Thursday, December 26, 2024

Players Championship Finals: Luke Humphries beats Luke Littler in thrilling final to retain title

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Luke Humphries retained his Players Championship Finals crown after beating Luke Littler 11-7, despite some massive checkouts from the 17-year-old.

The 29-year-old secured his seventh major title and retained the trophy he first won in 2023 after recovering from a shaky start at Butlin’s Minehead Resort in Somerset.

Both players initially showed some nerves, with Humphries managing to stumble to an early 4-1 lead against his opponent.

However, Littler quickly recovered, showcasing his talent in a packed-out arena, but the teenager missed chances at double tops in the first and second legs as Humphries landed a 12-dart leg to make it 5-1.

Littler responded with a maximum 170 checkout and broke back to reduce the deficit further to 6-4.

Humphries then took successive legs to edge closer to victory and, when the teenager missed a dart at double 20, he nailed it to seal the deal.

Earlier, Littler defeated Mike De Decker 10-3 in the quarter-finals and followed that up by beating Ross Smith in the semis 11-9, before facing the defending champion Humphries, who had overcome Ryan Joyce 10-5 and Dirk van Duijvenbode 11-8 on his way to the final.

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