The World’s Top Two Clash in Night Eight of the Premier League Final in Newcastle
Luke Littler claimed a record-equaling fourth nightly win on Night Eight of the BetMGM Premier League in Newcastle on Thursday.
Littler - who also won four nights of the 2024 campaign, equalling Jonny Clayton's 2022 tally - thrashed world number one Luke Humphries 6-1 in the final at the Utilita Arena.
The teenage sensation began the night with a 109.98 average in a 6-0 quarter-final win over Stephen Bunting, before seeing off Rob Cross 6-3 in the semi-finals.
"Me and Luke both said we felt tired before the final, so I'm just happy to get over the line.
"I'm playing too well for players not to be thinking about playing me, rather than just playing the board."
The final clash between the world's top two saw both players struggle to find their fluent best, though Humphries nine out of ten missed double attempts allowed Littler a passage to the title.
Humphries took to Twitter to say, ‘Unfortunately me and Luke just ran out of steam in the final. especially myself gutted to play like that but there wasn’t much left in the tank!’
Humphries was unable to replicate the 106.73 average which saw him overcome Nathan Aspinall 6-5 in the semi-finals, having earlier denied Chris Dobey a fairytale homecoming with a 6-3 win in the quarter-finals.
Littler has opened up an eight-point gap at the top of the table, with Humphries five points clear of Michael van Gerwen in third.
Price, Cross and Aspinall remain in the Play-Off hunt, with Dobey and Bunting occupying the bottom two positions.
The BetMGM Premier League roadshow continues in Berlin on Thursday April 3, as Littler takes on Dobey and Humphries faces Cross.
Aspinall and Bunting open the night, while Van Gerwen and Price go head-to-head in the quarter-finals.
Night Eight - Thursday March 27
Utilita Arena, Newcastle
Quarter-Finals
Luke Littler 6-0 Stephen Bunting
Rob Cross 6-2 Gerwyn Price
Luke Humphries 6-3 Chris Dobey
Nathan Aspinall 6-5 Michael van Gerwen
Semi-Finals
Luke Littler 6-3 Rob Cross
Luke Humphries 6-5 Nathan Aspinall
Final
Luke Littler 6-1 Luke Humphries
Night Nine - Thursday April 3
Uber Arena, Berlin
Quarter-Finals
Nathan Aspinall v Stephen Bunting
Luke Humphries v Rob Cross
Chris Dobey v Luke Littler
Michael van Gerwen v Gerwyn Price
Semi-Finals
Aspinall/Bunting v Humphries/Cross
Dobey/Littler v Van Gerwen/Price
Final
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