Brendan Dolan’s recent resurgence has gone somewhat unnoticed. After winning his first five PDC titles within the 2013-2014 era, Dolan claimed a sixth honour in Germany a matter of weeks ago, beating Jermaine Wattimena in the final.

Despite having reigned victorious at Players Championship 22 in August, and therefore ending a five-year title drought, Dolan headed to Barnsley in a far from promising vein of form, having endured four first round exits from six ProTour events.

However, after pinning double 12 to secure victory over Ian White in the Players Championship 29 final, the 46-year-old doubled his 2019 title tally in emphatic fashion at the Barnsley Metrodome.

Northern Ireland’s Dolan opened his campaign with a routine 6-3 win over former UK Open semi-finalist David Pallett, before surviving a valiant comeback from Mark Webster, eventually prevailing a narrow 6-5 victor, averaging 104.9.

John Henderson and Challenge Tour table-topper, Callan Rydz, were next to be brushed aside by a rampant Dolan as he moved into the quarter-finals – where an impressive 104.8 average in seeing off Gerwyn Price enabled him to progress.

Peter Wright awaited. The quarter-finals saw ‘Snakebite’ throw some unprecedented record-breaking numbers, as he recorded a 123.5 average in whitewashing Gibraltar Darts Trophy champion, Krzysztof Ratajski.

Dolan would have been dreading an emulation of the Scotsman’s last eight display, despite being in magnificent fettle himself.

It proved to be an arguable lacklustre affair with the Northern Irishman coming out a 7-6 winner, regardless of averaging just 92.4 in the process.

Another final appearance beckoned for former World Grand Prix finalist, Dolan, and Ian White would be the man standing in front of him, with the 12-time PDC title winner earning an early 3-2 advantage.

Although, five legs in succession from Dolan placed him firmly in the driving seat and lying on the cusp of a seventh PDC crown. He did eventually clinch the winner’s share, but only after outlasting three legs of excellence from Stoke-on-Trent’s White.

“I can still do it,” Dolan told pdc.tv following his triumph. “I played quality darts today at the right times and I think I deserved any luck I got.

“The one in Hildesheim was more of a relief, whereas today I came into it with more belief that I could win having done it recently.

“When you’ve not been winning for five years your confidence is not so high and winning in Hildesheim has drastically changed that.”

Elsewhere, Ron Meulenkamp reached a sixth PDC semi-final, but was unable to prevail to a maiden PDC final, losing out in agonising style to Ian White.

The Dutchman had dumped out World Grand Prix finalist Dave Chisnall in the quarter-finals, averaging 108.4 to Chisnall’s also mesmerising 106.3.

There were also significant runs for Bolton’s Joe Murnan and South Africa’s Devon Petersen to the fourth round, while Steve Lennon reached the third round – which could prove to be pivotal in his World Championship and Players Championship Finals hopes.

The Players Championship series will come to a frantic close tomorrow afternoon in Barnsley, with a number of affairs still yet to be decided.

Photography: Lawrence Lustig/PDC