title of the season. He averaged 103.15 across seven matches and registered the afternoon’s three highest match averages.

His strongest display came against Krzysztof Ratajski, whom he beat 6–1 with a 111.12 average. He followed that with 109.69 against William O’Connor in the semi-finals.

As our report on Dobey’s Players Championship 32 victory explains, the success followed a change of equipment. He had switched to a new barrel shortly before travelling to the Netherlands.

“I just need a bit of consistency back,” Dobey said in comments reported by Sky Sports.

The next test is sustaining it on television

One successful day does not establish that the equipment change has solved his problems. It does show that Dobey can still sustain a high standard through several rounds, rather than relying on an isolated exceptional match.

Nor do early televised defeats, on their own, explain what has gone wrong. Opponents, finishing and the timing of missed chances all matter. It would be too simple to attribute the run to nerves without evidence.

The encouraging point is that Dobey has a recent winning performance to build on. His next televised appearance will test whether he can carry that standard into a different setting.

For Dobey, another strong average would be welcome. Getting through the opening round and giving himself the chance to build a tournament run would be more valuable.

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