Humphries wins his opening night of the new season, losing an incredible eight legs across three victories. Seeing him rise to second in the 2024 BetMGM Premier League table.

It was a night full of hints that Luke Humphries is back to his best, after posting a 100+ average in each of his three games, including a staggering 113.71 average to dispatch Voltage in the semi-final.

Now, Michael van Gerwen’s lead stretches to a mere three points after six game weeks.

 

Luke Humphries triumphs in Brighton

The World Champion and World Number One raced to a 5-1 lead against the former World Number One, Michael Smith. With some incredible finishes along the way, including a 143 checkout and 12 darter in the third leg of the match, to reclaim his lead once again.

After leading 5-1 against the Bully Boy, Luke Humphries conceded the next two legs, giving Smith some late hope.

However, the excitement was shortly offset as Cool Hand pinned D8 in the ninth leg to win his first evening of the season.

On the third night in Glasgow, he was barely defeated 6-5 by Michael van Gerwen in a hard-fought final. Finally, Humphries maintained his composure to clinch a well-deserved victory, cementing his place in the top four alongside Luke Littler and Rob Cross.

 

Both had easily won their semi-finals by a score of 6-3, but their first games of the night were a story of two games.

The first game of the night for Humphries began as expected, with both the World Number One and the Welsh Number One sharing legs for the first four, but after that, it was all one way traffic as Humphries rushed to claim the last four legs of the game. That meant no early birthday present for the Iceman, and Cool Hand took the first place in Night Six’s Semi-Finals.

Humphries advanced to the final with a spectacular performance against Rob Cross, boosting his average to 113.71. Despite only achieving two 180s (four fewer than Cross), his clinical approach on the outer ring helped him cross the finish line.

Smith began the night against Wright, who was still hunting for his first point of the season. However, Smith’s inconsistency on doubles, converting 37.5% (6/16) and Snake Bite’s 41.67% (5/12), resulted in a nervous performance from both.

However, it came down to an eleven-leg, last-leg shootout, with Michael Smith advancing to the Semi-Final after surviving two darts from Peter Wright.

Michael Smith then squared up against teenage star Luke Littler, taking control of the first three legs before the Nuke answered with two of his own. The Bully Boy was able to carve out opportunities with multiple 140s and a 180 (five in all), giving him a 5-2 advantage.

Littler’s late leg proved to be a consolation, as Smith wrapped up the Semi-Final, pinning D10 after just missing the bullseye on the previous visit to take out 124.

Elsewhere in the Premier League

Following worries over Michael van Gerwen’s shoulder, it proved important, as Voltage capitalised and advanced to the Semi-Finals ahead of the Dutch Giant. As a result, Mighty Mike’s three consecutive nightly triumphs have been followed by consecutive quarterfinal defeats.

 

Despite handily defeating the league leader, he was pushed aside by eventual winner Luke Humphries, limiting his ability to profit as much as he would have liked from the MVG situation, but it did secure his spot in the 2024 BetMGM Premier League playoffs at the end of Night Six.

Aspinall was unable to emulate Michael van Gerwen’s back-to-back nightly triumphs, losing 6-3 against Luke Littler; despite the big hitting scores of the previous week, he only managed an average of 87.13 this week.

 

The wait for Wright’s first points last season was six weeks, and it has beyond six this season. Will he cross the finish line against Gerwyn Price next week in Nottingham?

Next week the 2024 BetMGM Premier League returns to Nottingham.

BetMGM Premier League – Night Six Results

The Brighton Centre, Brighton

Final

Luke Humphries 6-3 Michael Smith

Semi-finals

Luke Humphries 6-3 Rob Cross

Luke Littler 3-6 Michael Smith

Quarter-finals

Luke Humphries 6-2 Gerwyn Price

Rob Cross 6-2 Michael van Gerwen

Nathan Aspinall 3-6 Luke Littler

Michael Smith 6-5 Peter Wright