Luke Humphries produced absolute brilliance to begin the month at the UK Open losing out in the final to James Wade.
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Humphries en route produced a potential career defining performance to defeat Michael van Gerwen and Mark Webster was among those singling 'Cool Hand' out for praise.
"It was a great tournament for Luke Humphries - I watched his game against Ryan Searle, I kept an eye on that and it was ridiculous, both averaging over 100," said the former world champion on The Darts Show podcast.
"Luke Humphries from 7-6 down rattled off four legs to win, there were a couple of 11-darters in there. It was done in the blink of an eye.
"Luke Humphries reminds me of Dimitri Van den Bergh. He is so good, he has proved it on the big stage, but we still haven't seen him at the World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix.
"He's ticked off the Grand Slam; he's in the Grand Slam next year now which is good for him, obviously the Worlds surprisingly he lost to Paul Lim in the first round.
"He lost the prize money and he was just about to get into the top 32 and he hasn't, but getting to that final - now we need to see him at the Matchplay and the Grand Prix, because once he is on that stage, he can do real damage, it's getting there."
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He also discussed the desire to win ProTour titles and that it isn't all about that in his eyes.
"He doesn't even have to win anything on the floor. He's just got to tick over which is what Dimitri does," he added.
"Dimitri has never won a floor event but then he's won the Matchplay and probably should have got to the Grand Slam final.
"It's great if you have a good run on TV, but if it doesn't get you in the top 16, you aren't going to the other events.
"You need to find something on the floor. You don't have to win them; win your board, get to the last 16 and do it consistently.
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"Luke and Dimitri want to win on the floor by all accounts, but look - get in the European Tour events as well and the money jumps there, get yourself to the stage, and then they know they've got the game when they are there."
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
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.
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