Luke Humphries has enjoyed a year to remember on and off the dart board, and now the Newbury ace is dreaming of a fairy-tale ending to his campaign at this year’s Cazoo World Darts Championship.
Humphries has elevated his game to new heights during a breakthrough 2022 season, and he will head to Alexandra Palace as the fifth seed following his exploits over the last 12 months.
The 27-year-old won his first senior PDC title in the year’s opening Players Championship event, before becoming only the third player in history to scoop four European Tour titles in a calendar year.
“Michael [van Gerwen] and Peter [Wright] are the only two to have done that, so what I’ve done this year has surpassed my expectations,” said Humphries.
“When you win that first title, it gives you belief. Winning breeds confidence and I’m high on confidence right now.
“I know I’ve got the game to make the next step, which is winning a televised title, but there’s going to be a lot of great players standing in my way.”
Humphries comes into the sport’s biggest event fresh from making back-to-back televised semi-finals at the Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals last month.
Having also made the quarter-finals in October’s European Championship, Humphries is becoming a regular feature in the latter stages of big events, and his Alexandra Palace record backs that up.
The Berkshire born-star has reached the quarter-finals in three of his five World Championship appearances, and he will be even more dangerous at this year's showpiece following his success in 2022.
“I believe I can be World Champion,” declared Humphries, who will play Keegan Brown or Florian Hempel in his opener on December 22.
“I always seem to turn up and play my best darts here, and this year I’m a different proposition.
“I’ve progressed a lot, I’ve won a lot of titles, so I’ll be going into it more confident than ever.
“I think if I can produce what I know I can on the stage, I’m a danger for every major title.”
Humphries has also had plenty to celebrate away from the sport after becoming a father for the first time in October, welcoming his son Rowan into the world alongside his partner, Kayley.
“That was a crazy experience, but it’s been a very enjoyable one,” reflected the former World Youth Champion.
“I cried my eyes out. I have always dreamed of being a dad and when I found out we were having a baby, I was so excited. It has been such a breath of fresh air for us.
“It has helped to motivate me even more because times are hard right now, and if I could give him a great life and a good start, I would be very happy.”
The former UK Open runner-up made his mark on the world stage with a run to the last eight at the 2018/19 World Championship, ending the reign of then-World Champion Rob Cross en route.
However, his darting future was cast into doubt in 2019 when he opened up on his battle with anxiety, which prompted him to consider a temporary hiatus from the sport.
Despite this, Humphries continued to make steady progress on the PDC Order of Merit, and he credits his remarkable weight loss as the catalyst for his evolution into an elite player.
The 27-year-old shed over four stone during lockdown in 2020, using his time away from competitive darts to transform his lifestyle, which he has maintained ever since.
“Mentally it makes you feel better, more comfortable. I think because of my size I was more socially anxious, and that probably led to the bad period I went through,” Humphries conceded.
“It has been massive for me. It’s helped me in my darts, and my personal life.
“I just did it in a natural way, by going on the exercise bike five or six times a week and eating healthily. I lost four stone in about six months, and I wasn’t doing anything excessive.
“Darts is changing now. Gerwyn Price was probably the advocate for that. All of a sudden, our world number one wasn’t what people expected, and I think a lot of young people look up to that.”
Many of the sport’s brightest young talents will also look up to Humphries, a product of the Development Tour system who is now up to a career-high of fifth in the world.
It has already been a memorable year for the man nicknamed ‘Cool Hand,’ but success at this year’s World Championship would provide the icing on the cake.
“It would cap off the greatest year of my life,” admitted Humphries.
“Winning the world title – that is what dreams are made of, but it won’t be given to me; it will have to be earned.
“It’s an exciting prospect but I just want to go there and let my darts do the talking, and I’m going to work as hard as I can to try and give myself that fairy-tale ending.”