Luke Humphries strengthened his dominance on the oche by defeating Michael van Gerwen and became the World Matchplay Darts Title. A terrific tournament ended with a fantastic final between Humphries and MvG and it was a symbolic showdown for many reasons.
World Matchplay Darts: Cool Hand Fires in Blackpool
Cool Hand Luke became only the second player to record five ton-plus averages on the Winter Gardens stage, a record he now shares with the great Phil Taylor. The Newbury arrowsmith also became only the second reigning world champion to win the World Matchplay, once again following in the footsteps of 16-time PDC king Taylor. Here’s what we can take from the tournament with plenty more to play for as the season progresses.
World Matchplay Darts: Humphries Dominance Continues
Luke Humphries’ success at the World Matchplay means that he now holds five of the six biggest ranking event titles in darts. Cool Hand Luke has the World Championship, Players Championship Finals, Grand Slam, Grand Prix and World Matchplay trophies in his possession, and the UK Open, in which the Newbury arrowsmith was a beaten finalist, is the only major ranking crown missing from the 29-year-old’s collection.
The Blackpool final against Michael van Gerwen was interesting as Mighty Mike was the last arrowsmith to have dominated the sport in a way that Humphries is threatening. Clearly, Cool Hand Luke has a couple more years before he can be viewed as holding the supremacy of a peak MVG or Phil Taylor, but from what we have seen over the past nine months, that looks a very real possibility.
World Matchplay Darts: Changing of the guard
Two-time world champion Peter Wright made his 14th World Matchplay appearance in this year’s Blackpool extravaganza, but you wonder if there will be many more to come. Snakebite was a brilliant performer at his peak, but the Scot has been way below his best for sometime and a 10-5 first-round defeat to Andrew Gilding was another poor return. The 54-year-old is starting to tumble down the rankings, and with lots of prize money to protect, Wright may have to yield to the PDC’s rising stars.
Michael van Gerwen’s decline is less dramatic, but it now seems pretty clear that the Green Machine’s peak has been left behind. Yes. MVG made the Matchplay final, but it was mid-to-high 90s averages in the main and that is a long way away from Mighty Mike’s glory days. The Dutchman hasn’t won a major ranking title since lifting the Players Championship Finals in 2022 and a return to the dominance of the past seems unlikely.
World Matchplay Darts: Time to Deliver
With Luke Humphries dominating and teenage sensation Luke Littler seemingly waiting in the wings, talented PDC performers have to start making their mark in major events. The Pro Tour performances of the likes of Chris Dobey, Ross Smith and Ryan Searle have shown that the trio are good enough to reach major finals and win televised tournaments on a regular basis and they need to deliver on that promise. Smith, who was beaten by James Wade in the Winter Gardens quarter-finals, looks one to watch for the remainder of the season.
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