Cool Hand Strikes First! Humphries Dominates Night 1 in Belfast
- Darts Central
- Feb 7
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 12
The long-anticipated wait was over. The SSE Arena in Belfast set the stage for the thrilling Premier League Darts roadshow across the UK and Europe. The packed crowd was buzzing with excitement, ready to witness world-class action from the sport’s biggest superstars.
Quarter-Final 1: Chris Dobey 6-4 Gerwyn Price
The night kicked off with a thrilling rematch of the World Championship quarterfinal between Chris Dobey and Gerwyn Price. The game was tightly contested, featuring four consecutive breaks of throw to make it 3-3 after six legs.
Price looked to seize control in the seventh leg, producing a stunning 124 checkout on the bull to take a 4-3 lead, celebrating in trademark fashion. However, 'Hollywood' Dobey responded in style, winning three straight legs to secure a 6-4 victory after a clutch 72 checkout on double 12.
Match Stats:
Dobey: 97.87 average, 3 180s, Checkout Percentage: 60% (6/10)
Price: 96.21 average, 3 180s, Checkout Percentage: 44.44% (4/9)
This was back-to-back wins for Dobey against Price and only his third victory in 18 meetings against 'The Iceman.'
Quarter-Final 2: Rob Cross 6-4 Stephen Bunting
Fan-favourite Stephen Bunting made his long-awaited Premier League return after a decade away, emotionally walking on to ‘Titanium’ with tears in his eyes. However, nerves took hold as he struggled against world number 4 Rob Cross.
‘Voltage’ controlled the match, taking a 5-3 lead before ‘The Bullet’ produced a brilliant 137 checkout (tops, tops) to stay alive at 5-4. Despite this Cross held his nerve, sealing a 6-4 victory with a 15-darter on Double 6.
Match Stats:
Cross: 97.61 average, 1 180, Checkout Percentage: 54.55% (6/11)
Bunting: 94.03 average, 2 180s, Checkout Percentage: 30.77% (4/13)
Bunting matched Cross in power scoring but struggled on the doubles, an area he’ll need to sharpen for his next Premier League outing.
Quarter-Final 3: Michael van Gerwen 6-5 Luke Littler
A repeat of the World Championship final here which certainly lived up to the hype. The scoring power was off the charts with high checkouts to match, Littler hit a 161 checkout, van Gerwen replied with a 114, and both landed six 180s.
The match reached 5-5 after MvG missed four match darts. Littler had a chance at a spectacular 167 finish but fell just short. This time, MvG made no mistake, pinning double 8 off a 25 checkout to claim a hard-fought 6-5 victory.
Match Stats:
MvG: 105.91 average, 6 180s, Checkout Percentage: 31.58% (6/19)
Littler: 113.91 average, 6 180s, Checkout Percentage: 45.45% (5/11)
Despite the loss, this marked Littler’s fourth consecutive losing ton-plus TV average in 2025.
Quarter-Final 4: Luke Humphries 6-2 Nathan Aspinall
The final quarterfinal featured world number 1 Luke Humphries taking on Nathan Aspinall, whose Premier League selection had sparked debate.
Early on, Aspinall matched Humphries' scoring power, but his finishing let him down. He missed multiple doubles and quickly found himself 4-0 down.
Aspinall finally got on the board, winning two consecutive legs, but Humphries was in ruthless form. A clinical 75 checkout wrapped up a comfortable 6-2 win for ‘Cool Hand’.
Match Stats:
Humphries: 105.19 average, 1 180, Checkout Percentage: 60% (6/10)
Aspinall: 95.73 average, 1 180, Checkout Percentage: 20% (2/10)
Semi-Final 1: Chris Dobey 6-4 Rob Cross
Both players had been solid on the checkouts in the quarterfinals, but this match proved scrappier. Dobey took an early 3-1 lead, but Cross fought back to lead 4-3.
However, just like in his quarterfinal, 'Hollywood' finished strong, winning three straight legs to take the match 6-4.
The highlight came when Cross fired in a 132 checkout, while Dobey responded with a 170 finish. However, 21 missed doubles between them dragged down their averages.
Match Stats:
Dobey: 92.69 average, 4 180s, Checkout Percentage: 35.29% (6/17)
Cross: 89.55 average, 3 180s, Checkout Percentage: 28.57% (4/14)
Semi-Final 2: Luke Humphries 6-5 Michael van Gerwen
This blockbuster showdown went all the way to a deciding leg.
Humphries took early control with a 140 checkout, racing into a 3-1 lead. But MvG responded fiercely, winning three straight legs to move 4-3 ahead.
Van Gerwen had seven darts at double for a 5-3 lead but couldn’t capitalize. Humphries kept his cool, forcing a last-leg decider. MvG was first to a finish after 9 darts, sitting on 130.
He missed a match dart at the bull, and ‘Cool Hand’ made no mistake—taking out 45 on double 16 to seal a dramatic 6-5 victory.
Match Stats:
Humphries: 99.31 average, 1 180, Checkout Percentage: 54.55% (6/11)
MvG: 101.51 average, 3 180s, Checkout Percentage: 31.25% (5/16)
🏆 The Final: Luke Humphries 6-1 Chris Dobey
With momentum on his side, Luke Humphries was unstoppable in the final.
The world number 1 raced into a 3-0 lead, showcasing deadly finishing with 128 and 100 checkouts. Dobey finally got on the board with a 126 checkout on the bull in the penultimate leg, but it was too little, too late.
Humphries completed a dominant 6-1 victory, securing the £10,000 winner’s bonus and 5 points onto the league standings.
Match Stats:
Humphries: 95.86 average, 2 180s, Checkout Percentage: 85.71% (6/7)
Dobey: 96.88 average, 2 180s, Checkout Percentage: 25% (1/4)
🔥 What’s Next?
With an electric opening night in the books, the 2025 Premier League promises to be one of the most competitive seasons in years.
Humphries has set the standard but with many fierce challengers all gunning for the top spot, who will rise to the occasion? Stay tuned for more high-stakes action in the coming weeks as the battle for the top 4 and the PL trophy intensifies.
Upcoming Tournaments:
Players Championships 1 & 2 - February 10th and 11th, live on PDC.tv.
Premier League Night 2 – February 13th in Glasgow, live on Sky Sports.
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