We have our World Darts Championship 2024 final – the two Lukes, and it is one of the most eagerly anticipated finals I can remember. On the one hand, we have a player who has been rising and rising through the world of darts, and whatever happens tonight will become the new world number one. Whilst on the other, we have a 16 year old whose every performance captures the public’s attention.
I have been resolute in my belief from before the tournament began that Humphries was the man to beat, following his dominance of the last few months, and even though many lost faith in him in the early rounds, he has pulled through.
The ‘Cool Hand’ Route To The Final
Pietreczko led 3-1 in sets, but was denied. Cullen missed two match darts, yet Humphries found a way to turn it around. From then on though, “Cool Hand” has dazzled – he has lost just one set in his last two matches, and his annihilation of Scott Williams saw both our tips land in the semi finals of beating both the 180s and the sets handicap with plenty of room to spare.
His average of almost 109 has only been bettered by Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld (in a game Barney lost to MvG) at a world championship – that is esteemed company, but company he fully deserves to be keeping.
I did not believe anything could shake my faith in Humphries throughout this tournament, but if anything could, it might be “The Nuke”. What we are seeing as astonishing. At every turn I have had doubts and concerns; will he be able to handle the occasion? Will he be able to cope with the pressure and expectation? Will he be able to manage if someone really starts to put pressure on him? The answer to those questions has not just been a resounding affirmative, but a yes so emphatic that it is being heard around the world.
A Teenage Tungsten Talent
One cannot predict the future, but Luke Littler’s looks as bright as anyone’s in this sport. It is not simply the excitement that comes from a young player’s potential to perform, but that he has the ability right now to achieve everything he wants. The standard he has consistently produced is good enough to win the biggest prize in the sport.
It might be good enough to win it at a canter. What Rob Cross threw at him in the early exchanges of their semi-final would have been enough to knock even the best players in the world off-kilter, but the teenager merely knuckled down and came right back at him. At times it seems the only effective way of dealing with this weapons-grade Luketonium is to seal it in a lead-lined box and dump it in the middle of the ocean.
The Humphries Era
I felt that recent months signalled us entering an era where Humphries could be the dominant force in the sport, and that may still turn out to be the case. “Cool Hand” will definitely be trying to make that happen, and would have been fully anticipating challenges from the likes of Gerwyn Price, van Gerwen and countless others.
But now we must throw Littler into the mix as well. Forget the rankings – if you had to say how many players are better than him at the moment, how many would you name? I do not even have an answer myself, but there would not be many names on the list. We are working on a small sample size, but we can only go on what we have seen thus far.
The biggest game in the sport will see Luke Humphries, the best player in the world right now, take on Luke Littler, one of the best prospects this sport has ever seen. We should all be excited by it. This will be the youngest world final in darts history by some distance, and it could produce a contest that is talked about for far longer than it took either of them to get here. I expect ‘Cool Hand’ to be holding The Sid Waddell Trophy on The Alexandra Palace stage this evening, but the only thing guaranteed is fireworks, it should be a darting extravaganza with 180s a-plenty.
Recommendations
PDC World Darts Championship Final 2024
Luke Humphries Over 17.5 180s with kwiff at 1.90
18+
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By Dan Dawson
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