World Grand Prix Glory As Luke Humphries Wins His Maiden TV Title.

Luke Humphries won the BoyleSports World Grand Prix in Leicester on Sunday with the best performance of his career, defeating Gerwyn Price 5-2 in a thrilling final.

Humphries, a former World Youth Champion, won his first televised ranking championship and £120,000 with the victory, moving him past Price to a career-high fourth on the PDC Order of Merit.

Price was vying for his second World Grand Prix title in his third final in four years, and he got off to a flying start, winning the first set without reply.

Humphries, on the other hand, won nine of the following 11 legs in a three-set surge that turned the game around and put him 3-1 up at Leicester’s Morningside Arena.

Price withstood Humphries’ 170 to win the fifth set in a decider, but the next two fell to the Englishman, who went on to complete a memorable victory with a remarkable 138 checkout.

“I’ve imagined this moment for my whole career – it’s very emotional,” admitted Humphries, who averaged 93.30 in the double-start format in the final.

“Regardless of anything else I’ve done in my career, that was the greatest game I’ve ever played in my life.

“That 138 is probably one of the best shots I’ve ever seen in my career, let alone [to win] the title. If I didn’t hit that, we go off to the break and Gezzy feels that he’s back in the game.

“I couldn’t have picked a better ending for my first major title. I think a lot of people wrote me off tonight, they thought Gezzy would steamroll me, but I’ve got a bit of bottle about me, I have got the ability to play well.

“As much as I played well, that was a great final and I think Gezzy played his part there. He was a massive part of such a great game and credit goes to him.”

Price punished Humphries’ nervous starting doubles in set one, capturing the set without reply, before the Englishman got off to a flying start in set two with a scintillating 12-darter that featured only ten scoring darts.

Humphries won the first set 3-1, then mirrored that score in set three, despite an 11-darter from Price, before capturing the fourth set without reply to take the match 3-1.

Humphries started the fifth with a rollicking 170 checkout, but Price responded with a 117 checkout and punished his opponent’s misses to win the set in a decider.

The sixth set was again decided by a deciding leg, with the pair swapping 180s until Humphries pinned double eight to go 4-2 ahead and closing in on the title.

Price led 1-0 and 2-1 in the seventh set, but Humphries equalised and then clinched the title with a spectacular 138 checkout.

Humphries had lost in the 2021 UK Open final, but has made steady progress up the rankings since, with a string of European Tour victories to back up his stage experience.

“I said [after the semi-finals] that we will see what Luke Humphries is made of tomorrow; whether I’ve got or I ain’t – and I think I proved now to myself that I have got it,” he added.

“Sometimes in my career, my Achilles heel has been my doubles and it’s quite funny that the major championship I pick up is the double start!

“I think this is the first in a lot [of titles] that will come over the years, but we’re in an era where there’s so many great players and these are hard to come by.

“I dedicate this to my dad, because without him I wouldn’t be here right now. It’s been 13, 14 years since I first picked up a dart and now I’m a major champion.

“I’ve worked extremely hard in the last few years, lost a lot of weight, battled many things in my head to get to this point and it makes it all worth it having this trophy.”