Frank Keogh

BBC Sport Senior Journalist

World number one Luke Humphries defeated world champion Luke Littler 6-4 to win night four of the Premier League in Exeter.

Humphries, 30, came from 3-1 down to beat the 18-year-old, who had been in outstanding form in his earlier two matches despite suffering from a cold.

It was a second night win for league leader Humphries, who won the opener in Belfast before losing the Glasgow final to the teenager.

Littler was runner-up to Humphries in the 2024 world final but beat him to win last year’s Premier League.

And this was Humphries’ first win in seven Premier League matches against his fellow Englishman.

“Luke played fantastic tonight, he didn’t play as great in the final but I managed to step on the gas, like I did in the other two games, right at the end of the game,” said Humphries.

“Being sat on 15 points after four weeks, that’s a dream start for me and hopefully I can keep pushing and keep reeling in the points to guarantee a spot in the top four, because that’s all that really matters.”

Humphries hit two stunning checkouts – a 167 followed by a 116 – to snatch a 6-5 victory against Rob Cross in the semi-finals.

Littler saw off Nathan Aspinall 6-2 with a 109 average, having topped 112 in his opening defeat of Stephen Bunting.

The teenager hit 10 maximums – a record in this best-of-11-leg Premier League format – in the 6-3 win over Bunting, who hit six 180s of his own.

Little averaged 112.34 and was 67% on his doubles in a convincing win over Bunting.

It was a fourth defeat from four for Bunting, but he was far from disgraced with an average of 104.89.

Last week’s winner Gerwyn Price went down 6-4 to Humphries, who eventually got over the line after blowing four match darts in a nervy 10th leg where the Welshman missed six shots at the double.

Seven-time Premier League champion Michael van Gerwen lost his opener for the first time this year as he squandered three match darts in a 6-5 defeat by Cross.

Aspinall edged another shootout, performing marginally better on doubles to get the better of Chris Dobey.

Final

Luke Humphries 6-4 Luke Littler

Semi-finals

Rob Cross 5-6 Luke Humphries

Nathan Aspinall 2-6 Luke Littler

Quarter-finals

Michael van Gerwen 5-6 Rob Cross

Gerwyn Price 4-6 Luke Humphries

Chris Dobey 5-6 Nathan Aspinall

Stephen Bunting 3-6 Luke Littler

Premier League Darts is played across 16 initial weeks in the league stage with quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final each night.

Each of the eight players is guaranteed to face the other seven in the quarter-finals in weeks 1-7 and 9-15, with weeks 8 and 16’s fixtures done off the table. It means we will get fourth v fifth in Sheffield on the final league-stage night, with the play-off spots potentially on the line.

Players earn two points per quarter-final win, an additional point if they win their semi-final and five for winning the night.

The top four players after the group stage progress to the play-off night at London’s O2 Arena on 23 May, with first facing fourth and second against third in a best-of-19-leg match. The final, which is the best of 21 legs, follows.

If players are level on points after the 16 weeks then places are decided by nights won and then matches won.

Brighton, 6 March, 19:00 GMT

Gerwyn Price v Michael van Gerwen

Luke Littler v Chris Dobey

Rob Cross v Luke Humphries

Stephen Bunting v Nathan Aspinall

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