Luke Littler breaks stunning record but is denied Premier League win by Luke Humphries

Luke Littler shattered a Premier League record but was denied a night four victory in the final by Luke Humphries

The 18-year-old was in sensational form on night four of the Premier League in Exeter as he looked to take his second session win.

Littler was in record-breaking form, but it wasn’t quite enough to beat HumphriesHe began his night with a sensational quarter-final victory over Stephen Bunting, hitting ten 180’s in a phenomenal 6-3 win.

It was yet another record broken for ‘The Nuke’ with the number of maximums the most ever registered by a single player in a Premier League match of this format.

Bunting contributed six 180’s to the power scoring contest, totalling 16, which was also a combined record for a Premier League match.

The 18-year-old then ousted friend Nathan Aspinall with a brilliant 109 average 6-2 to reach a final against nemesis and world No.1 Luke Humphries.

Read More In DartsOverall, it was a final competed at a lower standard than accustomed for the most talented pairing in the sport.

And despite being 4-1 up in the final, he was denied yet another fairytale night, being beaten by leading PDC ranked player Humphries.

‘Cool Hand’ capitalised on some frustrating misfires from Littler, who was still averaging 97, but it wasn’t enough with Humphries cruising at the top of the table by taking the points.

He finds himself seven points adrift in the Premier League table with Humphries out in front of 15, while Littler sits pretty in second on eight.

On his victory, Humphries said: “It felt hard work, but felt good in a weird way.

“I felt like my game was in a good place but in certain moments in the game I struggled so it was a bit strange.

Humphries got the job done in Exeter at Littler’s unfortunate expenseCredit: Getty”Luke played fantastic tonight, he didn’t play as great in the final but I managed to step on the gas.

“It was like I did in the other two games, right at the end of the game, the last two legs were fantastic as they were against Gezzy and against Rob as well.”

Littler will of course be no way disappointed given he remains firmly on course to qualify for the play-offs as things stand in the early stages.

Providing he continues to perform consistently well, he will be perfectly positioned to deliver again on the play-offs night at London’s O2 Arena on May 29.

But of course, given his winners mentality he will be looking to bounce back and secure his second night victory next week when week five gets underway in Brighton.

It has been a record-breaking year for Littler in so many ways, having become the sport’s youngest ever world champion in January.

Littler will be hoping to keep pace with Humphries in the coming weeksCredit: GettyThe teenage prodigy has boundless talent and has become a talisman for the sport’s continued growth.

But the packed schedule doesn’t stop as he looks to take on the UK Open this weekend in Minehead, an extravaganza compared to football’s FA Cup competition.

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