Humphries wins Premier League opener in Belfast

World fig 1 Luke Humphries thrashed Chris Dobey 6-1 to triumph the 2025 Premier League's opening nighttime successful Belfast.

Humphries, who lifted the World Masters rubric connected Sunday, boasted an 86% occurrence complaint connected his doubles and 3 100-plus checkouts successful the all-English encounter.

He had trailed 4-3 successful his semi-final against Michael van Gerwen, but took 3 consecutive legs to advancement aft the Dutchman faltered connected his doubles and missed a lucifer dart astatine bullseye.

Van Gerwen earlier triumphed 6-5 successful a breathtaking quarter-final against satellite champion Luke Littler, who averaged 113.91 – the highest mean astatine the venue and the second-highest losing people successful the competition's history.

Dobey was besides 4-3 down successful the semis, but deed a 'big fish' 170 checkout to level against 2018 satellite champion Rob Cross arsenic helium reeled disconnected 3 consecutive legs to win.

Van Gerwen reached the semi-finals successful a rematch of past month's last astatine Alexandra Palace wherever Littler became darts' youngest satellite champion, aged 17.

There was a small spot of added spice to the build-up erstwhile Van Gerwen criticised the teenager's timekeeping astatine a media time connected Wednesday.

Littler kept his chap players waiting for 45 minutes and said helium had overslept aft taking a greeting nap.

"They request to halt treating him similar a baby. He's not a babe immoderate more, he's 18 years aged now," Van Gerwen said.

Littler said earlier the match: "He's not wrong, I was late. I'm 18 now, liable for my actions and did get a small telling off."

There was nary hanging astir erstwhile the brace reached the oche arsenic they traded 11-dart legs earlier Littler's 161 checkout made it 2-2.

Van Gerwen deed a 114 decorativeness to spell 4-3 up but went connected to miss 4 lucifer darts and Littler nailed bullseye to unit a decider, earlier the Dutchman yet prevailed connected treble eight.

Humphries saw disconnected Nathan Aspinall 6-2, portion Stephen Bunting's instrumentality to the Premier League aft a decennary distant ended with a 6-4 nonaccomplishment to Cross.

Dobey edged the finishing arsenic helium bushed Wales' 2021 satellite champion Gerwyn Price 6-4 successful the opening match.

Final

Luke Humphries 6-1 Chris Dobey

Semi-finals

Chris Dobey 6-4 Rob Cross

Michael van Gerwen 5-6 Luke Humphries

Quarter-finals

Chris Dobey 6-4 Gerwyn Price

Stephen Bunting 4-6 Rob Cross

Luke Littler 5-6 Michael van Gerwen

Nathan Aspinall 2-6 Luke Humphries

Premier League Darts is played crossed 16 archetypal weeks successful the league signifier with quarter-finals, semi-finals and a last each night.

Each of the 8 players is guaranteed to look the different 7 successful the quarter-finals successful weeks 1-7 and 9-15, with weeks 8 and 16's fixtures determined by the league table. It means we volition get 4th v 5th successful Sheffield connected the last league-stage night, with the play-off spots perchance connected the line.

Players gain 2 points per quarter-final win, an further constituent if they triumph their semi-final and 5 for winning the night.

The apical 4 players aft the radical signifier advancement to the play-off nighttime astatine London's O2 Arena connected 29 May, with archetypal facing 4th and 2nd against 3rd successful a best-of-19-leg match. The final, which is the champion of 21 legs, follows.

If players are level connected points aft the 16 weeks, past places are decided by nights won and past matches won.

13 February successful Glasgow, 19:00 GMT

Quarter-finals

Rob Cross v Luke Littler

Michael van Gerwen v Stephen Bunting

Nathan Aspinall v Gerwyn Price

Luke Humphries v Chris Dobey