Cool Hand Seals Triple Crown: Humphries Overcomes Littler to Land Premier League Title
- Darts Central
- May 30
- 5 min read
Premier League Finals Night at the O2 Arena promised fireworks, and it didn’t disappoint. With Luke Littler chasing a second consecutive crown and Luke Humphries aiming to complete the special Triple Crown, the final four locked horns for the biggest night of the Premier League season.
Semi-Final 1: Luke Littler 10-7 Gerwyn Price
The opening five legs were nervy, with both players struggling to settle and assert themselves. It was Price who edged ahead 3-2, looking the sharper of the two, particularly on the outer ring.
Littler responded brilliantly, producing a superb 128 checkout with Price sat on 40 to level at 3-3 and break straight back. That sparked the contest into life. ‘The Iceman then found a 15-dart break and then a sensational 12-dart hold, taking out 132 with two perfect bulls and double 16 to move 5-3 ahead.
Crucially, Price missed two darts at tops to extend his lead to 6-3, allowing Littler to stay in touch. The Welshman did steady things with a 15-dart hold to head into the interval 6-4 in front.
Fresh from the break, Littler fired in an 11-dart hold for 6-5. Then came a turning point in leg 12, Price bust a 100 checkout, missing a dart to go 7-5, and then failed to convert again on his next visit. Littler took full advantage to level at 6-6 in what proved a major shift in momentum.
Price did respond with a 15-dart break and a clinical 86 checkout to edge 7-6 ahead, threatening to swing things back in his favour.
But from there, his level dipped while Littler found another gear. The 18-year-old rattled off the final four legs in explosive fashion, 14, 13, and then back-to-back 12-darters to book his spot in the final with a 10-7 victory. From 7-6 up, Price didn't get a single dart at double as Littler surged through.
Match Stats:
Littler: 104.64 average, 6x 180s, Checkout %: 34.48% (10/29)
Price: 95.37 average, 4x 180s, Checkout %: 43.75% (7/16)
Semi-Final 2: Luke Humphries 10-7 Nathan Aspinall
Humphries flew out of the blocks, racing into a 2-0 lead, but Aspinall responded impressively, reeling off three consecutive legs to take a 3-2 advantage after five.
In leg six, Humphries broke back after Aspinall missed a dart at tops for a 4-2 lead, bringing the match level at 3-3. From there, the pair exchanged routine holds across the next four legs, heading into the interval finely poised at 5-5. Both had played at a high level, and the scoreline fairly reflected the contest.
The pattern continued after the break, with four more consecutive holds leaving the match tied at 7-7. Humphries looked the more likely to find a break, but Aspinall kept producing key moments, none more so than a brilliant 124 checkout on the bull, which sparked a huge celebration to level the match once again.
‘Cool Hand’ regained the lead with a composed 13-dart hold to make it 8-7, moments after Aspinall narrowly missed the bull for a 129 break of throw. In leg 16, the pressure finally told. Humphries missed three darts at double to move two clear, but Aspinall couldn’t capitalise, missing one dart at tops before Humphries found double 4 last dart in hand to move 9-7 ahead.
That proved the decisive moment. Humphries closed the match in style with an 11-dart hold, finishing 87 to wrap up the victory and secure back-to-back appearances in the Premier League final at the O2.
Match Stats:
Humphries: 105.81 average, 7x 180s, Checkout %: 43.48% (10/23)
Aspinall: 101.76 average, 6x 180s, Checkout %: 63.64% (7/11)
🏆 The Final: Luke Humphries 11-8 Luke Littler
A blistering start from ‘The Nuke’ saw him race into a 3-0 lead with legs of 14, 17, and 14 darts. Humphries missed six darts at double in leg two and one at the bull in leg three as he struggled to find his range on the outer ring.
The World No.1 finally got on the board with a 17-darter, then edged a chaotic fifth leg to break throw in 20 darts, capitalising after both missed multiple chances before Humphries found double 2. He then levelled at 3-3 with a brilliant 12-darter, sealing a 130 checkout on the bull.
Littler responded with legs of 17 and 11 darts to regain control at 5-3, denying Humphries a dart at a finish in either leg. He then missed two darts at tops for a 6-3 lead, and Humphries punished, cleaning up 25 before holding in 15 darts to make it 5-5.
Both players appeared frustrated and gestured to the side of the stage at the interval, suggesting a potential breeze was affecting their throw. At this stage, both were averaging in the low 90s and performing below their usual levels.
After the break, the quality jumped. Littler missed the bull for a 12-dart hold, and Humphries pounced with a superb 91 finish for an 11-dart break to move ahead for the first time at 6-5. What followed was an electric spell, both players held their throw three times in a row, each delivering high-quality darts without giving up a single chance to break.
That run left Humphries narrowly ahead at 9-8, still clinging to the one break he’d secured in leg 11. A composed 17-dart hold moved him within one of the title at 10-8. He missed one match dart at tops, but Littler couldn’t capitalise, missing double 7 on an 88 checkout.
Humphries returned to hit double 10 with his third match dart, sealing the 11-8 win and collapsing to his knees in an emotional celebration.
Match Stats:
Humphries: 97.86 average, 5x 180s, Checkout %: 29.73% (11/37)
Littler: 100.29 average, 10x 180s, Checkout %: 29.63% (8/27)
Closing Thoughts
Heading into Finals Night, all signs pointed to Luke Littler retaining his Premier League crown. The 18-year-old phenomenon had dominated the league phase, breaking records for most points, most nightly wins, most 180s, and more across a relentless 16-week campaign. But in the end, the evening belonged to ‘Cool Hand’ Luke Humphries.
The World No.1 reminded everyone that the title isn’t won over months, it’s won on the night. Humphries was outstanding in his semi-final win over Nathan Aspinall, but it was the final where he truly showed his mettle. He dug deep when it mattered most, held his nerve under pressure, and played the big moments better than Littler. Gritty, composed, and clinical, it was a performance befitting his nickname.
With this victory, Humphries completes the fabled ‘Triple Crown’ of major PDC titles, being the World Championship, World Matchplay, and Premier League, joining the legendary trio of Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen, and Gary Anderson in one of the sport’s most exclusive clubs.
A word, too, for Gerwyn Price and Nathan Aspinall. Both men faced questions about their inclusion at the start of the season, but each proved their worth in style. They were superb throughout the campaign, delivering memorable moments and pushing the world’s top two players to the limit in their respective semi-finals. On another night, either could easily have found themselves in the final.
Upcoming Tournaments:
European Darts Open (ET8):
May 30th-June 1st, at Ostermann-Arena, Leverkusen (Live on PDC.tv)
Nordic Darts Masters:
June 6th- June 7th at Forum Copenhagen (Live on ITV Sport)
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