Reigning world champion Luke Humphries has played down the media rivalry between him and Luke Littler, saying it would be a “dream” to play against the teenager in a Premier League darts final.
Leeds United fan Humphries celebrated his fourth night victory in the Premier League in West Yorkshire on Thursday.
Humphries, who debuted his new song and donned a specially designed shirt in Leeds’ white, blue and yellow colors, could now be on his way to a date with teen sensation Littler at London’s O2 on Thursday May 23 .
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Humphries ended Littler’s streak against him by beating the teenager for the first time since his World Championship victory.
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Humphries says he would love to add Premier League title to his list of honors
With Michael van Gerwen booking his place in the end-of-season Play-Offs, Nathan Aspinall and Michael Smith will face off in a straight qualifying shootout next week in Sheffield for the decisive place.
But with Littler and Humphries already assured of the top two spots, that means they will be separated in the Play-Offs and could meet in the final.
“Cool Hand” downplayed any rivalry with Littler, saying: “I love him, I think Luke is fantastic. I get along great with him. I know a lot of media paints a different picture of Luke Littler and me , but we”We are fantastic friends. We are getting along very well.
“Every time we walk into an arena, we always have a little thing together. We go on stage, practice, talk for 20 minutes or whatever and chat a little bit about what happened during the week.
“It’s just our thing and everyone can describe that we are rivals or this and that, but no, we are rivals, we want to fight but you will never have any negativity between us because we get along very well . and that’s it. He respects me but I also respect him as a fantastic player.
“The way he handled everything this year was absolutely incredible and his family should be very proud of him because he showed a lot of courage, determination and he showed a lot of people that he deserved to ‘be here.
“My dream would be to face him in the final.”
How the Premier League darts table looks after night 15 at Leeds…
The world champion, who beat Van Gerwen 6-5 in Thursday’s final, also recorded two 6-1 wins over Rob Cross and Michael Smith before collecting the £10,000 winner’s prize in the pre -last evening of the championship phase.
“It was a dream for me tonight,” said an emotional Humphries. “The support has been amazing, and to go on and win, it’s probably one of my best darts experiences.
“The crowd was absolutely fantastic. When you go out and there are so many people wanting you to win, that’s what dreams are made of.
“It was an incredible feeling, and to perform like I did when the pressure was on, I’m really proud of it.
“I’ve had a few games recently where it didn’t go the way I wanted, but the most important thing is how to bounce back, and I played really well tonight.”
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Littler was jeered by the Leeds crowd ahead of his quarter-final match against Peter Wright
Where does the Premier League go next?
Michael van Gerwen is a seven-time Premier League champion
The Premier League continues with Night 16 at the Utilita Arena, Sheffield on Thursday, May 16, as Michael Smith and Nathan Aspinall face off in a winner-takes-all quarter-final showdown.
Reigning world champion Luke Humphries will face Gerwyn Price, teenager Luke Littler will take on Peter Wright for a place in the semi-final, while Michael van Gerwen and Rob Cross are also in action.
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Mark Webster watches who will clinch the final play-off spot as Nathan Aspinall and Michael Smith clash on Premier League night 16 in Sheffield
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The Premier League Darts continues on Sky Sports on Thursday 16 May with Utilita Arena, Sheffield, the next leg of the 17-week extravaganza through to the Play-Offs at the O2 Arena, London on Thursday 23 May. Stream darts and more with a NOW Sports Month subscription. No contract, cancel anytime.
