Key events
Luke Littler isn’t smiling much – he looks slightly overwhelmed by it all. No tears yet, which is a minor miracle when you consider what he’s just achieved.
Humphries looks the happier man; he has taken defeat admirably, and I suspect a big part of him is excited about the heights these two are going to reach in the next few years. Everyone needs a dance partner, or was it a darts partner.
LUKE LITTLER WINS THE PREMIER LEAGUE!
Littler 11-7 Humphries
The pressure finally tells on Humphries. Littler just keeps walloping trebles, and then he returns to his tops and win his first major trophy! Humphries gives him another big hug, a class act as always, and then Littler is off to see his family.
The first half of the final was frankly a bit naff. The second was awesome. Luke Littler, insert age here, came back after the break and gave treble 20 the beating of a lifetime. I’d love to know his average in his last eight legs; it must be north of 110. Oh, and he hit a nine-darter en route.
Littler holds! Littler 10-7 Humphries
Littler is on 98 after nine, Humphries 145. “Fancy making a comeback, Wayne,” deadpans Glen Durrant on commentary.
Littler leaves tops, so this is Humphries’ chance. He gets the two trebles but then drops short of D20. Littler ensures he won’t be returning.
Luke Littler is one leg away!
Littler 9-7 Humphries
This is marvellous stuff. Humphries goes tops-tops to finish 134 and stay alive in the game. He’s going to make Littler earn this; the averages since the break must be Brobdingnagian.
Littler 9-6 Humphries
Littler starts again with a 180 on his own throw. How do you break that? Not in this leg: Littler bulldozes another 12-darter to move within two legs of unimaginable glory.
“Apologies to both Lukes,” says Simon McMahon. “No more political references, we’ll get enough of that nonsense elsewhere for the next six weeks. Littler is Foden, Humphries Bellingham. The rest, by comparison, are in the Scotland squad.”
Littler 8-6 Humphries
Humphries withstood a similar barrage halfway through the World Championship final but that was over a longer format. He does really well to hold in 14 darts – and he had to, because Littler was waiting on 70-odd.
Littler 8-5 Humphries
Littler is absolutely rampant! A savage 12-darter, finished on D10, takes him to within three legs of winning the Premier League in his debut season, at the age of you know what!
Littler breaks!
Littler 7-5 Humphries My days, Littler has gone into overdrive. He misses bull for a 167 but breaks anyway; he’s won the first two legs after the break in 23 darts!
LITTLER HITS A NINE-DARTER!
Littler 6-5 Humphries Uuuuuuuuuuuunbelievable! Luke Littler, 17 flipping years old, comes straight back after the break and whistles in a perfect leg: seven T20s, D19 and finally D12!
Humphries applauds and smiles with a warmth you can’t fake before giving Littler a big hug. The spirit of darts is alive and well.
“It was only a hold of throw…” says Wayne Mardle.
Averages: Littler 96.85 – 94.75 Humphries
They’re going in the right direction after a nervy start to the game. I fancy an explosion after the break.
Interval
Littler 5-5 Humphries
Humphries vrooms through the last leg before the interval. He missed bull for a 12-darter but had loads of time to clean up on D8. The final is now a best-of-11 game, just like in the league stage.
Littler 5-4 Humphries
Another stress-free hold for Littler, this time in just 11 darts. He is definitely the better player at the moment. Neither man is at his best but Littler is closer.
Littler 4-4 Humphries
Glorious darts from Luke Humphries! He was in trouble after another poor leg, with Littler lurking on 20, then out of nothing despite missing his first dart at treble 20. His timing is wonderful.
Littler 4-3 Humphries
Humphries waves his hands in irritation after another trebleless visit. He’s miles back when Littler hits his beloved double 10 for a 16-dart hold.
Littler 3-3 Humphries
After another scruffy leg on the scoring from both players, Humphries calmly takes out 52 in two darts. Littler was waiting on tops for a break.
Littler 3-2 Humphries
Littler holds on D6 with Humphries back in the 200s. The standard hasn’t been great so far, with both players averaging in the low 90s, but we know how this works: as soon as one of them starts belting 180s, the other will follow.
Littler 2-2 Humphries
Now Littler busts on D15 while going for D10 – and then he misses three more on his next visit. Humphries nicks the leg, a hold of throw that will feel like a break, on tops.
Humphries breaks back!
Littler 2-1 Humphries For the third time tonight, Humphries breaks back immediately after losing his throw. This was arguably the best of the lot, a businesslike 11-darter with Littler well back.
Humphries is so good at ensuring a bad leg doesn’t become a bad spell.
Littler breaks!
Littler 2-0 Humphries
It’s been a jittery start, particularly from Humphries. He has six darts from 76 without going out, busting on D15 on his second visit. Littler takes advantage to break on double five.
Littler holds! Littler 1-0 Humphries
Littler starts with 99, Humphries with an even ton. Both players have a bounce-out en route to a finish, leaving 125 and 58 respectively after 12 darts
Littler gets down to 40 but then Humphries misses two at 40. A nervy leg ends with Littler pinning D10, last dart in the hand.
In about 45 minutes’ time, there will be a new Premier League champion. First leg, Luke Littler to throw first. Game on!
Here come the players. Both look relaxed, Humphries in particular. It’s as if they’ve played finals galore in the past year.
Littler has won the bull and will throw first. The final is slightly longer, the best of 21 legs.
The Premier League roll of honour
-
7 Michael van Gerwen
-
6 Phil Taylor
-
2 Gary Anderson
-
1 James Wade, Raymond van Barneveld, Glen Durrant, Jonny Clayton
There will be a new name on the Premier League trophy in 2024, as Luke Humphries puts in a superb display to dump out reigning champion Michael van Gerwen! pic.twitter.com/ztKeX9l47V
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 23, 2024
The averages are quite close – Humphries 102, MvG 97 – but that flatters Van Gerwen a little. Humphries, like Luke Littler earlier tonight, made a flying start that gave him loads of breathing space and broke the will of his opponent.
Luke Humphries beats Michael van Gerwen 10-5!
Van Gerwen misses one at D16 for a break; Humphries hits the same double with his first dart to complete a serene, almost routine victory. He has beaten an all-time great with the minimum of fuss and will face Luke Littler in a repeat of the World Championship final.
Humphries breaks back!
Humphries 9-5 Van Gerwen Part of the problem for Van Gerwen, and Smith earlier, is that he needs multiple breaks but he can never relax on his own throw either.
Humphries reinforces the point with an instant break back, taking out 125 with numbing certainty. He’s one leg away from matching Luke Littler’s 10-5 victory.
Van Gerwen breaks!
Humphries 8-5 Van Gerwen MvG hits five consecutive T20s to leave 81 after nine on the Humphries throw, and returns to complete a 12-darter. He still needs two more breaks but he has the hint of a sniff – if he holds in this leg.
Humphries 8-4 Van Gerwen MvG clings on to his throw, taking out 105 with Humphries waiting on 92. That took bottle.
Humphries 8-3 Van Gerwen
Van Gerwen shakes his head in frustration after missing double seven for a 128, which would have given him a break. It wasn’t a great leg – Humphries went out in 19, having missed two at tops himself – but that was MvG’s chance to start one of his irresistible surges. Instead he looks a beaten man.
“Evening Rob,” writes Simon McMahon. “Watching Littler being followed on finals night by Van Gerwen reminds me of when David Cameron stood opposite Tony Blair and told him ‘you were the future once’. Littler’s emergence almost fully formed on to the world stage at Ally Pally in December still makes the heart beat faster. Though I can’t work out if Luke Humphries is Boris Johnson or Gordon Brown.”
Oi! I can’t believe you’ve compared Luke Humphries to Boris Johnson.
“Some of these walk-on songs are getting pretty tired,” says J.R. in Illinois. “If I was in charge things would be different. Just a couple of examples:
“Luke Humphries would walk out to ‘Ether’ by Gang of Four. Ryan Searle would walk out to a different Black Sabbath song than ‘Paranoid’. Either ‘Ironman’ or ‘Sweet Leaf’. Callan Rydz would have the version of ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’ from Young Frankenstein. Martin Schindler would walk out to “Archangel Thunderbird” by Amon Düül II. Also, any song by Pitbull would be barred.”
I miss the days of MvG walking out to the Prodigy.
Interval
Humphries 7-3 Van Gerwen MvG starts with 180 on his own throw, then follows it with 26. He looked like he was revving up nicely in legs two and three but that 132 finish broke him in more ways than one.
He does at least hold to end a run of six successive legs won by Humphries. The players walk off for the break, with Van Gerwen knowing he needs to win seven of the last nine legs to go through to the final. He has won from positions like this in the past, particularly during his imperial phase, but I’m not sure he’s ever done so against a man averaging 107.
Humphries 7-2 Van Gerwen I don’t know what to tell you, except that we’re going to have a Luke-off in the Premier League final. Humphries is awesome.
Humphries breaks again!
Humphries 6-2 Van Gerwen Five legs in a row for Luke Humphries, three of them on the Van Gerwen throw. He has been relentless, averaging 106, and this particular version of MvG just can’t live with him. Imagine 2024 Humphries v 2016 MvG!
Humphries 5-2 Van Gerwen MvG almost takes out 148 to break Humphries. Almost is the operative word: he wires D14 and Humphries punishes him, again. He’s just too good.
Humphries breaks again!
Humphries 4-2 Van Gerwen This is marvellous stuff from Humphries, who is battering Van Gerwen about the O2. Another 180 gives him control of the leg against the darts, and he hits tops for a 14-darter.
Humphries 3-2 Van Gerwen Humphries has gone up a gear. He misses bull for a 170 but has time to return for 15-darter and take the lead again. His average is just shy of 110, and Van Gerwen needs this next leg.
Humphries breaks back!
Humphries 2-2 Van Gerwen Sensational stuff from Luke Humphries, who takes out 132 on the MvG throw: bull, bull, D16. That was a majestic response to being broken in the previous leg.
