Luke Humphries shows true colours with Littler comment after Premier League win

Irish Daily Mirror

3 days ago

Darting glory was tasted 12 months later for Luke Humphries as he expertly wielded his epee, defeating his rival in a record-breaking final before an ecstatic sell-out capacity of 14,000 fans at London's O2 arena. In a stunning reversal of fortunes from last year, Humphries clinched his first BetMGM Premier League title, securing the coveted Triple Crown of darts and pocketing a cool £275,000 in prize money.
Although the duel between the two Lukes didn't always hit the expected heights, Cool Hand Luke's win now marks him as the holder of darts' three most prestigious accolades: the world championship, World Matchplay, and now the Premier League crown.
The victory also saw him stave off Luke Littler, dubbed 'Luke the Nuke', from breaking through the £1 million earnings threshold in 2025 alone.
Following his triumph, Humphries gushed with camaraderie and ambition, saying, "I love Luke to bits, he is one of my best mates on tour and we'll be teaming up at the World Cup of Darts next month. If we produce our best nobody's going to touch us."
He went on to express his elation and sense of fulfilment, adding, "If I don't win another title, I'm happy because I've done the three hardest ones to do. I've joined an exclusive group of me, Gary Anderson, Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen", reports the Mirror.
Humphries even paid homage to darting legend Phil Taylor, expressing gratitude with the words, "To Phil Taylor, thank you so much. He has given me so much support. He has given me a lot of advice and an extra boost tonight. I'm really happy with that win. I can retire now – I'm done! But seriously, I want to search for more. It makes me want to be a better player."
A chuffed player boasted, "I've won eight major titles. Now it's important to finish the end of the season well."
Littler admitted with a resigned tone, "Nobody likes losing but I'm glad it's over - it's been a tough 17 weeks and I'll be back next year."
Backstage drama unfolded as both players expressed discontent over the playing conditions at the stage—supposedly due to a draught—and communicated their grievances to tournament officials during the interval.
But regardless of their discomfort, Littler, at 18, saw his dreams of emulating darts greats Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen by retaining the Premier League title dissipate into thin air.
In what was the ninth face-off between the two Lukes in this season's Premier League and undoubtedly the most lucrative, old scores were on the line.
Last year's final had Humphries in control until Littler rolled out a nine-dart finish, effectively making off with the loot and securing his first TV major title at only 17 years old.
With pandemonium breaking out in their last bout in Aberdeen just two weeks prior—where the treble 20 felt the wrath of Humphries' nine maximums and a sky-high average of 110, yet ironically he still faced defeat.
Winning the backstage bull toss for who throws first may seem minor in other rivalries, but between these two, it's often pivotal given their razor-thin margins.
Ever since Humphries clinched an epic World Championship final at Ally Pally 17 months ago, his contests with Littler have evolved, casting them as the best of adversaries.
However, as Littler's performance began to falter, Humphries clinched the win with a double 10 - Littler's favourite - just before the first chimes of Nukes at Ten.
The journey that started in Belfast early in February culminated with Humphries embracing his family in the VIP seats. Littler didn't fare too badly either - his £125,000 runner-up prize and six £10,000 bonus payments for winning half a dozen nights on the 16-week tour through seven countries is not your average teenager's pocket money.
In his semi-final against fish-and-chip shop owner Gerwyn Price, it seemed like Littler was out of luck when he was trailing 6-4 at the break.
Price had kicked away an object, possibly a bottle, which landed on stage before the start - whoever threw it needs a stern talking-to - but the Nuke seemed to lose his nerve initially.
Five of the first seven legs went against the throw and the world champion missed 10 of his first 13 shots at a double.
But Littler gave himself a pep talk during the interval and he shifted gears, taking six of the next seven legs to reach the final with a 104.64 average.