HUMPHRIES PLOTS MAJOR CHANGE TO SETUP

LUKE HUMPHRIES admits his old darting setup has “had its day” as he plots a major shake-up in a bid to “unearth something very special” on the oche. 

World No. 1 Humphries survived TWO match darts to edge James Wade 6-5 in a scrappy World Series Finals opener at Amsterdam. 

‘Cool Hand’ averaged a stellar 99.21 and smashed in six out of 12 doubles but confessed he hasn’t looked or felt settled on the big stage. 

Humphries believes he still has an extra gear to unlock and a NEW setup may be the key. 

He said: “Yeah, I didn’t feel comfortable throughout the whole game to be honest. 

“I was swapping and changing flights just to try and appease my mind, to change things up and make myself more comfortable.  

“The white flights worked for a little bit and then I had to go back because they weren’t working again. So yeah, it felt like a struggle. 

“When I’m on it, nothing like that goes through my mind. I’m not thinking about changing flights, stems, darts.  

“At the moment, all I’m thinking about is changing darts, changing points, changing flights, changing stems – just trying to get something to work.” 

He added: “That’s a negative attitude and not something I’m used to, but I feel like at this point in my career I’m up for trying anything. 

“Next year after the Worlds, I’m going to try something new. Same barrel shape, same everything, but I’ll give something else a go because maybe this setup has had its day.  

“I know there’s a level in me that can be really, really good, and I’m excited to try something new to get that out of me.  

“I know there’s a level in me that can match the big averages the top players like Luke [Littler] and all the others do. 

“I’ve won so much being a good player, but I feel like there’s a level in me – without sounding arrogant – that I know I can get out of myself. 

“I have to try now before it’s too late, to unearth something that could be very, very special.” 

Cheshire thrower Humphries will face Kevin Doets in round two on Saturday evening. 

Humphries already has the World Championship, Premier League, and a stack of majors to his name, yet a few big titles still elude him. 

He revealed: “I want to win [this event] because it’s another major title to add to what I’ve already achieved.  

“People have asked me so many times if I sit back and think about what I’ve achieved. The truth is, over the last few weeks since I came off holiday, I have thought, ‘do you know what? I’ve done all right.’ 

“Eight major titles, a World Cup, World Championship, eight European Tour titles, two World Series… I’ve started giving myself more respect than I used to. 

“I’d just go along winning as much as I could, but now I realise how much I’ve won in such a short space of time.  

“It makes me proud. My family have told me that so many times, but now I sit back and see it too.”