Luke Humphries continued his charge towards what he hopes will be more major success on Monday evening. 'Cool Hand Luke' comfortably dispatched Dirk van Duijvenbode 5-1 to reach the knockout stages with three wins from his three group games.
"Yeah it was a good group campaign for me," the recent World Grand Prix winner reflected post-match to Online Darts. "When I saw it on paper I thought that's a tough tough group. You've got Gary Anderson who's really in form, Dirk who has been playing really well, but unfortunately the injury is what's cost him and Steve Lennon who's in the top-64 and a really good player. So to win against all three is really good."
Given Van Duijvenbode's shoulder injury, the Dutchman was unable to threaten Humphries for most of their match. "It's not easy to play people when they're not at their best because you feel like you've kind of won before you even play," Humphries explains. "But you never know, he could have turned up and play really well I just didn't know what to expect from him."
Having tasted major glory at the World Grand Prix, Humphries is now desperate for more. "I can't believe it's been a month already. I've worked really hard for that moment so I've tried to enjoy it as much as I can but obviously, that's hard being a dart player because you win that and then, all of a sudden you're playing again next week.
"Over the next 10 years I might be able to win a lot more. I think I'll win a lot more over the years but its going to take a lot of hard work and dedication," he concludes. "I want another before the years out."