Newbury's Luke Humphries is dreaming of Premier League after UK Open performance
The 26-year-old finished runner-up in the televised event last weekend
NEWBURY darts player Luke Humphries is targeting Premier League success in the near future and believes he has what it takes after finishing runner-up in the Ladbrokes UK Open last weekend.
Humphries, 26, finished second to James Wade after an 11-5 defeat in the final on Sunday night.
It capped off a stunning weekend for him as he beat Kim Huybrechts, Ryan Searle, Martijn Kleermaker, Dave Chisnall and Michael van Gerwen on the way to the final.
He said: “It was an impressive weekend because I went there with little expectations and it was all about trying to beat my previous record, which before that was the last 64.
“When I kept playing the way I did, I felt something magical was going to happen.”
Humphries defeated a number of top-seeded players over the weekend, with his best performance coming in the semi-final against van Gerwen, who he beat 11-5.
“Every game I played I felt better and better,” admitted Humphries.
“The game against Michael showed the ability I have and I was in a trance because I felt like I couldn’t miss.
“The best thing about that game was not only beating him, but beating him when he is at his best and that’s what made me proud of the win.”
Despite falling short against Wade in the final, Humphries explained how important it was for his confidence.
He said: “I didn’t play too bad, maybe some tiredness crept in, but obviously reflecting on it I couldn’t have asked for much more – only to win it.
“I want to start playing in the Premier League because it’s the elite with the top 10 best players in the world.
“In my mind I am one of the outsiders who has made a major final and the PDC will be looking at me, so I have to make sure I stay consistent this year.”
The 26-year-old received unbelievable support across the weekend and he felt that it spurred him on to perform well.
Humphries said: “All the support I have received was probably bigger now than it has been before and it has been unreal.
“It drives me on and it’s nice to have the support because everyone was getting behind me and hopefully it continues for the future.”
Elsewhere, fellow Newbury player Jason Heaver represented the town in the same competition over the weekend.
Heaver beat Lorenzo Pronk 6-2 in round one, but narrowly lost 6-5 to Eddie Lovely in round two.
Jason Heaver: Picture by Lawrence Lustig/PDC
