Premier League Darts Treble for Littler and Humphries Back in The Mix

Once again, teenage tungsten sensation Luke Littler claimed Premier League honours with his sixth nightly win of the campaign following a dramatic last-leg shootout against Luke Humphries.

Victory in Leeds for The Nuke made it three consecutive Thursday night triumphs and moved him five points clear at the top of the league table. Despite reigning champion Humphries climbing into fourth spot in the standings, it remains to be seen just how crucial those extra couple of points could prove to be.

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On a West Yorkshire evening where 6-5 victories became something of a running theme, Littler began by edging past Premier League serial winner Michael van Gerwen. Both players eventually finished with ton-plus averages, which seemed highly unlikely after they each squandered a plethora of darts at double in the opener. Still, it is not how you start, but how you finish.

The World Champion then repeated the scoreline to overcome Jonny Clayton in a clash between the league’s top two. Earlier in the evening, The Ferret had eased past compatriot Gerwyn Price in the only quarter-final that did not go the full distance. Prior to the contest, The Iceman admitted he had been feeling unwell. Perhaps not quite as sick as he felt afterwards, having failed to add to his points tally.

In the bottom half of the draw, crowd favourite, Humphries secured a crucial victory against a battling Josh Rock. Cool Hand arrived in Leeds riding an impressive streak and, having claimed the nightly title in each of the previous two seasons there, had already won six consecutive matches at the venue. This tense full-distance encounter made it seven.

That soon became eight following another thriller, this time against Stephen Bunting in the semi-final. The Bullet had earlier pinched victory from Gian van Veen after the Dutchman squandered two match darts. For the reigning European Champion, that missed opportunity could yet come back to haunt him.

So, once again, it came down to a Luke derby to determine who would collect the full five points. By this stage, Humphries had already battled his way back into the play-off positions, but he was desperate to secure the maximum haul.

The final began with routine holds of throw and continued that way all the way to a decisive eleventh leg. However, with Humphries throwing first in the decider, he was unable to convert, allowing Littler to break and snatch the £10,000 prize along with an additional three league points.

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Not the result the Leeds faithful wanted. With Luke Humphries being a staunch supporter of their local club – and Littler a passionate Manchester United fan – there’s little love lost between those football clubs.

With just two league-phase nights remaining, the middle of the table is becoming increasingly congested. Littler and Clayton appear O2-bound, while Rock is now mathematically eliminated and, realistically, Bunting likely needs to win both remaining nights to stand any chance.

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Just five points now separate Price in third from Van Veen in sixth. After Birmingham next week, the picture surrounding who else will join the line-up in London at the end of May should become much clearer.