Premier League Darts 2025: Luke Humphries Wins Night 1 in Belfast

Luke Littler began the defence of his Premier League title with a showdown against Michael van Gerwen in Belfast, revisiting their epic Ally Pally final from January. 

The opening night saw eight of the sport’s biggest names battle it out, with the familiar format rewarding the nightly winner with five points and a £10,000 prize. The runner-up claimed three points, while the two other semi-finalists picked up two apiece.

With the race to Finals Night at the O2 on May 29 now underway, the pressure was on for Littler, Van Gerwen, Luke Humphries, Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price, Nathan Aspinall, Chris Dobey, and Stephen Bunting to make an early statement in the 16-week league phase, where only the top four will compete for the £275,000 top prize.

The new season kicked off with former world champion Gerwyn Price facing the returning Chris Dobey, who was back in the competition after missing out last year.

Both players had fond memories of Belfast, with Dobey marking his debut in 2023 by winning the night, while Price lit up the stage in 2022 by becoming the first player to hit two nine-darters in a single evening.

Despite questions over his inclusion in this year’s line-up after a dip in form last season, Price delivered a solid performance but fell short in a high-quality contest. Dobey edged out the Welshman 6-4 in a fire storming encounter, securing a winning return to the Premier League stage.

Next up, two players who have both already picked up titles on the World Series, Bunting in Bahrain and Cross in Den Bosch. 

The former world champion Cross, who has been going under the radar over the past 12 months, despite not winning a ranking televised title since 2021, he is a prime example of consistency as he reached at least the quarterfinal stage at four televised ranking tournament last season, placing him fourth in the PDC’s order of merit. 

It was Cross who got the better of the fan favourite Bunting too. The match wasn’t as easy as it could have been for Cross. He looked in a prime position to win the match, 6-3, however two missed darts in the 10^th leg allowed Bunting to almost save the match as clinch a stunning 137 three-dart checkout. Cross would however seal the deal in the next leg, hitting a clutch 72 checkout to win 6-4 in the end. 

The standout clash of the night saw a thrilling rematch of the 2025 World Championship final, as reigning champion Luke Littler took on seven-time Premier League winner Michael van Gerwen in a renewal of their growing rivalry.

Belfast had been the catalyst for Littler’s dominant Premier League campaign last year, as his first weekly win propelled him to three more victories, the top spot in the league phase, and ultimately the title at the O2. This time, however, the Dutchman had other plans.

The match lived up to its billing, with both players holding throw in the opening four legs before the fireworks began. Littler sparked the contest into life with a stunning 161 checkout in the fourth leg, then capitalised on three missed darts at double 10 from Van Gerwen to grab the first break and edge 3-2 ahead.

Van Gerwen hit straight back, breaking in the next leg with a brilliant 114 checkout before riding the momentum to three consecutive legs, putting himself on the brink of victory at 5-3.

But Littler, as he so often does, refused to go quietly. A pair of missed match darts from Van Gerwen in the 10th leg allowed the teenager to break back before he delivered a clinical 87 finish on the bullseye to force a deciding leg.

This time, Van Gerwen made no mistake. On his fifth match dart, he sealed the win, handing Littler a rare defeat despite the teenager producing a staggering 113.91 three-dart average—eerily similar to his recent loss to Jonny Clayton at the World Masters. It was a clear reminder that even at his very best, Littler is not invincible.

The final quarter-final of the night saw world number one Luke Humphries take on former World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall, whose inclusion in this year’s lineup had raised some eyebrows.

Aspinall endured a nightmare start to the season, conceding the first four legs in convincing fashion and struggling to make an impression on the match. The doubts surrounding his place in the competition seemed justified as he failed to make any headway.

The 2020 World Matchplay champion found a spark, sarcastically celebrating as he won the fifth leg to avoid the whitewash. That moment of frustration seemed to fuel a brief rally, as he claimed the next leg to pull within 4-2.

But Humphries was in control throughout, keeping his composure to finish the job with a clinical 6-2 victory. The win secured him a semi-final clash with Michael van Gerwen, as he continued his impressive start to the season.

The first semi-final between Chris Dobey and Rob Cross was a true marathon, with neither player hitting top gear early on. Both struggled to find their rhythm, averaging under 90 in the opening legs.

It took until the sixth leg for things to ignite, with Cross producing the fastest leg of the match—a clinical 12-darter—to edge ahead 4-3. Although, ‘Hollywood’ wasn’t about to be written off, responding with a stunning 170 checkout to level the score at 4-4.

The momentum quickly shifted in Dobey’s favour, as he followed up with a brilliant 120 Shanghai checkout to take a 5-4 lead. From there, he continued to turn up the heat, moving one step closer to history.

In the end, Dobey sealed the deal with a 6-4 victory, booking his spot in the final and positioning himself just one win away from claiming his second Premier League night victory in Belfast.

Both players averaged over 105 in their quarterfinals, but van Gerwen faced a tougher challenge against Littler. Meanwhile, he had only managed to beat Humphries once in six Premier League meetings in 2024.

Cool Hand Luke took early control of the match, including a stunning 130 checkout to break Van Gerwen’s throw and go 3-1 up. 

From that point on, Van Gerwen wrestled the momentum back, producing a dominant spell of play. He rattled off three consecutive legs, averaging over 110 to move ahead 4-3.

But just when it seemed he was in full control, Van Gerwen lost his composure in the next leg, missing eight darts at double. That allowed Humphries to level the match at 4-4, and the Dutchman’s confidence seemed to evaporate, with his scoring dipping dramatically.

Despite this, Van Gerwen managed to battle back and force a deciding leg at 5-5. However, with the match on the line, he missed a match dart at the bullseye, gifting Humphries the chance to secure the win and eliminate the seven-time champion.