World number two Luke Humphries has expressed his fondness for playing in Brighton as the Darts Premier League returns to the city, citing "good memories" from his past successes there. Humphries, the current reigning champion, won his first night in the league at the Brighton Centre in 2024 and followed that up by throwing a nine-darter at the venue the following year. For that perfect leg, he was awarded a set of £30,000 golden darts, made in Brighton by goldsmiths Humphrey and Hawkins, before beating current world number one Luke Littler last May for his first title in the competition.
Humphries, 31, now has his sights set on a quarter-final match against Jonny Clayton on 9 April. Reflecting on his Brighton achievements, he said winning in a "tough cauldron" was a big milestone, adding, "You want to get a win early and not wait a long time. It gave me the confidence over the next two years." He also shared his pride in hitting the nine-darter on TV, stating, "The nine darter was always something I was desperate to do; I always wanted to do it TV. The crowd was so great. I was just proud I didn't bottle it." Humphries revealed he has not thrown the golden darts, joking, "If you chip it on the wire, you could lose about £50."
In addition to his darts exploits, Humphries visited Brighton and Hove Albion's training ground in Lancing, West Sussex, where he faced off against goalkeeper Jason Steele in a game of darts. He praised Steele, saying, "It was great to share some time with some good people. Jason Steele is a good darts player. They promoted him [to play me] and he was definitely the best. He was unbelievable." Meanwhile, referee Huw Ware also shared his positive memories of Brighton, noting he loves coming to the city for events like Pride and Premier League Darts, and has participated in floats, singing and dancing to 100,000 people.
Ware, who became the first openly gay man to officiate a World Darts Championship final last year where Luke Littler beat Michael Van Gerwen, reflected on that moment: "Refereeing the world final was a big moment for me. I didn't expect it to become as big of a story as it became to be honest. I had messages from people that I've known from all walks of my life." He is refereeing 15 of the 17 nights of Premier League Darts as part of a four-person team and commented on the sport's growth, saying, "The appeal for darts now is extraordinary. We're only at the tip of the iceberg in terms of the global potential of the sport."
