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.
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"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."
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.