Charlie Wood
Luke Humphries emerged victorious on the opening night of the Premier League of Darts at the SSE Arena in Belfast.
Last year’s runner-up emphatically defeated returning Premier League star and 2025 World Championship semi-finalist Chris Dobey 6-1 in the final.
Humphries quickly gained control of the final through an excellent display of finishing that included three checkouts over 100.
Dobey struggled with his doubles, allowing the World Number 1 to storm into a 5-0 lead, only breaking the cycle with a superb 126 finish in the 6th leg.
This did little to halt momentum of the recently crowned World Masters Champion, as Humphries secured Night One, with a superb 86 per cent checkout rate in the final.
“Couldn’t have gone better for me tonight, and I’m really pleased to get the win in Belfast,” said Humphries on a X post.
“My finishing was rock-solid, and I did what I had to do to get the wins I needed against some quality players.”
Humphries’ Road to Victory:
His route to the final included fan favourite Nathan Aspinall and World Championship runner-up Michael Van Gerwen.
At 4-0 down, Aspinall looked destined to have to answer questions regarding his right to be picked for a Premier League position.
However, two legs on the bounce left ‘The Asp’ with a more respectable 6-2 loss against a focused Humphries who averaged in excess of 105.
Humphries had to remain strong to inch past Van Gerwen 6-5 in a sensational semi-final last leg decider.
Van Gerwen showed his experience in resurrecting a game that threatened a similar scoreline to that of Humphries’ quarter-final.
‘The Green Machine’ fought back brilliantly with high scoring, securing a match dart on the bullseye.
Yet, the former World Champion, Humphries, showed why he is the World No. 1, holding his nerve to finish 45 on his favoured double 16.
The other semi-final of Dobey and Rob Cross had glimpses of incredible darts but ultimately lacked the same quality.
Dobey banished 2024 World Championship demons in a match that had frequent shifts in momentum.
The reeling in of ‘The Big Fish’ will surely boost Dobey’s confidence for the Premier League campaign, with ‘Hollywood’ gaining big points on opening night.
Although he acknowledged his struggles in the final, Dobey said: “Points on the board, that’s what counts.”
It will certainly be a case of ‘What if?’ for Cross whose checkout rate fell below 30 per cent, missing out on an opportunity to reach a Premier League Night final, a feat he only achieved three times in 2024.
Van Gerwen Edges Littler in Thriller:
The game of the night was a rematch of the 2025 World Championship Final between teenage sensation Luke Littler and Michael Van Gerwen.
The Dutchman started his night by getting some revenge during a Premier League of Darts classic, as both stars of the game shined brightly in an excellent advert for the sport.
Van Gerwen sealed victory with a 114 checkout in the deciding leg, capping it off with a vintage celebration.
Littler remains unlucky in televised events this year, with his defeat marking the second highest losing average in the competition’s history.
A scintillating start from Littler that included an impressive 161 finish was not enough to match the scoring power of Van Gerwen.
This has become a familiar story for ‘The Nuke’ in 2025, as since his World Championship victory, Littler’s four televised losses have been whilst averaging over 105.
In the other quarter-finals, ‘The Iceman’ Gerwyn Price fell 6-4 to eventual finalist Dobey, while Stephen Bunting was far from bulletproof on his return to the Premier League, succumbing 6-4 to Cross.
Charlie Wood
Featured image courtesy of @javaistan via Unsplash. Image use license found here (Unsplash). No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of officialpdc via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 2 courtesy of officialpdc via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 3 courtesy of officialpdc via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
For more content including uni news, reviews, entertainment, lifestyle, features and so much more, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and like our Facebook page for more articles and information on how to get involved.
For further sports content and ways to get involved, follow @ImpactSport on Twitter and Instagram, and like the Impact Sport Facebook page!
