Goldflinger Luke Humphries Strikes Nine-Darter in Brighton

Cool Hand Luke Humphries made Premier League darts history by firing in a stunning nine-darter, but despite the incredible achievement, it wasn’t enough to secure victory against Rob Cross.

Humphries’ perfect leg, completed with a flawless 180, 180, and a 141 checkout on double 12, earned him a set of exclusive 18-carat gold darts worth £30,000. He became the 11th player to hit a nine-darter in Premier League history and added his name to the list of just 17 perfect legs ever recorded in the competition.

However, the world No.1 couldn’t capitalise on the moment, as Cross delivered an outstanding performance, averaging 111.19 and securing a 6-4 win. Despite the loss, Humphries remains top of the league table after five weeks of play.

His nine-darter was the first in the tournament since Luke Littler’s perfect leg in last year’s final, and the crowd erupted as Humphries sealed the historic moment.

"It’s a dream to hit a nine-darter on the big stage, and the crowd went wild," he said. " I think the good darts would be too heavy in grams for me to use them in Nottingham next week, but it would be quite funny if I rocked up with them, wouldn’t it? It will be a nice moment to have - I wouldn’t sell them, I’ll put them on display in my house.”

While the achievement was special, Humphries admitted it took him a moment to refocus, and Cross took full advantage.

"“When you’re up on stage, you’re not thinking about what you can win if you hit a nine-darter but it was a nice one to hit on the big stage, regardless what you get for it. It took me a couple of legs to come down from it but I can’t take anything away from Rob - he played fantastic," he said.

Despite the defeat, Humphries remains optimistic about his Premier League campaign.

“I’ve still made a great start to the Premier League - 15 points after fie weeks, I’ll take that every time and I’m looking good for the play-offs because 25, 27 points will probably get you in” he added.

Taking to social media after his first scoreless night of the tournament, Humphries posted:

"Darts is a funny old game! Buzzing to hit the nine-darter, but of course, I’d rather have done it in a win. Fair play to Rob—he played brilliantly."

While the result wasn’t what he wanted, Humphries' moment of perfection will be remembered for years to come—along with his brand-new set of golden darts.

 

Luke Littler continued his scintillating form to triumph on Night Five of the BetMGM Premier League.

Newly crowned UK Open champion Littler extended his winning run to nine matches with victory at the Brighton Centre, sealed with a 6-3 success against Nathan Aspinall in Thursday’s showpiece.

Littler also overcame Chris Dobey and Michael van Gerwen on the south coast as he secured his second nightly win of the campaign, to close to within two points of league leader Humphries.

The World Champion survived a scare in his quarter-final clash against Dobey, defying a ton-plus average from the Bedlington star and wrapping up victory with a 110 finish in the decider.

Littler then dispatched seven-time champion Van Gerwen with a 106 average in the last four, before accounting for Aspinall to leave Brighton with a maximum five-point haul and the £10,000 bonus.

Aspinall, meanwhile, leapfrogged Van Gerwen into third position after defeating Stephen Bunting and Cross to progress to his second nightly final in three weeks.

The Stockport star was imperious in his 6-2 thumping of Bunting, averaging 106.46 and crashing in six 180s to prolong Bunting’s wait for a Premier League victory in 2025.

Aspinall then defied an average of almost 107 from Cross to win through a terrific semi-final, overturning a 4-2 deficit to celebrate his seventh straight win over the former World Champion.

Cross landed a sensational nine-darter in the sixth leg of the contest, although Aspinall wasn’t to be denied, following up a clinical 120 kill with a nerveless 70 checkout in the decider.

Humphries and Cross’ exploits earned the pair 18 carat gold darts - courtesy of tournament sponsors BetMGM – and Humphries reflected on a night of mixed emotions post-match.

The evening’s other quarter-final tie saw Van Gerwen punish a profligate display from Gerwyn Price to complete a 6-3 victory, which saw the Dutchman cement his place in the top four at Price’s expense.

The BetMGM Premier League roadshow rolls into Nottingham for Night Six on Thursday March 13, as Humphries and Littler go head-to-head in a battle between the league’s top two.

Aspinall and Van Gerwen collide in a crucial contest in the race for Play-Off qualification, while Cross will meet Dobey for the first time since they went head-to-head in the Night One semi-finals.

Elsewhere, Bunting will aim to avoid a sixth consecutive defeat when he takes on Price for a place in the last four at the Motorpoint Arena.

2025 BetMGM Premier League

Night Five - Thursday March 6
The Brighton Centre
Quarter-Finals

Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Gerwyn Price
Luke Littler 6-5 Chris Dobey
Rob Cross 6-4 Luke Humphries - Luke Humphries hits a nine-darter
Nathan Aspinall 6-2 Stephen Bunting

Semi-Finals
Luke Littler 6-2 Michael van Gerwen

Nathan Aspinall 6-5 Rob Cross - Rob Cross hits a nine-darter

Final
Luke Littler 6-3 Nathan Aspinall

 

2025 BetMGM Premier League

League Table After Night Five

Night Six - Thursday March 13

Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
Quarter-Finals
Luke Humphries v Luke Littler
Rob Cross v Chris Dobey
Stephen Bunting v Gerwyn Price
Nathan Aspinall v Michael van Gerwen

Semi-Finals
Humphries/Littler v Cross/Dobey
Bunting/Price v Aspinall/Van Gerwen

Final
v

All matches best of 11 legs