"It's a statement to myself more than players and fans": Luke Humphries elated in returning to winners' circle at Players Championship Finals

Luke Humphries managed to quell the rising tide of Luke Littler to retain his Players Championship Finals title on Sunday night. The only title he has managed to defend thus far with a malaise of new winners and also Littler winning the Grand Slam.

Humphries screamed at the board in delight afterwards after being left frustrated by his form in recent weeks and he said that it was more of a statement to himself more than other players and fans.

"Yeah I'm buzzing. It's a relief because it's not everyday you win a major title but you just want to defend one and I'm thinking if I don't defend this one then I've put all the pressure on myself for the World Championship and possibly trying to do it for the Matchplay next year. I'm really proud of that to be honest, I wasn't at my best all weekend. In the Dirk game in the semi's, I felt so flat felt the game had gone away. I felt tired and I thought I disappointed myself. I didn't give up but I did what I shouldn't have done and usually I fight and I did fight and I got lucky. In the final, that was more of a Luke Humphries performance," he said to Online Darts.

"I've got a bit of time to get my game back up to the standard I know it's at. But it's another major title and I'm over the moon about it."

"It's a statement to myself more than players or fans or anything like that. I need to send a statement to myself because I'm one of them players that needs to breed confidence all time. If I have a couple of bad months then it really does play on my mind sometimes but I think the way I went into this tournament, they just weren't going the way I wanted them to and you see a lot of frustration up on the big stage. But the way I ended it it's a major relief for myself."

It did take them a while to get going but the two Luke's did put on a show in the end. "I feel like a lot of people expect these 110 averages form us when we play in finals. But I think at the start we just tried too hard I think we were just trying to knock lumps out of each other and trying too hard to hit the treble 20's. At the end it was a really good game."

While next stop is the steep walk up Muswell Hill for the World Championship. "I'm buzzing. I would've been buzzing if I'd lost that game to be honest. I'm still buzzing about it of course. it's special when the reigning champion returns to Ally Pally. The draw tomorrow we're going to be there, it's going to be exciting. It doesn't matter to me who I draw. I do think I've got a tough draw bracket but I thrive on that."

He also ended by responding to being called out for not having a Fear Factor on the Darts Show Podcast by Michael Bridge and Polly James.

"Bridgey and Polly you said I don't have the Fear Factor but I've got it now, come on."