Luke Humphreys insists he has a good relationship with Luke Littler and blasted the media for painting a “different picture” after his latest Premier League victory.
The 29-year-old cemented his place in second place by beating Michael van Gerwen to the title in Leeds.
Humphries now has 33 points, 5 points less than Teller and 6 points more than Van Gerwen.
The darts star was asked about Littler after his latest win and insisted the pair were friends while suggesting “some media” were trying to rock the boat.
Luke Humphreys insists he’s friend of Luke Littler despite ‘some media’ saying otherwise
Sky/Pennsylvania
“Honestly, I love him and I think Luke is great,” he said.
“I get on really well with him. A lot of the media paints a different picture, but Luke Little and I are fierce friends.
“We get along very well.”
He went on to add: “Every time we walk in this arena, we always do little things together, we go on the stage and practice, talk for 20 minutes or something like that, talk about what’s going on on the field.” One week, this is ours. thing.
“Everyone can paint a picture of ‘we are competitors,’ no.
“We are competitors and we want to beat each other, but you will never feel the negativity between us because we get along well and that’s it.
“He respects me and I respect him as an unbelievable talent, but the way he’s handled himself this year has been absolutely amazing.
“Honestly, his family should be very proud because he showed a lot of courage and determination and showed a lot of people that he deserves to be here.
“My dream is to play him in the final because whoever wins from the two of us I will be happy for him and if I win I’m sure he will be happy for me too.”
Humphries’ win was arguably his sweetest to date.
He walked out to a warm welcome from the Leeds fans and the world number one is a huge fan of Leeds football club and rugby club.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Humphries admitted he was feeling the pressure before the game even started.
“I definitely felt a little bit of pressure when I walked in here, I can’t lie,” he said.
“I know (the pressure) is on me. Tonight was a dream for me, to be able to perform in front of a crowd that I don’t often do.
“Tonight was fantastic. To go on to win is one of the greatest experiences I’ve had in darts.”
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Luke Humphries scored in the latest Premier League match at Leeds on Thursday night
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He added: “The audience was amazing. That’s what dreams are made of.
“I played really well tonight but that’s how you reach your peak on night 17 – becoming Premier League champions means a lot to me.”
Humphreys, Littler and van Gerwen will all return to action on night 16 at the Utilita Stadium in Sheffield.
Luke Littler remains top of Premier League table despite Luke Humphries’ win at Leeds
PA
Michael Smith and Nathan Aspinall will face off in a winner-takes-all showdown in the quarter-finals, both hoping to qualify for the play-offs.
Humphries will face Gwen Price.
Littler will face Peter Wright, who has won just two Premier League games so far all season.
