This Week In Darts – 15th Of March 2024

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT

Luke Humphries is the man to beat this weekend at the Belgian Darts Open.

The reigning World Champion averaged 110.65 in the second round, outgunning James Wade 6-1.

It was his second best average ever on the European Tour; his previous one also against Wade. “I have nothing against him,” Humphries laughed. “Far from it, James is one of my best friends on the Pro Tour, we get along really well. He never tries to distract me and just lets me play my game.”

“I love the European Tour. Its made me the player I am today,” Humphries continued. “I didn’t have the best start to the season, but now I’m starting to feel like the world number one again.”

Luke Humphries will next square off with Ryan Searle on Sunday afternoon in the last sixteen. “Everyone knows what I am capable of and what I can produce, and now I believe I am doing it on a more consistent basis.”

THE WINS CONTINUE

Luke Humphries admits he feels like he ‘belongs’ in the BetMGM Premier League, after celebrating his first nightly victory in Brighton on Thursday.

Humphries stole the show producing a trio of ton-plus averages to top Gerwyn Price, Rob Cross and Michael Smith on Night Six at the Brighton Centre. The World Champion conceded just eight legs in three matches, catapulting himself up to second in the Premier League table.

Humphries also registered his highest televised average in a remarkable semi-final win over Cross. He averaged an impressive 113.71 and landed a hat-trick of 11-darters on his way to a 6-3 victory. He also averaged 105 in his quarter-final demolition of Price, before wrapping things up with a 6-3 win over Smith that saw him average 101 in the process.

“This is the best I’ve played and the best I’ve felt since the World Championship,” Humphries admitted.

“I played really well and it was my night,” he continued. “Next week it might not be that way, but I am really proud of the way I played here.”

The Newbury-born ace is bidding to become the third player in the space of five years to triumph on his Premier League debut, and he insists he’s relishing the experience.

“I feel like I belong here, and hopefully I’m here for a long time in the future.”

SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP SCENE

It’s the end of an era. Phil Taylor, a legendary figure in the world of professional darts, has exited his final World Championship match following a first-round defeat against Manfred Bilderl.

The 16-time World Champion fired three maximums and posted an 83.02 average, but struggled with his finishing during a disappointing farewell tournament at the Circus Tavern.

Taylor battled back from two sets down and took the match to a decider, where Bilderl emerged victorious to cement a second-round meeting with Chris Mason, who himself reached the second round by beating Daryl Fitton 3-1.

Over the years, Taylor has amassed quite the legacy at Circus Tavern. Prior to this latest match, the 63-year-old pro had reached the final in all 14 of the PDC World Darts Championship finals held there and won 11 of them.

The second round will take place on Saturday, with the quarter-finals held on Sunday afternoon ahead of both the semi-finals and finals later that evening.

FUTURE PROSPECTS

After capturing a PDC Tour Card last month, young talent Joshua Richardson has officially fulfilled his dream with a debut in the Pro Tour.

Richardson will be competing at the first two Players Championships of the year next week.

“I am still buzzing, I really am. It still feels surreal, but now I just can’t wait for it to start,” Richardson recently told Tungsten Tales.

The 25-year-old Englishman has been known as an up and comer in the world of professional darts for some time now. He won the JDC World Championship in 2015 and the World Youth Championship within the BDO a year later. “I think I got my first set of darts when I was seven years old,” he recalls. “Since then I just fell in love with it and I kept playing and playing. Every time I got back from school, I was on the board.”

While he relishes being able to play against top talent like Michael van Gerwen, Richardson admits that his first year will most likely have a different focus. “I’ll probably take the first year as experience, just to see where I am at, at the end of the year,” he concludes. “I don’t want to go back to Q-School now with how hard it is!”