HUMPHRIES BACKS HIMSELF TO CLEAN UP AGAIN IN BLACKPOOL

By Phil Lanning

LUKE HUMPHRIES loves his new robot vacuum cleaner…now he’s aiming to hoover up another major title. 

The World No.1 has moved into a big new house and splashed out on a new prestige car. 

But on-the-eve of the defence of his World Matchplay title, which starts on Saturday in Blackpool, ‘Cool Hand’ admits his favourite buy is the new vacuum which he showed off on Instagram!

He said: “I’ve settled into my new house. It was tricky to do that through the Premier League.

“We saw an opportunity for an amazing house we wanted and we got it. 

“I didn’t want to wait until after the Premier League had finished to try and get it over the line. I might not have got it.

“Obviously my family being happy in a place that they love is more important to me than playing darts. 

“It was tricky but we got there. I managed to win the Premier League through all the stress of moving house If you’ve done that.”

On the new cleaner, he added: “I don’t have to do the hoovering now do I? I’ve got a big house and it’s a big job doing all the hoovering. I’m glad the robot can sort that out now!”

Despite winning the World Masters, Premier League and US Masters, Humphries believes he’s NOT playing his best darts. 

He continued: “Life’s great and I can just chill now. But you still need to practice and work hard. I don’t think I’ve been putting in enough effort over the past six to eight months. 

“I’ve been playing so much that when I get home I don’t have that want to practice. I feel like I need to get that back in me a bit more. 

“I’ve been a bit more dedicated over the past couple of weeks. I don’t think I’ve been at my best even though I’ve been winning.”

Humphries faces Dutch dangerman Gian Van Veen at the Winter Gardens on Saturday and could become only the fourth player to retain the title after Phil Taylor, Rod Harrington and Michael van Gerwen. 

He added: “It would be special. After so many exclusive clubs over the last few years, with the Triple Crown one,  being the first person to win the World Championship, World Cup and the Matchplay in the same year. 

“There’s so many exclusive clubs that I’ve done, I’d love to join another one. And it just shows you how hard it is to do that. 

“Those three people doing it and no one else doing it. It’s quite impressive if I could do it and be the fourth. I back myself, and I can do it. But I know it’s going to be a tough one.”

He also admits it’s his favourite event of the lot, adding: “It’s my favourite out of all of them. It is an iconic venue. It’s been there since the start. The trophy is the same since the start. 

“It’s just a great tournament to play in that the fans are always brilliant, and I just love it and enjoy it, and just everything special about it. 

“For me to have obviously won last year was really, really special for myself, but it’d be even more special to do it again, back to back.”

Image by Taylor Lanning.