Luke Humphries exacts Premier League revenge on Luke Littler in Exeter
Humphries beat Littler 6-4 on Thursday night as he surged clear at the top of the standings after four weeks
Luke Humphries got the finger out to smash his Premier League hoodoo against Luke Littler.
Cool Hand surged clear at the top of the standings after four weeks by ending a six-game winless run against The Nuke in the competition to triumph in Exeter. Humphries' 6-4 success avenged his Final defeat to Littler in Glasgow a fortnight earlier when a cut digit hampered his bid. He smiled: “I said to him at the end, that’s the first time I think I’ve beaten him in the Premier League. So that’s a nice something to get over a little bit.
“You keep losing all the time and kind of it gets harder and harder. Obviously in Glasgow, I had that problem with my finger. This time I felt a little bit more fresh, like there’s no excuses, nothing can stop me. He played fantastically in his two games before, but I thought I was just a lot more stronger in my scoring in that game and my finishing was what helped me through.”
Littler was deeply annoyed at an incident involving his mum during the walk-on before his quarter-final win over Stephen Bunting. The teenager took umbrage at an overzealous fan who appeared to push his mother Lisa as he attempted to give her a pre-match hug.
The World Champion gave a stern glance to the individual and, once on stage, was seen still staring across to the area where his mum was situated concerned and he gave a thumbs-up to check her wellbeing before shaking his head. Humphries caused him more angst in the Final and the winner, who is now eight clear in the table, said: “I mean, that’s a dream start for me and hopefully I can keep pushing, bringing in the points and make sure that I can guarantee myself in the top four.
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“I’m top seed in the UK Open this weekend. I’m going to feel confident and that’s a dangerous person. I’ve got a great opportunity to go and win another major.”