"I was like, Jesus, you know, what the hell?": Luke Humphries lost a stone after bout of food poisoning led to European Championship withdrawal
PDC
Luke Humphries made an impressive return to the Pro Tour on Wednesday. The Englishman claimed the Players Championship 33 title by defeating Niels Zonneveld 8-4 in the final. It was a remarkable achievement, given that 'Cool Hand Luke' had been seriously ill in recent weeks. Food poisoning caused him to lose approximately seven kilos and even forced him to miss the European Championship Darts.
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It was Humphries' fourth Players Championship title of the season, despite this being only his tenth floor tournament appearance of the year. He had not expected to immediately return to winning ways in Leicester.
"To be honest, today and over the next two days, it was more about coming back and seeing what my energy levels were like because I've obviously been very ill for the last two weeks. I've had food poisoning and I've not really moved about a lot for three and a half weeks, since the Swiss Darts Trophy.
"It's been on the sofa or in bed. I've not really done much, so I wanted to come here to try and give myself some energy because I need to find out where my game's at.
"Like I told you earlier, I was kind of hoping to win a few games and then see where my game's at. But to come here and win, it takes you back a little bit. Obviously, I know the game's there to win these things, but the way I've been over the last few weeks, it's kind of an unexpected win for myself."
Humphries lost a stone due to food poisoning
Luke Humphries had to withdraw.
The illness also took a physical toll on Humphries. The Englishman revealed that he had lost a significant amount of weight in a short period.
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"Yeah, I've lost a stone. When I weighed myself after eight or nine days, I was like, 'Jesus, you know, what the hell?' I probably put a few pounds back on by eating normally, but I couldn't eat."
Missing the European Championship Darts was particularly difficult for Humphries. "I'd never miss a major if I could help it. I think that's the first one I've missed, so I was devastated because I was on a good run, obviously winning the Grand Prix. I did win the Swiss Darts Trophy as well, and I played really, really well.
"I thought to myself, 'I feel like I'm a little bit back here, and I can go on and maybe do something great this year.' Having to miss a tournament is a backwards step. I probably didn't practise for two weeks. Well, I didn't practise for two weeks, and then we had a few throws over the last four days.
"It kind of re-evaluates that confidence again and makes you think, 'Okay, well, you've kind of just carried on where you left off a little bit,' which is good for me because I didn't want to come here and disappoint."
HUMPHRIES WINS PC33! 🏆 Luke Humphries claims a FOURTH Players Championship title of 2026, defeating Niels Zonneveld 8-4 with an average of almost 104! 📺 https://t.co/Dogi6ykEH5 #PC33 https://t.co/BIS4ccI1ru
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) November 4, 2026
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"I'd rather play Michael than Niels"
On his way to the title, Humphries defeated Gerwyn Price and Gary Anderson, who recorded an average of more than 106 against him. In the final, he faced Niels Zonneveld, a player for whom the Englishman has considerable respect.
"Yeah, I really like Niels. I think he's one of the next best Dutch players who's going to be around for a good while. I like the way he scores. I think he's a heavy, heavy scorer.
"I felt a little bit anxious in that game because I just know that he's a heavy scorer. He's a bit like me, and a couple of doubles here and there could have made it a completely different game. I was really, really anxious in that game.
"I know it sounds crazy, but I'd rather have played Michael than Niels because I think he's on the up. Like I said to him, it was funny how you make a final and all of a sudden they come around like bosses."
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Although Humphries has already won several tournaments in 2026, his hunger for further success remains strong. Winning another World Championship is one of his main ambitions.
"Yeah, I'd say so. I think I've had four Players Championship wins. I've been a Euro Tour major winner and a World Series winner. I've done some good things this year, and I feel like my average, my sort of yearly average, is better than it's ever been.
"So, yeah, I think I've had a good year so far. But obviously, there are so many things I still want to do. I still want to win another major. If it's not the Grand Slam or the Players Championship, then I want to win the World Championship.
"I think that's what I'm really searching for now: to try and put my name in the legacy of some of the greats. I'm far away from that yet, so I need to try and win a lot more and win World Championships."
Finally, Humphries had some kind words for Archie Self, his opponent in the opening round. Both players grew up in the same town.
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"But I just want to say, off my own back, that the first game I played today against Archie Self deserves a little mention. We grew up in the same town. I remember when I used to be a 13-year-old kid and he was about four or five. I used to play darts with him. He used to have a little board on a stall, throwing darts.
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"To play a professional game against him today was quite surreal. I actually felt nervous. I've never felt nervous like that in my life in a Pro Tour game, but I felt nervous because it's so incredible.
"About 15 years ago, he used to have a little board on a seat and throw darts. I used to tell him how to do it, and now we're playing professional games. Shout out to Archie."
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
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- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
- And yet the PDC has decided to aggravate this problem by doubling the Players Championship Finals field from 2027. I can't imagine there will be fewer withdrawals next year with even less reason to turn up. I can only hope that a whole slew of Challenge Tour top-up players receive enough prize money in the absence of much of the elite, that some of the more complacent among them struggle to scrape into even a heavily diluted field! More semi-pro players will get to test their mettle, but the standard of competition will be much inferior. It could hardly be said that the Players Championship series will provide an opportunity for darts' second string to test their Tour Card credentials anymore, but at least it will underscore the achievements of those Challenge Tour players of current and previous years, who were able to prove themselves as more than capable of competing with, and beating, the elite of the sport on a consistent basis, and reaping the due rewards.Deduce635828-10-2026
- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026