Premier League Darts: Luke Humphries says it would be a ‘dream’ to play Luke Littler in final at London’s O2

Reigning world champion Luke Humphries has played down the media rivalry between himself and Luke Littler, saying it would be a “dream” to play the teenager in the Premier League Darts final.

Leeds United fan Humphries celebrated his fourth nightly win of the Premier League in West Yorkshire on Thursday.

Humphries, who debuted his new walk-on song and donned a specially-designed shirt in Leeds’ white, blue and yellow colours, could now be on course for a date with teenage sensation Littler at London’s O2 on Thursday, May 23.

With Michael van Gerwen having booked his spot at the season-ending Play-Offs, Nathan Aspinall and Michael Smith will go head to head in a straight shoot-out for qualification next week in Sheffield for the deciding place.

But with Littler and Humphries already guaranteed the top two spots, it means they will be kept apart in the Play-Offs and could meet in the final.

‘Cool Hand’ played down any rivalry with Littler, saying: “I love him, I think Luke’s fantastic. I get on really well with him. I know a lot of media outlets paint a different picture of me and Luke Littler but we’re fantastic friends. We get along really well.

“Every time we walk into an arena we always have a little thing together. We get up on the stage, have a practice, have a chat for 20 minutes or whatever and have a little talk about what’s gone on through the week.

“It’s just our thing and everyone can paint a picture of we’re rivals or this and that, but no, we are rivals, we want to beat each other but you’ll never get the negativity between us because we get on really well and that’s it. He respects me but I also respect him as a fantastic player as well.

“The way he has dealt with everything this year has been absolutely amazing and his family should be very proud of him because he’s shown a lot of grit, a lot of determination and he’s shown a lot of people that he deserves to be here.

“My dream would be to play him in the final.”

The world champion, who edged out Van Gerwen 6-5 in Thursday’s final, also recorded a brace of 6-1 wins against Rob Cross and Michael Smith on his way to scooping the £10,000 winner’s prize on the penultimate night of league phase action.

“This was a dream for me tonight,” reflected an emotional Humphries. “The support was amazing, and to go on and win, this probably ranks as one of my best experiences in darts.

“The crowd were absolutely fantastic. When you walk out there and you’ve got so many people wanting you to win, it is what dreams are made of.

“It was an incredible feeling, and to perform like I did when the pressure was on, I’m really proud of that.

“I’ve had some games recently where it hasn’t gone my way, but the most important thing is how you bounce back, and I played really well tonight.”

Where does the Premier League head next?

The Premier League continues with Night 16 at the Utilita Arena, Sheffield on Thursday, May 16, as Michael Smith and Nathan Aspinall collide in a winner-takes-all quarter-final showdown.

Reigning World Champion Luke Humphries goes head-to-head with Gerwyn Price, teenager Luke Littler will play Peter Wright for a place in the semi-finals, while Michael van Gerwen and Rob Cross are also in action.

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Premier League Darts continues on Sky Sports on Thursday, May 16 with Utilita Arena, Sheffield the next stop on the 17-week extravaganza all the way through to the Play-Offs at the O2 Arena in London on Thursday, May 23. Stream the darts and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership. No contract, cancel anytime.