Luke Littler extended his lead at the top of the Premier League table with a dominant 6-1 victory over Luke Humphries in Newcastle. The teenager secured back-to-back Premier League wins, adding to his previous triumph by defeating Stephen Bunting and Rob Cross on his way to a fourth overall victory in the competition.
The final was a rematch of two previous encounters between Littler and Humphries this season, with each having won once before. This time, Littler took control early, racing into a 4-0 lead with three successive double 20 checkouts. Humphries struggled with missed doubles throughout the match, which proved costly as Littler capitalized on every opportunity to cruise to victory.
After the match, Littler admitted that fatigue played a factor in his performance, but he was pleased to push through and secure the win. “I’m very happy with my performances tonight. Obviously, I drifted off a bit towards the end, feeling a bit tired. I’m just glad to get over that winning line in the final,” he said.
He also mentioned adjusting his throw during the game due to tiredness. “My normal throw, or what I was throwing with tonight, I just felt tired, so I changed it up a bit. After the match, Luke said he was tired, but I just had to stick in there. It’s all about making sure you’re right and ready to get up on stage to play these games.”
Littler’s impressive run started with a dominant quarter-final performance against Bunting. In just 10 minutes, he secured a 6-0 victory while averaging just under 110. Bunting remains at the bottom of the standings without a win, but Littler expressed hope that his opponent would soon break the streak.
“I think last week he said he’s putting too much pressure on himself, being without a win in eight weeks,” Littler said. “If I were Stephen, I’d just try to relax and focus on winning that first game. Once he gets that first win and that winning feeling, I think he could win a night.”
With another commanding performance, Littler now holds an eight-point lead at the top of the table, having won 16 matches in total. Reflecting on his form, he acknowledged the praise he has received but remained modest. “I think that does go to show how everyone says I am the best in the world at the minute. But you know me, I’ll never really say I am the best in the world. I’m performing better than these guys, so maybe I should be saying I’m the best, but we’ll just see how it goes.”
Humphries, on his way to the final, battled through a tense semi-final against Nathan Aspinall, eventually securing a 6-5 victory with an average just under 107. In the quarter-finals, he faced Chris Dobey, who was competing in front of his hometown crowd. The atmosphere was electric, with some of Newcastle’s Carabao Cup-winning team in attendance. However, Dobey’s homecoming was spoiled as Humphries closed out a 6-3 win with a double 16 checkout.
Littler’s dominant display in Newcastle further solidified his position as the frontrunner in the competition, with his performances continuing to impress.
