Humphries WINS Premier League Night Eight to remain top, Littler OUT at quarter-finals – latest
LUKE HUMPHRIES won another night of Premier League action, beating Michael Smith 6-2 in the final.
Luke Littler lost to Bully Boy 6-4 in the quarter-finals and looked furious with his own performance.
Littler withdraws from event
Luke Littler will not be playing at the Nordic Darts Masters in June.
The teen ace has withdrawn due to family commitments.
Newly-crowned UK Open champion Dimitri Van den Bergh will instead take the Nuke’s place in Denmark.
Top of the pops
Players Championship Order of Merit:
Rank – Name – Prize money (in units of £1,000)
1 Ryan Searle – £39.5 2 Gary Anderson – £33.5 3 Raymond van Barneveld – £27 4 Damon Heta – £22.5 5 Luke Littler – £19.5 6 Dave Chisnall – £18.5 7 Chris Dobey – £18 8 Dirk van Duijvenbode – £17 9 Peter Wright – £17 10 Ross Smith – £14
Premier League Darts prize money
Following tonight’s action, here is a reminder of what’s up for grabs.
Winner: £275,000 Runner-up: £125,000 Losing semi-finalists: £85,000 Fifth place: £75,000 Sixth place: £70,000 Seventh place: £65,000 Eighth place: £60,000 Winner’s bonus per tournament: £10,000 (x16)
Humphries enjoying his darts
Speaking on Sky Sports after his win, Humphries said:
“I’m not bored, I’m really enjoying myself. The start of the season I felt a little bit worn out. It felt really tough for me.
“Now I’m enjoying the game and that’s when I’m at my best.
“I feel like I belong here. The last three weeks have been fantastic, my standard has been really high. I’m not weak, but I think it’s time for something big to kill me.
“In the beginning, I was very busy and took a break. I think I need to manage my schedule better. I need to feel good and be in a good mood.
“Next week, I want to set a new record and win the relay for the fourth time.
“Most people think I only have one shot at the playoffs. But I don’t think that. I have to keep working hard.
“I’m not arrogant at all. But I feel if I play my A game I feel like there’s only a couple of people who can test me. Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen, they are the two that can push me. Their A level can probably beat me.”
Premier League darts continues to impress
The format of the Premier League continues to deliver exciting nights of high quality darts.
Despite Luke Humphries dominating of late, in all the matches, they are proving to be such knife-edge events that draw in the crowds.
Next time out, Belfast will be the location as Luke Humphries looks to become the first player to win four tournaments in a row.
Humphries looking like a machine
Luke Humphries just keeps winning and nobody can seem to live with him right now.
It is his third consecutive Premier League victory and Michael Smith was just a bystander in the main.
The world champion will take some beating in Belfast next time out.
Cool Hand Luke leading the way
Luke Humphries opens up a seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League with tonight’s victory.
MVG is in second place and finalist Michael Smith moves up into fourth place.
Nathan Aspinall is in third place, with all to play for those qualifying spots.
View from SunSports Rob Maul in Dublin
Is there a more dominant Englishman in professional sport right now than Luke Humphries?
No. There is not.
Cool Hand Luke is on fire and has claimed three night wins in a row, banking himself a £30,000 bonus.
Michael Smith avoided the ignominy of a 6-0 whitewash. But he lost his cool and lost his way of dealing with the Berkshire striker.
Humphries is in contention for the world number one spot.
His opening match in Belfast next week is against Luke Littler. . In that situation. It’s broken.
.
