Luke Humphries retained his Players Championship trophy by beating rival Luke Littler 11-7 in a final marred by whistling.
‘Cool Hand Luke’ survived a scare in Minehead on Sunday night to scoop his seventh major title.
Humphries has retained his Players Championship trophy[/caption]
Humphries threatened to run away with the final after stumbling to a 4-1 lead, before Littler fought back to make it 8-7 in the former’s favour.
But Humphries reeled off three consecutive legs to show to fans why he is the world No.1 and one of the favourites for the PDC World Championship last month.
However there can be no rematch between the defending champion and Littler in the final again with the duo both drawn in the same half, meaning a mouthwatering semi-final could be on the cards.
And should that happen, the duo will be desperate for fans to behave themselves – unlike a select few in the Players Championship final.
Some supporters in attendance could be heard whistling as Humphries prepared to throw, with it obvious that it was affecting his rhythm.
As the whistles got louder and more consistent when Humphries approached the oche, referee Charlie Corstorphine intervened in the 14th leg to deliver a message to the crowd.
Loudly, he simply announced: “Stop whistling, thank you.”
That appeared to do the trick, as whistles soon turned to cheers, with fans treated to a world class affair.
Social media was quick to applaud Corstorphine for how he handled the incident which restored order in the final.
Taking to X, one fan posted: “Lot of respect for Charlie Corstorphine there.”
Another messaged: “Fair play Charlie Corstorphine telling them d***heads whistling to shut up.”
A third added: “Charlie Corstorphine showing some serious b******* calling out to the crowd, how it should be done every single time, if continues take players off the stage until security chuck the t****** out.”
Meanwhile this user simply stated: “Big up Charlie Corstorphine.”
Humphries, who has now won five TV titles in 2024, was jubilant in his post-match interview after banking the £120,000 winners’ cheque.
He told ITV: “This [trophy] was in my living room a couple of months ago and now I have it back!
“I didn’t feel myself this weekend. I was a dart behind.
“Luke drives me on, he makes me want to be a better player. I enjoy playing him.
“I am proud that I didn’t take my foot off the gas. It was a fantastic game again with Luke, he’s a special talent.
“Luke is probably the best player in the world right now.
“I told him I have to win these trophies before he starts to do so.
“These big games are what I live for, dream of, and to be a champion is why I do this, why I travel the world.
“I never give up. I know I can beat Luke. This is the best way to go into the worlds.”
