Luke Humphries has opened up on his rivalry with Luke Littler after beating the 18-year-old in the Premier League on Thursday night.
Humphries started the night off well, beating seven-time Premier League champion Michael van Gerwin 6-4, before overcoming Stephen Bunting, who continues to prop up the bottom of the table.
Cool Hand faced The Nuke in the final, a sight many darting fans are already very familiar with watching. Yet again, it did not disappoint.
Humphries broke Littler’s throw in the final leg to win 6-5 after both players had a match dart at the bull, in yet another illustration of why the two are considered the very best.
Luke Humphries was delighted after beating Luke Littler in LeedsPAThe pair have already faced off in four finals this year alone, both winning two each, demonstrating the intense rivalry between the pair.
Speaking to SportsBoom, Humphries discussed the emergence of the rivalry, urging fans to ‘enjoy it’: “Do you want to see the best players in the world playing against each other, or do you not want to wait six months for it?
“I think a lot of people say, ‘oh, it gets boring’. But I tell you what, I love watching the two best sportsmen in the world going against each other, to be honest, in other sports."
He continued: “You watch boxing, and you see you Eubank Jr and Benn, what a fight that was - do I wanna see that 20 times? Yeah, I would, 'cause it was great fight, you know, I wouldn't want to go and see, watch them fight against other people that weren't as good because it wouldn't be as fun.
JUST IN: Luke Humphries reveals tactic that inspired Premier League win over Luke Littler in Leeds
Luke Humphries (left) and Luke Littler (right) are developing an iconic rivalry
PA
“I think the fans should, should enjoy it to be honest. It's two of the best players in the world playing against each other.”
The beauty of darts has always been the amount of times that rivals can face off against each other, particularly when two players are getting to finals in tournaments so consistently.
Humphries and Littler are developing a legendary rivalry by doing just that, and the fans have the chance to consistently watch the pair battle it out at the oche.
READ MORE: English football enjoys night to remember as Man United, Tottenham and Chelsea make European finals
Despite the competition on stage, the pair have a longstanding friendship and respect for one another due to their success within the sport.
The respect is so much so that Humphries insisted, despite the pair tied at three wins each against other in this years’ Premier League, he would love to play him at The O2 in three weeks' time.
“Hopefully, in my opinion, I want to see him in the Premier League final as well, because I just love playing against him”, Cool Hand said.
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
Luke Humphries was ecstatic when securing his fourth nightly win
PA
“No disrespect to anyone else, but when you are playing against him, you have to be at your best. If you’re not, you’ll get beaten.
“It gets you out of bed and makes you want to play better. I enjoy it more than any other game of darts.”
The current format requires the nightly winner to play three games in a night, however there have been some calls from fans for PDC to revert to the old format where each player played just once a night.
Humphries remained neutral on this point, however, saying: “For me, whether it's one game a night, five games a night, I'm happy to be here to be honest. So, whatever they choose in the future, I'm just happy to be a part of it.”
