Defending champion Luke Littler silenced the boo boys to edge out world No 1 Luke Humphries 6-5 in Glasgow and pick up his first nightly win of the Premier League season.
The reigning champion staged a remarkable fightback from 5-1 down to defeat Rob Cross in the first match of the night before defeating Michael van Gerwen and halt Humphries’ bid for back-to-back nightly wins to kick off his season.
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PDC referee Kirk Bevins had to warn the crowd in Glasgow after jeers and whistling were aimed at Humphries during his final against Littler
Humphries came to the stage appearing to be struggling with a cut to his finger, but it didn’t seem to trouble his game as the duo went at it hammer and tongs from the off.
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Littler lands the biggest checkout of the night as his 170 was matched with a wild reeling celebration!
Littler reeled in a spectacular ‘The Big Fish’ in the third leg with Humphries coming close to hitting his own in the eighth leg.
The final, which was largely overshadowed by constant whistling in the crowd, was settled in a deciding-leg shoot-out won by Littler on D20.
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Littler shares his thoughts after his dramatic victory over Humphries in Glasgow
“It was a weird final. We both weren’t playing well. Now and then I looked up at the screen and we were both on a 90 average,” the 18-year-old from Warrington told Sky Sports.
“The crowd got involved. When Luke went 5-4 up, I thought just break him and I did well to hit an 11-darter. That was crucial.
“Getting past Rob [Cross], the comeback was unbelievable. I felt really confident against Michael and the final was a weird, weird game.”
Tale of the Tape
How the table looks after Glasgow
Littler and Humphries set up dream final
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Watch highlights of Littler’s semi-final victory over Van Gerwen
In a repeat of last week’s classic encounter, Littler was looking for revenge and he opened with back-to-back 13-dart legs, a 115 checkout, and a fourth D20 in succession to surge into a comfortable 4-0 lead before Van Gerwen stopped the rot in their semi-final encounter.
Teenager Littler put a stop to any sign of a resurgence from the Dutch star with a quality 94 finish on the bullseye to move within a leg of victory. He eventually sealed a stellar 6-2 win with a 104 average.
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Humphries showed his class against Price in the Premier League as he takes out 134 and 79 with double-double finishes
Humphries recovered from 4-2 down with four legs on the spin to deny Gerwyn Price and set up a blockbuster final with Littler.
‘Cool Hand’ finished with a 102 average, hitting five 180s and 50 per cent on the doubles, including finishes of 134, 105, and 99.
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Price whistled back at the crowd in Glasgow after many whistles and jeers were aimed at the Iceman during his match with Humphries
Littler fights back from 5-1 down to edge Cross in quarter-finals
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Watch how Littler came from 5-1 down to beat Cross 6-5…
Littler, the reigning Premier League and world champion, took on Cross, who picked up the first ProTour title earlier this year, and came into the quarter-final in red-hot form.
The 18-year-old, playing his 100th match on TV since turning professional, looked in a state of shock when ‘Voltage’ stung the teenager with a spectacular 128 checkout for a 12-dart break of throw in the third leg before consolidating it on his favourite D18.
Former world champion Cross broke Littler once more to move 4-1 up and the 34-year-old edged towards victory with a neat 14-darter in the next leg.
However, Littler, 18, began a remarkable fightback as he hit finishes of 78 and 68 along with 14 and 13-dart legs to level things up before reaching the semi-finals with a steady 88 checkout. It was also his 64th 100+ average (104.59).
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Van Gerwen produced a fantastic performance to defeat Bunting 6-1, with this 122 from MVG a pick of his best checkouts
Van Gerwen wrapped up an emphatic 6-1 win over Stephen Bunting with a 109 average, including a 122 checkout, and 6/9 on the doubles to set up a rematch of their Belfast quarter-final against Littler – a match he won in a dramatic last-leg decider.
Price, the 2023 Premier League runner-up, held firm to seal a hard-fought 6-4 win over Nathan Aspinall with 6/13 on the doubles for a place in the semi-finals, while Humphries reeled off four straight legs in 11, 14, 12 and 12 darts to topple Chris Dobey with a 106 average.
Where does the Premier League head next?
Live Premier League Darts
Thursday 20th February 7:00pm
The Premier League continues with Night 3 at the 3Arena, Dublin on Thursday February 20 as Bunting meets Humphries in the evening’s opener, while reigning champion Littler takes on 2023 runner-up Price. Watch Night 3 of Premier League Darts, 3Arena, Dublin, live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports+.
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