Luke Humphries admitted he was forced to adapt his playing style during Thursday night’s Premier League epic against rival Luke Littler. Cool Hand edged an 11-leg thriller during the Night 14 final in Leeds, but revealed after the win he had to battle the conditions inside the First Direct Arena.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the victory, Humphries explained: “There’s been a bit of a breeze up here tonight, I tried my best. In the final, I actually moved [his starting position] over to the left.” For the uninitiated darts fans that may seem like a minor change, but in a game where millimetres can prove the difference between glory and defeat, it was a bold move from the former world champion.
However, the switch from Humphries worked a treat, with the 30-year-old defeating teenage sensation Littler in the final. He continued: “It worked. It was a great final, I thought Luke [Littler] was good there. When he hit that 10th leg, I thought ‘Oh no, I would’ve loved a shot at the 25,’ but I was a bit nervous on the double 10 because I wanted to win tonight.”
When pressed on how he overcame the draft in the arena to win the night by Sky Sports presenter Emma Paton, Humphries added: “I’m one of those players who really struggles with it, there are many venues on the tour where we get it, so you’ve got to get over it. I’m trying my best, moved over to the left and it seemed to work. So I’m really happy to win Leeds, because it’s been a great couple of weeks for the city.”
The two highest-ranked players in the world unsurprisingly served up a classic in the Night 14 final, with the lead changing hands throughout. It looked as if Humphries had opened up a gap when he went 5-3 ahead, only for the world champion to come roaring back and level things at 5-5.
But, in keeping with his nickname, Humphries kept his cool to win the last-leg shoot-out to end his wait for a nightly win. It’s his third of this year’s competition as a whole and his first since Night 4, with his performance in Leeds having confirmed his spot in the end-of-season playoffs.
Night 14 had originally got off to a feisty start when Littler performed several gestures towards the partisan Leeds crowd, who were keen to let the Manchester United fanatic know they weren’t on his side. Littler mimicked a yawn while getting booed during his walk-on for his opening game against Nathan Aspinall before being caught by the cameras singing along to an anti-Leeds United song while waiting to visit the board. Later in the Aspinall match, Littler pretended to cry after he was once again booed after winning a leg with a nervy double 10 finish.
Elsewhere, Gerwyn Price’s spot in the playoffs was also confirmed. The Iceman defeated Rob Cross during his quarter-final clash before missing out on a spot in the final after a 6-3 loss against Littler. It means it will likely be one of Aspinall or Michael van Gerwen joining them at the O2 Arena for the playoffs later this month.