Luke Humphries & Luke Littler lead darts legends in raising whopping £914,000 for prostate cancer with Paddy Power
LUKE Humphries, Luke Littler and their darts competitors raised a whopping £914,000 for prostate cancer with Paddy Power.
The 16-year-old darts sensation missed out on clutching the Sid Waddell Trophy last night after rival ‘Cool Hand Luke’ Humphries nailed a 7-4 victory.
But everyone came out a winner last night when, a record-breaking number of maximums was made at the Ally Pally.
Prior to the tournament, Paddy Power pledged to donate £1,000 to Prostate Cancer UK for every 180 thrown by a player.
In total, a staggering £914,000 has been raised for the charity – smashing the 901 maximums out the park.
Ahead of the final, 878 maximums have been thrown, while the current record stands at 901.
Millions around the globe tuned in last night to see if the 16-year-old kebab- eating rookie — a 150-1 pre-tournament outsider — could reach the gates of darting heaven.
But Humphries produced the type of steely, solid and workmanlike display in his 7-4 victory that demonstrates why he deserves to wear the tag of world No 1.
It comes as Humphries revealed this week he girlfriend’s dad is currently undergoing treatment for prostate cancer.
He said: “I really want to pick up that Ballon d’Art trophy. It would be very, very special to me and I really want to give it to my father-in-law who has gone through the process of getting checked out and finding out that he has got it.
“It was early stage so it can be managed and monitored. He caught it early and that’s testament to the fact that checking your risk does matter. He did and it might have saved his life,” he explained.
“If I do win it, it will go straight to him, because what he’s gone through is going to be much harder than what I’m going to go through. I’m just playing in a tournament. It’s just a game.
“Life is more important and I’d love to win it for him.”
“A couple of months later and who knows, it could have progressed and got worse but he’s caught it in the early stages. He’s just got to be monitored now but it’s a huge relief to us all as a family.”
The ultimate aim of the fundraising is to drive men towards Prostate Cancer UK’s 30-second online risk checker tool.
It also seeks to raise awareness that one in eight men are diagnosed with the disease which can be curable if caught early.
Prostate Cancer UK Chief Executive Laura Kerby said: “It’s all about knowing the numbers when playing darts, but not enough people are aware of the harsh statistics about prostate cancer.
“One in eight men will be affected by this disease, and that’s one statistic that brings home why this campaign has been so important.
“The money raised will fund lifesaving research to diagnose men sooner and improve the lives of men affected by prostate cancer.
“A massive thanks to Paddy Power for powering this campaign, for the PDC and of course each and every one of the prolific players for peppering the treble 20 bed.”
It takes 30 seconds to answer three questions to check your prostate cancer risk. Do it now by clicking on the following link: prostatecanceruk.org/180-risk
What Are the Symptoms of Prostate Cancer?
According to the NHS, symptoms of prostate cancer can include:
- needing to pee more frequently, often during the night
- needing to rush to the toilet
- difficulty in starting to pee (hesitancy)
- straining or taking a long time while peeing
- weak flow
- feeling that your bladder has not emptied fully
- blood in urine or blood in semen
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.