Luke Humphries has warned his rivals that he won’t ‘rest on his laurels’ after moving top of the BetMGM Premier League table with Night Seven glory in Nottingham on Thursday.
Humphries secured back-to-back nightly wins with victory at the Motorpoint Arena last night, maintaining his blistering form to leave the East Midlands with another five points to his name.
The world number one fired in ton-topping averages to defeat Michael Smith and Peter Wright, before defying a spirited display from Nathan Aspinall to extend his winning run in the Premier League to six matches.
“It is a real privilege to win two nights on the bounce,” insisted Humphries, who now leads reigning champion Michael van Gerwen by two points at the summit.
“You’re playing the best players in the world week in, week out, and even though I didn’t put in the performances I did last week, I had to really work hard for it.
“Michael played well against me, Peter was fantastic and Nathan pushed me right to the end.”
"I've got my eye on four in a row, because no one has done that before!" 👀
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) March 14, 2024
Hear from Night Seven winner, Luke Humphries, after his triumph in Nottingham! pic.twitter.com/U2K908Yor1
Humphries has been the epitome of consistency in his first fully-fledged Premier League campaign, registering ton-plus averages in 12 of his 15 matches to date.
The 29-year-old remarkably found himself in sixth spot a fortnight ago, although he’s since been rewarded for his sustained brilliance with successive five-point hauls in Brighton and Nottingham.
Despite this, the World Champion is refusing to get carried away by his sparkling performances, insisting that Play-Off qualification remains his ultimate focus.
“I think everyone expects you to finish first because you’re the World Champion and world number one, but I didn’t look at it like that,” added the Newbury-born star.
“I thought if I can just get in the top four, that’s a massive achievement, regardless of what I did during the back end of last year.
“Now it’s looking much more likely that I can make the top four, but you can’t rest on your laurels.
“Michael [van Gerwen] was ten points in front of me a few weeks ago, and now suddenly I’m in front of him.
“Things can change so quickly, so it’s important for me to keep working hard and try and get myself in that top four at the end of the season.”
Humphries is already setting his sights on Night Eight in Dublin, as the Premier League roadshow rolls into the Irish capital next Thursday.
The league leader will take on two-time World Champion Wright in the evening’s opening quarter-final, and he’s relishing the prospect of his debut appearance in the Emerald Isle.
“I’m excited for next week, because Dublin holds a special place in my Mum’s heart,” added the former World Youth Champion.
“My Grandad was Irish and I’ve never had the opportunity to play in Ireland before, so I’m really looking forward to it.
“I know Michael Smith and Michael van Gerwen have won three nights in a row, so it would be good to become the third player to achieve that.
“I’ve also got my eye on four in a row, because no one has done that before!”
The 2024 BetMGM Premier League is being broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK & Ireland, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV for Rest of the World Subscribers.