Luke Littler moved to the top of the Premier League Darts table with his fifth nightly win, coming from behind to beat Luke Humphries 6-5 in the Night 13 final in Aberdeen.
It was the first final between the world’s top two in this year’s tournament, and Humphries’ first final appearance since Night Six in Nottingham. He lost that final to Jonny Clayton, who was leapfrogged by Littler in Aberdeen as the 19-year-old secured a second straight nightly win despite again being met with boos from the crowd.
Littler began the final in style with an 11-dart leg and both players produced quality darts in the early exchanges. Humphries pegged it back to 2-2 with a 130 checkout and looked to seize control with a 10-dart leg for a 4-3 lead. A hold of throw left Humphries one leg away from victory, but Littler stormed back to take three legs in a row and clinch the match 6-5.
“I always want to be on the top,” Littler told Sky Sports. “Jonny [Clayton], I don’t know if he’s much bothered about it, but I want to chase and hopefully break my own record [of six nightly wins from 2025]. I was just comfortable tonight. Practice was going well and I’m obviously glad to bring it on the stage. The crowd were okay tonight, but definitely not the loudest. I think we need another Scottish player in the Premier League to bring the atmosphere up a little bit! I can’t wait for [Leeds] next week.”
Clayton, beaten 6-2 in his quarter-final by Gian van Veen, has already qualified for Finals Night at The O2 on May 28, alongside Littler, leaving two spots still to be decided. Van Veen’s quarter-final win boosted his hopes, though his 6-3 semi-final loss to Humphries means he and Humphries now trail Michael van Gerwen by two points with three nights remaining.
Van Gerwen had also been beaten 6-3 by Humphries in a crucial quarter-final earlier in the night, missing a chance to widen his lead. Gerwyn Price claimed two points with a 6-5 quarter-final victory over Stephen Bunting; Bunting, along with bottom-of-the-table Josh Rock, looks likely to be out of contention for Finals Night.
Rock was beaten 6-3 by Littler in the opening match, and Littler then crushed Price 6-1 in their semi-final — his 15th win in 16 matches against the Welshman.
Sky Sports Darts’ Wayne Mardle praised Littler’s temperament: “Before the Premier League started, Littler had four wins in year one, six in year two, and surely it was going to be seven, eight, nine here, but then it kind of stalled for a little bit. But the way he’s dealt with it the last two weeks – that final was not a coast, it was a hard game. He gets through all the pressurised moments better than anyone else. No one handles stressful situations on a dartboard better than Luke Littler right now. That’s why he wins. When you are 5-3 up in the final, that’s a missed opportunity for Humphries. If you’ve got the throw to win a tournament or a night, you feel like you’ve had the opportunity. Unfortunately, Luke Littler decided ‘I’m not going to give you a chance to win’. Humphries broke Littler in 10 darts, but he didn’t take the opportunity afterwards due to the brilliance of Littler. He’s in a way better spot than he was before the night began, it’s three welcome points. He’s got to believe he can somehow still make the Play-Offs, but tonight will still be bitterly disappointing for him.”
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