HUMPHRIES BELIEVES TAYLOR WOULD FACE TOUGHER TEST IN MODERN ERA

LUKE HUMPHRIES reckons the days of one-man domination in darts are long gone — and not even Phil Taylor would breeze through the modern-day field. 

16-times World Champion Taylor won a record 87 major PDC titles in his glittering career.  

World No. 1 Humphries has already bagged eight majors in under two years and has joined ‘The Power’ and Michael van Gerwen as the only players to hit that number so fast. 

But the Cheshire thrower says the current crop of talent makes any sustained supremacy nearly impossible. 

He said: “There are about 30 players now that can give you a really tough game.  

“There are 127 players on tour who could beat you. No disrespect to Phil, but back then, there weren’t as many challengers.  

“That doesn’t take anything away from what he did — he would still dominate in any era — but it’s harder now. There are more fearless young players now.” 

The 30-year-old heads to the World Matchplay at the Winter Gardens as the defending champion this Saturday and tackles Dutch up‑and‑comer Gian van Veen in a blockbuster opener.  

‘Cool Hand’ believes he has enough firepower to overcome the World Youth Champion. 

He added: “My first game is tough out of the 16 I could’ve got. But I don’t worry about draws anymore.  

“Everyone in the tournament can play well — or not — so it doesn’t really matter. 

“Gian’s been in great form, he’ll fancy his chances. But if I play like I did last year, it’ll be a tough task for him.  

“He’s got the calibre to beat me, and that makes it more dangerous. If a player believes they can beat you, that changes things. 

“I believe I can get better, but I have to work harder to achieve that. I’ve got to start practicing more. I can’t sit here saying I’m not getting better if I’m not putting in the work.  

“These long-format tournaments suit me. Once I get in a rhythm after two or three legs — I’m sometimes a slow starter — I’m tough to pull back.  

“Long formats make it harder to beat players like me, Luke Littler, and Gerwyn Price. That’s why you see us winning these big ones.”

Image by Taylor Lanning.