Friday, November 22, 2024

Premier League Darts final: Luke Littler beats Luke Humphries to win title – BBC Sport

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Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Littler reached the final with a 10-5 victory over Michael Smith earlier in the evening

  • Author, Jonty Colman
  • Role, BBC Sport journalist

Luke Littler won the 2024 Premier League Darts title with an 11-7 victory over Luke Humphries at the 02 Arena in London.

Littler, 17, was left in tears after winning six of the last eight legs to beat Humphries in the final, racing off the stage to hug his family.

“To all the doubters, hello! I’ve just picked up this! You’re not doubting me any more,” the teenager said to Sky Sports after becoming the eighth player to win a Premier League title.

In the first leg after the halfway break, he hit his fourth nine-darter in 2024 to send the 14,000 capacity crowd into pandemonium. Humphries could only smile and applaud in response.

From there Littler raced into control, winning in convincing fashion after going toe-to-toe early on.

It was a repeat of January’s World Championship final, which saw two of darts’ brightest prospects cement themselves into stardom.

At Alexandra Palace it was Humphries who came out on top, but the Premier League final and season has been all about Littler.

His final win sees him pocket £275,000 in prize money, on top of the £40,000 earned earlier in the campaign. The £315,000 total more than doubles his career prize money to date.

In a best of 21 legs final, both men exchanged early breaks and were left tied at 5-5 when the mid-match break came in.

Littler immediately returned with darts in hand, throwing nine perfect darts to set up the perfect ending to a record-breaking Premier League campaign.

Much to his credit, Humphries embraced Littler upon his return from that nine-darter, a sign of what could be the start of a long period of dominance between darts’ two Lukes.

Littler picked up 40 points in the 16-week group stage, levelling 2022 winner Jonny Clayton for the record for most points acquired in a season.

The teenager reached the final after a 10-5 victory over Michael Smith earlier in the evening.

Humphries was victorious over Michael van Gerwen by the same scoreline, ending the Dutchman’s hopes of winning a record-extending eighth league title.

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