Luke Humphries secured his ninth victory over Luke Littler in 105 days with a decisive 11-8 win in the Premier League play-offs final at London's O2 arena on Thursday night.
The triumph cemented Cool Hand Luke's status as world No. 1 and earned him a £305,000 prize money haul, bolstered by three £10,000 bonuses during the evening's proceedings.
Humphries joined an elite group as only the fourth player to achieve darts' Triple Crown, capturing the world title, World Matchplay, and Premier League champion.
He now stands alongside legends Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen, and Gary Anderson in this exclusive club, positioning himself as the primary challenger to 18-year-old prodigy Littler's burgeoning dominance in the sport.
Reuters
|Luke Humphries completed the Triple Crown
Humphries has defended the current Premier League format against calls for change, despite the potential for their high-profile rivalry to become commonplace due to frequent encounters.
He said: "People talk about changing the Premier League format, but why would I want to change it when I reached the final one year and won it the next?"
The 2024 world champion argued that frequent meetings between the sport's top players are inevitable.
"If it's me and Luke in the final of every tournament, you will see us playing each other 40 or 50 times a year," he explained.
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Humphries insisted the format should remain unchanged, citing continued success. "The fans still come in their thousands, it still gets good numbers on Sky Sports."
After an exhausting Premier League campaign where Littler led the table for nearly four months, both players will represent defending champions England at the World Cup of Darts in Frankfurt.
Luke 'the Nuke' expressed his excitement about the partnership: "I can't wait for the World Cup. He won it last year, so now he can lead me to victory."
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Reuters
|Luke Littler lost out to Luke Humphries on Thursday
Humphries welcomed the opportunity to guide his younger teammate. "It will take good darts to beat us. They will have to play well. We have got a lot of pressure on our shoulders, but we will thrive on it," he said.
Darts legends Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis, who clinched the title four times in five years from 2012 to 2016, have tipped the duo known as the Two Lukes to be formidable opponents.
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The world champion acknowledged the personal bond between the rivals.
"I love Luke, I think he's a good kid and a close friend of mine in darts. When I am around him, we always speak, we always chat. He's a great kid," Humphries said.
"Of course, he will probably win more than I will ever win in my career because he's so young and he's a great talent.
Reuters
|Luke Humphries does not want the Premier League format to change
"I am happy when I nab one here and there, but I am sure he will get me back many times in the future."
Humphries expects their rivalry to continue but acknowledged the sport's evolution.
"But there is always someone else that comes around the corner. In five years' time there could be 10 players as good as me and Luke."