HUMPHRIES SHOWS NEGATIVITY ON PREMIER LEAGUE STAGE

LUKE HUMPHRIES showed an “air of negativity” for the first time in the Premier League, according to ex-pro Laura Turner.

‘Cool Hand’ thrashed Michael van Gerwen 6–1 in the quarter-final but was unable to build on his momentum, slipping to a 6–4 semi-final defeat against Jonny Clayton in Cardiff. 

World No.2 Humphries currently sits sixth in the table and is three points outside the play-off spots, having won just three matches in the league so far after five weeks. 

Turner admitted she was surprised to see visible frustration from Humphries, who had recently worked hard to remove that from his game. 

She said: “It just hasn’t all quite clicked into gear for Luke Humphries. 

“It was the first time I have seen this air of negativity up here on the Premier League stage, because he was at the back shaking his head. 

“He was clearly not happy with the way that he was playing and performing. 

“Again, he is another one that we are waiting to push on, because even at this early stage I can’t see a Finals Night without the two Lukes.” 

Humphries still boasts the highest tournament rolling average of 100.84, highlighting the gap between his scoring power and results. 

Expert pundit Wayne Mardle believes it is only a matter of time before the Cheshire ace turns his strong performances into nightly wins. 

He added: “I think there may be others there that think, when is it going to be my turn? And Luke Humphries is one of those. 

“Now we are waiting for him to go bang. Josh Rock and Luke Humphries need to put things right. 

“They’re the ones who have not got the rewards, especially Luke Humphries. For some amazing darts, he is not winning enough games.”

Image by Taylor Lanning.