Darts World are delighted to welcome world number one and reigning Premier League champion, Luke Humphries who features as a brand new columnist, sharing with the readers his views and experiences.
In triumphing at the O2 and adding the prestigious Premier League crown to his already sizeable list of honours, Luke became one of an elite group to join the exclusive Triple Crown club. Cool Hand takes us back to that historic night in England’s capital.
Playing It Cool
It was a long sixteen weeks, but in the end, I wasn’t too concerned about my final league position – as long as I made the top four. It’s all about delivering on Finals Night, and in the days leading up to it, my practice was going really well and I felt good.
When I arrived at the venue in London and hit the practice board, I was scoring heavily. Before the European event in Rosmalen the weekend prior, I felt like I was missing a spark – and that tournament gave me the boost I needed. I wouldn’t go as far as saying it won me the Premier League, but it definitely played a part.
As for the running order, I’m not entirely sure whether it’s better to play the first semi-final or the second – I’ve only ever gone on second, so I can’t really compare. Some players prefer a break, others want to carry on. After the semi-final against Nathan [Aspinall], there wasn’t much time to recover and I felt a bit drained – but the adrenaline kicked in after such a high-quality match.
When you start a race-to-six and go 3-0 down, panic can creep in. But in a longer format like first to eleven, there’s time to settle. I could tell Luke [Littler] wasn’t firing, so I knew if I raised my game, I’d have a chance. A key turning point was when he missed the opportunity to go 4-1 up, and instead, I pulled it back to 3-2.
That break really helped shift the momentum. It’s all about clearing your head. A bad spell doesn’t mean it’s over – you can mentally reset. At that point, it was do or die. Thankfully, my game picked up and I got the job done.
We look forward to catching up with Luke regularly from now on in Darts World Magazine and DW Extra.
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC/ Darts World Group Ltd.
