After battling past a brave Vincent van der Voort fightback, Luke Humphries was keen to play down potential Premier League hopes, asserting that he is fully focused on being successful at the PDC World Darts Championship.
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"Fair play to Vincent he played a fantastic game there," Humphries said post-match. "He's one of those players that I really do get along with and I would have loved to have seen him have a run here. I wanted to beat him of course but he's one of those players who would really deserve it."
Having reached the quarter-finals in three of the last four years, Luke Humphries will have to defeat Stephen Bunting in the last 16 if he wants to reach the final eight for the fourth time. "He played fantastic," Humphries said of Bunting who defeated Dave Chisnall averaging over 102. "He did play well but tomorrow is a different day. It's always hard to replicate them fantastic games you play and I feel like if I play my game I can win."
As always around this time of year, the Premier League of Darts is never far from people's thoughts. With Gerwyn Price having named Humphries as one of six players he feels are definitely in, has the thought crossed the mind of Cool Hand Luke? "I'm not here to talk about the Premier League," replied a tight-lipped Humphries when asked. "If I win this tournament then the Premier League will take care of itself. Like I've said before I'm not here to win myself a place in the Premier League, I'm here to win the tournament."
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.
HUMPHRIES STAYS ALIVE!
He was made to work hard for it, but Luke Humphries eventually finds a way past Vincent van der Voort!
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