Van Gerwen secures play-off spot despite Humphries' victory

Seven-time champion Michael van Gerwen secured his spot in the Premier League Darts play-offs despite a narrow 6-5 loss to world champion Luke Humphries in the final of night 15 in Leeds. This marked Humphries’ fourth victory of the season, matching Van Gerwen and teenager Luke Littler’s record. Humphries’ win also kept him in contention for the top spot, potentially facing the fourth-placed player in the play-offs at London’s O2 Arena on May 23rd.

The final week of the regular season will determine fixtures based on the league table standings. Fourth-placed Nathan Aspinall will face fifth-placed Michael Smith in the quarter-finals, with the winner securing the final play-off berth. For Humphries, the victory was particularly significant, especially in his hometown of Leeds, given the recent disappointment of his football team, Leeds United. He described it as one of his greatest experiences in darts, following his major win and the World Championship victory.

Despite feeling fatigued from juggling various competitions, Humphries delivered a stellar performance throughout the evening, even debuting his new walk-on song by Leeds band Kaiser Chiefs. Humphries’ path to victory included convincing wins over Rob Cross and Michael Smith. Although the final was marked by some frustrations due to a draught, Humphries maintained a consistent performance with an average score above 100 and secured the win.

As Humphries aims to secure the top spot, Van Gerwen looks to extend his record of winning the Premier League for an eighth time and his third in three years. It’s likely that Van Gerwen and Humphries will meet again in the play-offs, with the format pitting second against third and first against fourth in the opening ties.