Luke Humphries delivered a brutal reminder of his current level at the Nordic Darts Masters, then warned that England will return to the World Cup of Darts sharper, tougher and better prepared after last year’s early exit. The world number one averaged 109.92 in a 6-3 win over Jeffrey de Graaf in Copenhagen, producing one of the performances of the opening round to move into the quarter-finals. De Graaf, fresh from a recent Players Championship title, still averaged 95.84, but Humphries never allowed the match to drift away from him.
The timing was significant. With the World Cup of Darts now just around the corner, Humphries and Luke Littler will again carry England’s hopes after last year’s disappointment against Germany in Frankfurt. “I think we’re more prepared this year than ever because obviously the pressure on us last year was immense,” Humphries said. “This year obviously it’s still going to be a lot of pressure, but I think everyone’s acknowledged that we can lose to anybody.”
Humphries was told after the match that his average was 109.92, just shy of the 110 mark. His response was calm, but there was no attempt to hide how good he felt on stage. “Yeah, I felt good there,” he said. “It’s been the last four to five weeks maybe that I’ve felt a lot more comfortable in my throw, and I feel like I can play this level a lot more often.” The victory continued a run of heavy scoring and improved finishing from Humphries, who has looked increasingly settled again after moving back to his old setup. Against De Graaf, that combination was clear. The scoring was relentless, the doubles followed, and the match was handled without panic despite a strong performance from his opponent.
De Graaf was not a soft opening draw. Humphries described him as “probably the toughest draw” among the regional qualifiers, pointing to the Dutchman’s recent Players Championship win and greater experience at PDC level. “I knew Jeffrey won the Players Championship the other week, so I knew he was going to be in good form, in good spirits and good confidence,” Humphries said. “It’s not just an easy first-round game. It was a nice test for me and I think the first six or seven legs, we both played really good.”
Humphries also looked ahead to the World Cup, where England’s 2025 campaign ended with defeat to Germany in Frankfurt. He agreed with Littler’s suggestion that Germany had been the worst possible draw. “I probably agree, to be fair,” he said. “It’s probably the worst draw we could have got. Obviously, Luke wasn’t the greatest of support for the German people at that time, so of course he was going to get a lot of stuff, and obviously it was going to come with me anyway.” He believes Littler is now better equipped to deal with that level of attention. “Luke has probably learned to deal with the burden of the world a lot more over the last 12 months,” Humphries said. “He’s probably gained a lot of experience from what’s happened over the last couple of months, and I don’t think that sort of thing would affect him as much now.” That leaves England heading back to Frankfurt with the same star pairing, but with a very different outlook. “It’s not a foregone conclusion,” Humphries said. “Whoever we play, we can lose to anybody. But we are prepared this year to be more up for it, more feisty, and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
