Luke Humphries managed to ruin his own 180 after knocking his darts off the board with his third attempt. The darts sensation was left red-faced during his World Darts Championship final against teenage sensation Luke Littler.
In a thrilling showdown between two of darts’ next generation, Humphries flew into a one-set lead against his 16-year-old opponent. Cool Hand was the more composed player in the opening exchanges.
Humphries remained ahead until the fifth set, with Littler chasing his opponent’s score. However, Littler turned the match around and led 3-2. It was then that Humphries began to struggle.
The 28-year-old was two legs down when he was on course for a 180 that would have brought him back into the set. His first two darts hit treble 20, setting up the opportunity to score a maximum.
However, with luck not quite on his side, Humphries’ third shot hit another dart. It sent two of them tumbling to the ground, with only one treble 20 remaining on the board.
The mishap meant that Humphries went from a guaranteed 180 to just 60 points. An embarrassed Humphries turned around in disbelief before looking at someone who was standing off screen and shaking his head.
“Oh my word!” Sky Sports commentator Wayne Mardle exclaimed.
Continuing over a replay of the incident, Mardle continued: “We’ve seen Gary Anderson against Phil Taylor lose all three… oh!”
The error did not deter Humphries, though. He overcame the episode and went on to win the set, taking the score to 4-3. The reigning World Grand Prix champion rekindled his form and soon led 6-4 in a remarkable comeback.
Ahead of facing Littler, Humphries admitted that he would need to be at the top of his game to defeat the youngster. “The way he’s played, I’ve seen [people play like that] many times, but when you come up on stage it can be a lot tougher,” Humphries said after his semi-final victory over Scott Williams.
“He’s proven that he’s got a lot of bottle. Tomorrow is not going to faze him at all, so I’m probably going to have to play the game of my life to stand a chance of beating him.
“I know what’s in front of me, I’ve got to play my best tomorrow and I know that. But I’m hoping I make him play his best as well and we give the fans hopefully one of the best world finals there’s ever been.”
