Defending champion Luke Humphries CRASHES OUT of World Darts Championship after losing to Peter Wright – as Scot has the last laugh after war of words erupted between the pair before last-16 clash
- Luke Humphries suffered a shock defeat to Peter Wright on Sunday
- The two-time champion hit an impressive 70 percent of his doubles at Ally Pally
- Wright will play the winner of the clash between Stephen Bunting and Luke Woodhouse
Defending champion Luke Humphries crashed out of the World Darts Championship after a shock last-16 defeat to Peter Wright.
Humphries, who defeated Luke Littler in last year’s final and entered the tournament as number 1 in the world, suffered a 4-1 defeat to the two-time world champions at Alexandra Palace on Sunday evening.
The pair had swapped ahead of their clash, with Humphries throwing shade in the 54-year-old’s direction by claiming he was close to matching the Scot’s career achievements despite being 25 years his junior.
But it was ultimately Wright who had the last laugh with a 14-dart grab in the final leg of the match.
“Luckily I didn’t play against Luke Humphries from last year because he was great,” Wright told Sky Sports. ‘I am a two-time world champion and I want to win it for the third time. I’m not too old and you only have to play well for two or three weeks all year. These three weeks are all that matter and I am in the quarter finals.
“I thought I played rubbish tonight, so hopefully I can play better and score better in the next round. As long as this crowd is behind me, I have a chance.”
Defending champion Luke Humphries was dumped from the World Darts Championship on Sunday evening
Two-time winner Stephen Wright produced a stunning performance that upset the 29-year-old
Wright has set up a quarter-final on New Year’s Day against the winner of the all-English clash between Stephen Bunting and Luke Woodhouse.
Humphries, meanwhile, will rue a rare dip – however small – in form after putting in an exceptionally consistent 2024. His second World Cup crown would have made the Englishman the first player to earn more than £2 million in earnings in a calendar year.
The 29-year-old looked in top form as he defeated Nick Kenny in straight sets on Friday evening after edging past Thibault Tricole 3-0 in his opening match before Christmas.
But in Wright he met an inspired opponent. The Scot averaged 100.93 to Humphries’ 99.23, while Snakebite also achieved his doubles a whopping 70 percent of the time.