World no 1 Luke Humphries compared the challenge of the gruelling Premier League season to the prestige of the World Championship on Thursday evening after his win over Luke Littler at the 02 Arena.
Humphries has won almost all there is to win in darts, but one major bit of silverware missing on the 30-year-old’s mantlepiece was the Premier League. Not anymore, however.
Humphries had gone on record to say that the Premier League was the one trophy he was longing for and would complete his triple crown, including the World Championship and World Matchplay - both of which he won in 2024.
Cool Hand actually entered the evening as the slight underdog, with Littler the favourite to defend his title.
Luke Humphries held three fingers up, referencing his triple crown win
PA
Humphries faced a tough Nathan Aspinall in the semi-final but ultimately swept The Asp aside in a 10-7 victory where the world no 1 averaged in excess of 105.
The final, however, was not of the standard that fans have come to expect from Humphries and Littler, with the pair going into the break at 5-5 but both somewhat disappointed with their performances.
In the second period, Humphries flew out of the blocks, breaking The Nuke’s throw and then defending his own well to hold on to an 11-8 victory.
After the game, the former world champion spoke to Sky Sports about how much the title meant to him.
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Luke Humphries beat Luke Littler 11-8 to lift the Premier League of Darts trophyPA"This one means the world to me, that was the one I was missing. It was the one I wanted, I have done it now," he said.
The world no 1 even made a surprising admission about his future in the sport.
"If I don't win another title, I am happy as I have done the three hardest ones to do," he added.
The 30-year-old also wanted to point to the difficulty of the league format, in which players endure a gruelling 17-week schedule, touring venues across the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands.
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"The Premier League is the hardest one to win. The Worlds is prestigious but this is very close to winning the Worlds,” he continued.
"You can't have four or five bad weeks, you have to be good for 16 weeks on the trot. You have to be at your best.”
Many players have come out in recent weeks against the intense and demanding darting schedule.
Humphries agreed after his Premier League win, saying he had felt “jaded”.
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Luke Humphries beat Luke Littler to claim the World Championship title in 2024
PA
"The hardship I have been through over the last couple of months is worth it. There are people worse off than you but you can feel jaded," he stated.
Thursday evening was the latest instalment of a generational rivalry between the two best in the world - and this time Humphries came out on top.
Next up for Humphries is the Nordic Darts Masters in Copenhagen, along with Littler and Gerwyn Price, who is the defending champion.
Shortly after, Cool Hand will be joined by rival Littler to represent England in the World Cup of Darts in the middle of June.
But for now, the Premier League champion will be enjoying his success, and the £275,000 he has earned.
He joined an illustrious group including Michael van Gerwen, Phil Taylor and Gary Anderson as the only players to complete the triple crown - a group he has truly earned the right to be a part of.
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