HUMPHRIES NEARLY PULLED OUT OF GRAND SLAM WITH INJURY

LUKE HUMPHRIES has revealed he almost PULLED OUT of the Grand Slam of Darts after waking up in agony.

Cheshire thrower Humphries defied a crippling back spasm to hammer Dutch debutant Jurjen van der Velde 10–3 in Wolverhampton, averaging a stunning 108.55 to book his place in the quarter-finals.

Eight-time major winner Humphries admitted he was in such severe pain before the match that he feared he wouldn’t even make it to the stage

Humphries, who needs to win the major to hold off teenage sensation Luke Littler in the race for world No.1, thanked his physio for keeping him fit to play.

He said: “You ask my fiancee, when I woke up this morning for 15 minutes I couldn’t pick my head up off the pillow.

“I think I got a back spasm. I was kind of thinking I’d have to pull out today. I was really that bad.

“My back was so bad. My shoulder. Whatever it is.

“I have to thank Mandy, my physio, who has been on it for three hours, looking after me, massaging it, trying to get it into the best state.

“I think the adrenaline got me over the line. I didn’t know how I would play. I guess I am a fighter and surprise myself sometimes.

“From almost having to pull out this morning to playing like that is something special.

“I woke up this morning and couldn’t get my head off the pillow. I had a bad neck for a few days.

“Then I sat up in bed and oh, crippling pain came across this part of my body. It was awful.

“I didn’t want to say anything before because I didn’t want Jurjen to know. It has been a struggle for me all day.

“It’s crazy how you go and perform like that with an injury I have had to deal with.

“Mandy has worked so hard to get it to the point where it was in a physical state for me to play.

“I can’t believe I have done that. I played in Budapest and had the same problem a couple of years ago. I played well there. I don’t want to wish that on myself all the time.

“I’m in a lot of pain now, it’s hurting me. I put everything on the line. I wasn’t going to not show up. I’m surprised how it went.”

Humphries returns to action on Friday evening and will face former World Champ Michael Smith in a blockbuster affair at the Aldersley Leisure Centre.

Image by Taylor Lanning.