Fourth seed Luke Humphries is into the Grand Slam of Darts semi-finals but boy was he made to work for it by Gary Anderson. 'Cool Hand Luke' eventually triumphing 16-14 in a Wolverhampton classic.
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"It was a pleasure to share the stage with one of the greats of the game at his best," Humphries reflected in his post-match interview. "It really meant a lot to me, we both played a fantastic game which was a privilege to be part of."
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In a match where the momentum continually shifted from player to player, it was Humphries that managed to finish on top and book a semi-final showdown with James Wade. "I think I showed a lot of bottle at the end, Gary threw everything at me but I just kept digging in which is testament to the new temperament I've got," says Humphries. "This has been a breakthrough year for me, it's been the year I've always dreamed of, but I'm hungry for more."
After claiming his first major TV title at the World Grand Prix recently and his repeatedly impressive performances since, is Humphries the best player on the planet at the moment? "Maybe I am at this moment in time," Humphries himself answers when asked this question in his post-match press conference.
"Over the last three to four months maybe I am, but that can all be taken away from you really quickly. A couple of bad performances, a couple of good performances from someone else and all of a sudden you're not the best player in the world," he elaborates. "You've got to keep pushing on and keep getting better because someone's willing to take your place very quickly."
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.