Luke Humphries and Luke Littler will face each other Wednesday night in the final of the World Darts Championship 2024. It will be the first clash between the two Englishmen on a big stage, but more than four years ago they faced each other in a pub tournament.
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Back then the stakes were 250 pounds, but Wednesday night they will compete for the top prize of 500,000 pounds. In conversation with SportsBoom, Humphries talks about meeting the then 12-year-old Littler. ''I think I was pretty early on in my career. I don't know if I'd made one or two televised finals then, but his dad on that day was very adamant that he was going to be a superstar and he was right because he is.''
Regardless of the outcome of the final, Humphries knows he is going to be the new number one in the world after the World Darts Championship anyway. 'Being world number one is something that you can only dream of as a kid, and to finally reach that pinnacle for me is massive. It opens loads of doors.''
Humphries also still finds it hard to believe he is in the final of the World Darts Championship. ''It's something that I never really dreamed would happen so early on in my career. I still feel new to the game. In six years to be in that world final is a massive, massive feeling for me. I've worked incredibly hard over the last couple of years to put myself in these positions to go on and do it.."
The former junior world champion does not expect a nervous final against Littler, even though Littler will be playing his first major final. "I don't think there is any nerves coming from him, and the way I played tonight, I don't think any nerves coming from me.
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.
4 years ago, Luke Littler and Luke Humphries faced each other in a local pub competition 👀
Tonight, they play each other in the 2024 World Darts Championship Final 😱👏