Luke Humphries delivered an emphatic reminder of why he still belongs among the absolute elite of world darts, averaging over 106 in the final to cap off an exceptional day on the Players Championship circuit. After weeks of inconsistency and criticism surrounding his form, Humphries provided exactly the response he had been searching for both on stage and to his rivals.
The reigning Premier League Darts champion was in sensational form throughout the day and defeated, among others, top seed Wessel Nijman on his way to the title. In the final, he beat Jermaine Wattimena 8–4. It was especially the manner in which Humphries dominated that stood out. He admitted afterward that he had sensed early on that it could be one of those days where everything clicks.
“I was on about the Wessel Nijman game — I almost felt like I was destined to have one of those days. I said to a few of my family members through the day, ‘I think it’s just one of them days.’ When it clicks for me, I think everybody sees that I am definitely one of the best players in the world,” he said post final. “I think that’s obvious, but it sets a standard for myself as well. People know I can do that a lot more often, it’s just up to me to try and produce it more consistently. That’s the problem.”
Interestingly, Humphries did not initially feel he was heading toward a special day. During practice there was little indication of the dominant run that would follow. “No, not really. I was with my best mates, Cameron Crabtree and Owen Bates, and we were having a game of cricket and a bit of fun. I wasn’t really doing anything incredible in practice where you’d think, ‘You’re on for a good day,’” he continued. “But as soon as I walked into that first game against Rhys, the first leg set a good standard, the second leg was good, and even though I missed a couple of doubles, I almost had four 11-darters on the trot. I just knew the game was there today right from the start. I remember thinking at parts of the day that I felt like I couldn’t miss, and that’s always dangerous when you feel like that.”
A crucial moment on the road to the title was the victory over Wessel Nijman. Despite averaging “only” 94, Humphries still managed to come through comfortably against the Dutchman, who has already won multiple Players Championship titles this year. According to Humphries, that says a lot about his mental strength. “Wessel in this environment, in this room, is probably the best player in the world at Players Championship events. Me and Luke Littler maybe aren’t, because Wessel is the king of these events — he knows what to do and how to cope with these days. So to beat him was obviously great. I felt like my standard dipped a little bit in that game, but then it went back up again. Against Danny Noppert it got a bit tight and tough for me, but I really pushed through that one. When you look back at the day, apart from maybe that Wessel game, it’s probably a level I’ve never seen from myself before, especially in terms of consistency.”
The strong performance comes at a key stage of the season. Humphries recently secured his place in the Premier League play-offs after spending a long period under pressure. Many saw it as proof of his class, especially given the criticism he has faced in recent months. “It’s not really been my year in certain aspects. There have been a lot of Premier League nights where things just haven’t gone my way and it’s felt like hard work. The way I’ve been playing over the last three Premier League nights has been good. I’ve only won one of them, but there have been a couple of close finals with Luke and a good performance last week, then a really good day today. It puts me in good stead, not just for Thursday, but for Finals Night at The O2. To just creep into the Play-Offs and then potentially go on and win it and become back-to-back Premier League champion — that would really whet the appetite.”
