Once again Luke Humphries was able to add another prestigious prize to his ever-growing record last Sunday. 'Cool Hand Luke' prevailed in Blackpool, winning the 2024 World Matchplay.
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In the first round of the World Matchplay, he pulverized strong-playing debutant Ricardo Pietreczko 10-4 thanks to an average of 108.76. Then the reigning world champion added a second 100+ average in the second round. At the last sixteen, Stephen Bunting was defeated 11-7. In that match, Humphries averaged 102.34 points per turn.
In the last eight, Humphries struggled with Dimitri van den Bergh for a long time. 'The Dreammaker' did not let Humphries get into his rhythm and was able to keep up with the world number one for much of the match. However, Van den Bergh made the mistake in the 22nd leg when the score was 11-10 in the Englishman's favor by provoking Humphries. The Belgian made a gesture that did not please Humphries and that unleashed the fire in Humphries' body. 'Cool Hand Luke' hit 106 and did not surrender a leg after that. It was then 16-10 for Humphries. In the semifinal match, James Wade could not shake his compatriot off either. 'The Machine' struggled considerably in the early stages, but Humphries eventually won the match comfortably 17-10.
In the final against Michael van Gerwen, Humphries had to dig deep to win again. He did not manage to take a leap ahead of his Dutch opponent in the first half of the match, after which Van Gerwen seemed to be better in the last part. However, Van Gerwen messed up on the doubles, so the title still went to Humphries 18-15.
Humphries had also won the World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts, Players Championship Finals and the World Darts Championship in the past nine months. Since "Cool Hand Luke" won his world title in 2024, he accomplished a special feat.
The current world number one is only the second player ever to win both the World Darts Championship and the World Matchplay in the same year. Phil Taylor was the first to do so in 1995. 'The Power' also pulled off the same trick, incidentally, in 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2013.
Phil Taylor managed to win the World Darts Championship and the World Matchplay ten times in the same year
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- Well,I suppose if you don't play the tournaments ,then why should any player qualify? There are players who enter every tournament,and if they don't win it,they carry on, spending money they haven't won,yet certain players seem to think they should qualify. Winners only I thinkrick6714-11-2026
- Everyone knows what a fantastic champion Taylor was,but his performances in the seniors were poor. He wouldn't throw littler off stage,as he'd miss these days!!rick6712-11-2026
- He produced some impressive numbers in that qualifying campaign. I'm excited to see him compete at the World Championship once again, even if it will be difficult to replicate last year's success even with an improved performance, with the draw playing a huge role in determining his fortunes.Deduce635811-11-2026
- I often think about this very question. I think they should revive the format. They could even invite representatives from MODUS Super Series, with four series winners from the past year, and the ADC, with finalists from the Global Championship and perhaps other events. Why not throw in eligible representatives from the JDC and even the soft-tip game too?Deduce635811-11-2026
- So what if littler missed out, he doesnt have to enter everythingant10-11-2026
- Good, absolutely no loss if we never see this dancing goof ever again......no that is not fair. He absolutely cannot and has never been remotely able to dance!richieburnettrocks10-11-2026
- Yes Phil,now the money in the game is bigger than ever,you'd play littler. Well so would I! Retire on your memory Phil,and your successful careerrick6709-11-2026
- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026