Luke Littler comes back from 4-1 deficit to defeat Luke Humphries in Blackpool exhibition
PDCFriday, 25 September 2026 at 13:30
Luke Littler and Luke Humphries are braced for a number of
high-calibre matchups as the big tournaments come thick and fast. They got a
chance to compete in an exhibition in Blackpool, with the world number one seizing
the bragging rights in a commendable comeback.
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A Night At The Darts hosted at Mecca in Blackpool brought
out the darting fans to watch some world-class action in a more relaxed environment.
It will be a lot more tense between the two Luke's, as they are set to challenge for
some of the biggest titles the sport has to offer.
Humphries stormed out into a 4-1 lead, seemingly sending out
a statement of intent against his big rival. He defeated Littler in the final
of the US Darts Masters a few months ago, but their most recent contest in the
Czech Darts Open went the way of ‘The Nuke’ as he won 8-6 to clinch the title
in Prague.
‘Cool Hand Luke’ attempted to see this latest contest out,
but Littler produced a magnificent comeback to prevail 5-4 to culminate the evening’s
action.
While only an exhibition, it is still important for these
players to get these types of contests under their belts ahead of a busy period
while trying to claim the bragging rights in the process, which could help them
going forwards. For the time being, Littler still has the edge over Humphries,
an ominous sign.
Littler and Humprhies prevail over Henderson and Thornton
Both players were also in action earlier in the evening. Littler
began with a 3-1 win over John Henderson, averaging over 97 in the process in a
comfortable win.
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Humphries also managed to get a win on the Blackpool stage
when he whitewashed Robert Thornton 3-0 in a fairly swift and dominant win. Henderson
would redeem his earlier loss with a commanding 4-1 triumph against Thornton.
| Player 1 | v | Player 2 |
| Luke Littler | 3-1 | John Henderson |
| Luke Humphries | 3-0 | Robert Thornton |
| John Henderson | 4-1 | Robert Thornton |
| Luke Littler | 5-4 | Luke Humphries |
Read also
There is more exhibition action taking place in Rotherham
and Knotty Ash with the top players getting more matches ahead of the World
Grand Prix commencing from September 28 – October 4. Littler is the reigning
champion after defeating Humphries in a one-sided final display last year.
Lucas MichaelDarts Journalist
Lucas Michael is a darts journalist and reporter based in Cambridge, UK, and has been part of the DartsNews team since 2025. He covers professional darts through reports, analysis, round-ups, and live coverage, with a focus on clear context and accurate reporting across the PDC calendar.
A key part of his work is liveblogging major tournaments throughout the year, providing real-time updates, match coverage, and contextual reporting across the professional circuit. He also reports regularly from events on site and has covered the PDC World Darts Championship from the venue, delivering first-hand insight throughout the tournament.
Within the newsroom, Lucas works closely with the editorial team and supports coverage alongside Chief Content Officer Samuel Gill and reporter Kieran Wood.
Lucas holds a BA (Hons) in Sports Journalism. In his work, he places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating content promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Great article - but not written by this site. It's taken wholesale from last Sunday's Observer with this interview published online on Saturday.Scoobedybop22-09-2026
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- I wouldn't mind if he quit now to be honest. He's not bigger than darts. Let's face it without darts he'd just be a normal fat gamer kid.medinabello22-09-2026
- You know,I said this,in a sentence,not 5 paragraphs!!rick6721-09-2026
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- Does an exhibition count in the clean sweep though?BandB21-09-2026
- Played great in the final. Makes a mockery of the event when he qualified by losing all of his tour matchesBandB21-09-2026
- He isn't,and won't be the last player to get whistled or booed at. The problem I noticed,is that he winds them up,and give him back,and he doesn't like it. If you can't take it,don't give itrick6720-09-2026
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