Luke Littler will face a familiar opponent in the World Darts Championship final in Luke Humphries – and will be seeking revenge for a defeat he suffered to the current world No 1 in a pub back in 2019.
Littler has been the story of the tournament after a staggering run to the final at the age of just 16, beating former champions Raymond van Barneveld and Rob Cross in a fairytale performance at Ally Pally.
The teenager beat Cross 6-2 in his semi-final to set up a meeting with Humphries, who crushed Scott Williams in Tuesday night’s second semi-final. The winner will take home a huge £500,000 prize, with the runner-up pocketing £200,000.
And it will not be the first time Littler has come up against Humphries, 28, with an incredible throwback photo recalling a meeting between the two four years ago – when the 16-year-old sensation was just 12 and his opponent 24.
A picture posted by Littler on his Twitter account shows Littler standing next to Humphries after they played each other in a competition in Hayling Island.
‘Lost out in quarter-finals last night at Hayling Island competition to Luke Humphries missed a few chances to go ahead and a bull for a 164 but gave him a great game,’ Littler wrote on social media in November 2019.
‘Two Youth comps today Under 14’s and Under 18’s hopefully make tomorrow’s finals on stage.’
He now has the chance at redemption on what is one of the sport’s greatest stages in what would be a stunning way to get revenge.
It also highlights just how far both have come in such a short space of time. Littler is now the name on most sports fans’ lips, while Humphries arrived at this year’s tournament as the favourite following a superb year on the circuit, which included winning the £120,000 World Grand Prix.
And Having dismantled Williams with a 6-0 whitewash, Humphries was quick to turn his attention towards Wednesday’s opponent.
‘The way he’s played, I’ve seen it many times. When you come up on this stage it can be a lot tougher but he’s just proved he’s got a lot of bottle,’ he said.
‘Nothing is going to faze him. If he plays like he did tonight, tomorrow is not going to faze him at all, so I will probably have to play the game of my life.
‘I will probably have to play like that again to stand a chance of beating him.
‘I know what’s in front of me and what the task is. I’ve got to play at my best tomorrow but I’m hoping I make him play his best as well and we give the fans hopefully one of the best world finals we have ever seen.’
Humphries added: ‘It was amazing. I would never have imagined myself to be the World No 1. That is a special feeling. And to do it in style.
‘I’m really pleased with that performance. But, World No 1 can last for a couple months, world champion is forever so I’ve got a really tough task tomorrow against Luke.’
‘I felt amazing yesterday and in the practice room I felt better. I hit some crazy 180s. I was watching the first semi-final and that was a fantastic game, so to put in a performance like that is very pleasing.’
Littler revealed he would not be changing his pre-game routine despite the high-stakes contest with Humphries on Wednesday.
‘I’ll do what I’ve been doing,’ he said after his victory over Cross. ‘In the morning, go for a ham and cheese omelette, then come here have a pizza and then practice! That’s what I’ve done every day.’
Humphries has undergone a stunning body transformation in recent years during his rise in the sport.
The 28-year-old has previously credited his recent success to his incredible body transformation – which has seen him shed over four stone since 2021.
Images from Humphries’ social media pages do well to show Humphries’ impressive changes – with the darts star looking far slimmer in his recent pictures.
Speaking to Sky Sports recently, he said: ‘I think that being fitter and healthier helps with longer days and it is no coincidence that I never used to be able to get to those quarter finals, semi finals because I would run out of energy.
‘The European Tour finals, they are the longest possible days you could imagine and I am doing them at a canter now and I could probably go three more games after the final.
‘So losing the weight is a key part of where I am now because I don’t think I would be where I am now as the unfit and unhealthy version of me. It is another piece of the puzzle to make me where I am now.’
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
