World number one Luke Humphries emerged victorious at the inaugural PDC Hyde Park Darts Championship, defeating teenage sensation Luke Littler 6–4 in the final.
The England World Cup pairing was joined by Nathan Aspinall and Fallon Sherrock as the PDC took a bold gamble on the British weather, staging this outdoor spectacle in central London. With a quartet stacked with tungsten talent, someone decided to throw them into a giant field, hang up a dartboard, and see what happened. And it worked out pretty nicely.
Cool Hand Humphries saw off Fallon Sherrock in the semi-finals – quite fitting, considering she was performing just a stone’s throw from a palace that shares her moniker. On the other side of the draw, Littler beat his stablemate Aspinall, setting up yet another Luke Derby. And on this occasion, it was Humphries who came out on top.
The event also featured a celebrity Pro-Am mini tournament, pairing each pro with a famous face. Sherrock teamed up with Joe Swash – best known for appearing on EastEnders and marrying Stacey Solomon. Littler was joined by Roman Kemp, whose dad was also in EastEnders. Albert Square connections seemingly a casting requirement.
As for the other pairings – Humphries partnered with singer Olly Murs, while avid Manchester United fan, Aspinall was teamed up with a former Red Devil and a bloke who now spends most of his life presenting a TV show about houses being auctioned – Dion Dublin.
In the end, Sherrock and Swash took home the celebrity crown, giving former I’m A Celebrity winner Joe another title. Not quite a Bushtucker Trial, but a nice memento nonetheless.
Around 4,000 fans packed into Hyde Park to witness the action, making it the most well-attended outdoor darts event the location has ever seen. That said, it’s likely to be the only one ever staged there. But still – it counts. Join us next week for our Ski Sunday report from the Sahara Desert.
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