Players Championship: Daryl Gurney run ends at semi-final stage

Daryl Gurney proved too strong for world champion Gary Anderson on Saturday

Daryl Gurney's impressive run at the Players Championship ended on Sunday night when he lost 11-2 to Michael van Gerwen at the semi-final stage.

The Londonderry man had reached the last four of a televised PDC major for the first time but was unable to match the form of the world number one.

Van Gerwen went on to lift the title by beating Adrian Lewis 11-6 in the final.

Gurney, 29, had beaten Kim Huybrechts, world champion Gary Anderson and Benito van de Pas to make the semi-finals.

The world-ranked number 41 player began his campaign at the Butlins Minehead Resort by seeing off Belgian Huybrechts 6-2 on Friday, thanks to a three-dart average of 101.38.

Gurney then defeated an under-par Anderson 10-4 in the £300,000 event on Saturday evening, despite a less impressive average of 94.35.

He followed that up with a 10-5 success over another Belgian, 22-year-old van de Pas, at the quarter-final stage.

For former BDO player Gurney, it was his best ever showing at the elite level and he has now earned £53,000 in prize money this season.

Gurney is Northern Ireland's number two player, with Fermanagh's Brendan Dolan ranked number 18 in the world with £198,750 in prize money.

Dolan lost 6-2 to Australian Simon Whitlock in the first round of the tournament.

The Belcoo man has been drawn to face Kyle Anderson in the first round of next month's PDC World Championship at Alexandra Palace while Gurney will play Jamie Lewis.