Luke bows out on World Championship debut

Newbury darts player exit at Ally Pally

NEWBURY darts player Luke Humphries went out of the PDC World Darts Championship at the hands of Canadian qualifier Jeff Smith after making his debut in the sport's showpiece.

Humphries seemed to be overwhelmed on his Alexandra Palace debut, and was unable to show his usual power scoring game.

Smith took the opening set 3-2, hitting a 170 checkout in the opening leg of the contest. Humphries levelled on his throw, but a stylish 104 check-out denied him in the deciding leg.

Despite conceding the opening leg of the second set, the 42-year-old Canadian scored a 126 finish to reverse the scoreline and another 74 check-out sealed the deal for Smith in the performance of the night.

Humphries enjoyed a successful year on PDC Challenge Tour, completing the season in third place. He sealed his tour card for the next two years by qualifying for Alexandra Palace and take plenty of heart from his recent successes on the Challenge Tour.