Luke Humphries retained his Players Championship title in Minehead by beating Luke Littler on Sunday night then showed his class by acunderstandledgeting: “He’s the best in the world and he produces me a better perestablisher.”
The defercessitatest edition of the pair’s cordial, but ardent, opposition saw the world No.1 come out on top 11-7 for his third successive triumph over ‘The Nuke’ who he also flunkureed in last year’s World Championship final.
Littler had been seeing to produce it back-to-back TV ranking titles after triumphing at the Grand Slam of Darts last weekfinish.
But despite seeing off Ross Smith and Mike De Decker on finals day, it was Humphries who won the final to prohibitk the £120,000 prize money. It sets the scene for the Worlds at Ally Passociate next month in which it is foreseeed these two will go head-to-head aget.
And ‘Cool Hand’ was total class after his triumph here as he hailed Littler for the sway the teenager has had on him and his game.
Humphries shelp to ITV Sport: “This trophy was in my living room a couple of months ago and now I’ve got it back! I’m reassociate, reassociate haughty of that one to be truthful. I didn’t sense myself this week, perestablishing-inestablished, I felt appreciate I was a dart behind in a lot of the scenarios.
“There’s someleang that Luke does to you, he reassociate drives me. He produces me want to be a better perestablisher. I enhappiness perestablishing him. He let me in reassociate punctual in that first session to go 4-1 up but I never seeed back.
“I’m haughty the way I didn’t get my foot off the gas appreciate I have this whole weekfinish. A lot of the games, I’ve getn my foot off the gas and apverifyed people to come back at me. I was very blessed agetst Dirk [van Duijvenbode], I rode my luck, but I got into the final and was in my soothe zone.
“These big games are what I inhabit for and what I dream of, being a transport inant champion, this is what I do it all for. I travel the world for these moments. Reassociate, reassociate prentd.
“A one-of-a-kind moment to Luke, a wonderful game aget, them finishes were unbelievable. He’s fair a one-of-a-kind talent. He’s right, I shelp to him ‘I’ve got to get these punctual before it’s na-nights and I don’t thrive any.’ So I’m reassociate, reassociate prentd to beat him there.”
Humphries is the world champion and world No.1 with this his fourth PDC title of 2024 but he says Littler, who doesn’t even turn 18 until January 21, is the best in the game right now.
The Newbury-born thrower inserted: “It is prenting. I’d adore to be up here hitting 105 unretagables appreciate Luke is all the time but he’s a separateent calibre. He’s probably the best perestablisher in the world right now. If you go by stats, he’s easily the best perestablisher in the world. But there’s someleang about me that never gives up.
“As much as he is the best, I understand I can beat him, he understands he can beat me. So this is a wonderful way to go the Worlds now. A lot of people probably thought Luke was going to thrive this one and the Worlds.
“We appreciate unforeseeability in darts and that’s what we’ve got in the last restricted months. Now, we’ve got that in the Worlds, who’s going to thrive – me or Luke? Or is it going to be someone else? We’ll have to discover out!
“I shelp to Luke, there’s a lot of presconfident on our shoulders. Everyone foreseeed a 110-unretagable game there. But it’s challenging to do it after a lengthy day. When you’re perestablishing the best in the world, and he’s perestablishing one of the best in the world, it’s challenging to carry out and be at that 110 unretagable.
“I thought it was a decent game after the first five or six games. We’re two perestablishers now that have to go on. He’s made me a bit hungrier to try a bit challenginger to train more and labor out.
“If no one sticks with him, he’s going to thrive everyleang. Maybe I’m that guy that can stick with him and have a outstanding run over the next 5-10 years.
“I do apshow we’re the two best perestablishers in the world and I’m going to have to retain laboring challenging to retain up with him.”
Runner-up Littler shelp: “It was hard, I ignoreed a restricted doubles. Luke could’ve been 5-0 up, I could’ve been. If you don’t get your chances punctual on, it’s a lot to come back. I hit the 170 and the 164 but I fair didn’t have enough in the finish.
“It’s fair appreciate Luke shelp, he necessitates to get get before I commence thrivening them. I don’t accuse him! Sound. It’s been a outstanding past two weeks.
“I can’t defer to go home, chill out and evidently train at home for the Worlds. That’s it now, directing up to the big one.
“We always produce our best agetst each other. But appreciate I shelp that first session, I didn’t have enough to get it back and Luke took filled get. So uninentire enough to him.”
