Luke Littler Wins Premier League Final in Thrilling Win 

Teenager Luke Littler (17) secured his first major title with an exciting 11-7 victory over world champion Luke Humphries (29) at London’s O2 Arena on Thursday evening.

Littler dominated Michael Smith 10-5 in the opening semi-final before defeating Cool Hand Luke in a rematch of January’s World Championship final.

World number one Humphries had earlier bested reigning Premier League champion Michael van Gerwen 10-5.

“I’m just enjoying it,” the triumphant Littler told Sky Sports after lifting his trophy. “I’ve been practicing hard and you can probably see it on the oche. I was dead focused, I didn’t want to blink.

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“I’m a major winner; I can put myself in that hat now. I can’t wait to play in all the events. I’ve done so well on the Euro Tour and Pro Tour that I’m guaranteed to be in the Matchplay and Grand Prix.

“We’ll (he and Humphries) meet in many finals – and now it’s 1-1 in finals!”

Littler racked up an impressive 10 180s in the final, averaging 105.6, while Humphries hit 102.47 despite the loss. Littler also achieved a superb nine-darter in the ninth leg, thrilling the record darts crowd of 14,000.

The young star had topped the standings after 16 nights of the regular season, gaining confidence on the oche and in front of large audiences as the campaign progressed. On the night at the O2, he appeared more focused, rarely interacting with the crowd or engaging in any antics as he had in recent weeks.

Humphries, gracious in defeat, praised his opponent’s performance in the final.

“Tonight he was much stronger than I was and he deserved to win,” runner-up Humphries told Sky Sports. “And if you look at the season as a whole, he deserved to be Premier League champion.

“It’s been a learning curve for me and for Luke as well. We both played our part in this tournament and I’m really proud to make the final.

“Of course I’m gutted not to win but you can’t win everything. Six out of seven major finals for me now, I can only build on it.

“I’m proud of Luke, everyone knows what I think of him, I love him to bits, he’s a great lad. I hope he enjoys himself and he deserves this moment.”

In addition to his first major trophy, Littler takes home £275,000 in prize money.