Luke Humphries and Luke Littler make history as they renew rivalry in Premier League Darts final
LUKE HUMPHRIES made Premier League Darts history as he booked a spot in the final against Luke Littler.
World champion Humphries defeated Michael van Gerwen 10-5 in his semi-final at the O2.
Cool Hand Humphries’ 10-5 win over Van Gerwen saw the World No1 dethrone the reigning Premier League champion.
It was a repeat score of the first semi-final between Littler and Michael Smith that included a stunning 144 checkout for the Nuke.
And the two Luke’s progressing set up a repeat of the world championship final.
But is also saw history made with two Premier League debutantes making the final for the first time since the competition was founded in 2005.
Fans couldn’t hide their excitement for the final, with one saying online: “Both on another planet at the moment good luck to both.”
A second said: “We will be there.”
Another said: “Neither gave an inch in the semi finals so expecting a banger and a darts classic here.”
Littler triumphed in the final 11-7 with the help of a nine-darter to take home a prize of £275,000.
Inside Littler's massive rise
LUKE LITTLER has taken the darts world by storm since exploding onto the scene at the PDC World Championship.
The Nuke reached the final on his Ally Pally debut at just 16 years of age – smashing records along the way.
He has since joined Jude Bellingham on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list.
And the teenage titan even had to snub an invite from the WWE.
The Sun exclusively revealed that Littler is plotting to create a fitness empire.
He is also cashing in away from the Oche thanks to an Instagram side hustle.
And he’s even the face of a brand new cereal.
The wonderkid has now cemented his place among the tungsten elite by winning the Premier League Darts final – and the £275k top prize.
Check out all of our Luke Littler stories here.
Although Humphries still took a tidy £125,000 home.
Sky Sports presenter Emma Paton predicted Humphries to come out on top tonight.
She said: “After going back and forth (and back and forth again!), I think I’ve settled on a winner…
“Well, are we on a collision course for a rematch of the World Championship final? If we’re looking at form from the regular season, Littler and Humphries were the two standout players.
“With Littler trickling in points, losing just three quarter-finals across 16 weeks, with some show-stopping form to boot – who can forget the 114 average against Van Gerwen on week seven – I think he’ll come out on top against his bogey player in Smith first.
“Humphries has a great record against MVG which I think will carry on. The world champion has won six of their last seven meetings, and really has the beating of him.
“‘Cool Hand’ seems almost unplayable when he hits top form, which leads to the question, is the world No 1 the man to beat?”
Follow all the darts action with SunSport’s live blog here.
Littler vs Humphries tournament stats
Here's how the Nuke and Cool Hand compare with their tournament stats ahead of the final
Average – Littler: 99.25, Humphries: 100.55
Trebleless visits – Littler: 285, Humphries: 235
100+ – Littler: 416, Humphries: 359
140+ – Littler: 197, Humphries: 230
180s – Littler: 118, Humphries: 112
Highest out – Littler: 170, Humphries: 170
100+ finishes – Littler: 22, Humphries: 20
Doubles success – Littler: 193/497 (39%), Humphries: 179/427 (42%)
PREMIER LEAGUE DARTS TABLE: LATEST STANDINGS AS EIGHT STARS BATTLE FOR HUGE £275K PRIZE