Littler Tops Premier League Darts Table After Night 13

World Champion Luke Littler leapfrogged back to the top of the Premier League Darts table, edging namesake Humphries in Aberdeen to claim his fifth nightly win of the campaign.

Once again, The Nuke established himself in a familiar position on a dramatic evening which also saw Cool Hand and Dutch sensation Gian van Veen make a late surge towards the O2.

Opening the show in Scotland, Littler all but extinguished any faint hopes of Josh Rock producing a Houdini act, overcoming the Northern Irishman with a rampant ton-plus display. Rock did very little wrong – in fact, he did not miss a single attempt at a double. The problem was that he was only afforded three opportunities.

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Awaiting the teenager in the semi-final was familiar foe Gerwyn Price. The Iceman had earlier recovered from a 4-2 deficit to all but end Stephen Bunting’s qualification hopes. However, the Welshman was comfortably dispatched by Littler, exiting Aberdeen with just two points, which may yet prove their weight in gold.

In the other half, Humphries claimed a vital victory over Michael van Gerwen in his pursuit of retaining the crown. MVG was far from his best, but Humphries, despite still not finding the outer ring as efficiently as he would like, secured a crucial win.

European Champion, Van Veen then produced a pristine performance, arguably his best on Premier League duty since returning from surgery, to see off league leader Jonny Clayton. A superb 104-plus average, combined with clinical doubling, was just what the doctor ordered for the European Champion. However, that proved to be the end of the road for the Dutch youngster, as Humphries advanced to the final in a contest where the statistics suggested Van Veen was somewhat unfortunate.

That once again set up a showdown between the two Lukes. In a tight, nip-and-tuck affair, with the Berkshire-born thrower leading 5-4, a crucial break from Littler handed him the chance to hold and seal yet another nightly triumph – an opportunity he duly converted.

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The results leave the race for the final two O2 spots finely poised. Price occupies third place on 21 points, but just behind him, MVG, Cool Hand and GVV are now separated by only two points. With just three weeks remaining in the league phase, the battle looks set to go right down to the wire.

Next stop is Leeds, where the passionate football loving city will no doubt rally behind their adopted favourite, White’s fan Humphries. With a clash against bottom-placed Rock on the horizon, the stage is set for another intriguing night.