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Humphries Lands Maiden World Series Title In New Zealand

Humphries Lands Maiden World Series Title In New Zealand

Alex Moss |

A WEEK IN DARTS – AUGUST 19, 2024 – HUMPHRIES DOMINATES HETA TO CLINCH FIRST WORLD SERIES CROWN

The World Series of Darts rolled into New Zealand last week where the world number one added yet another title to his collection. Here’s our round-up of the New Zealand Darts Masters and the rest of the darting action over the last seven days…

HUMPHRIES CLAIMS FIRST WORLD SERIES TITLE

Luke Humphries won his maiden World Series of Darts title after beating Damon Heta 8-2 in the final of the New Zealand Darts Masters on Saturday.

The reigning PDC world champion has been a dominant force in the world of darts over the last 12 months, winning several major titles to move to the top of the PDC Order of Merit.

And the world number one ended his wait for an elusive first title on the World Series at the weekend, seeing off Kayden Milne, Michael Smith, Luke Littler and Heta in Hamilton.

“I’ve been searching for a World Series title, and I felt one was coming,” Humphries said.

“My performances on the World Series over the last two years haven’t been at the standard I wanted, and I still wasn’t at my best today, but I was good enough.

“I feel so lucky and privileged to be here. The crowds over the last few days have been fantastic, and me and my dad have really enjoyed our time here.

“It’s been a great journey, I’ve made some great memories and I’ll be looking forward to coming back next year.”

After getting past New Zealand youngster Milne 6-3 in Friday’s first round, Humphries overcame a 101 average from Smith to win 6-4 in a battle between England’s World Cup winning team.

‘Cool Hand’ then fought back from 6-2 down to stun Littler 7-6 in the semi-finals, surviving two match darts to triumph in a repeat of the World Championship and Premier League finals.

Humphries ran off five legs in a row to lead Heta 5-1 in the final, before winning three on the spin to prevail 8-2 with a 102 average.

The World Series concludes for 2024 with the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam from September 13-15.

SCUTT MOVES TO CHALLENGE TOUR SUMMIT

Connor Scutt is the new leader at the top of the Challenge Tour after winning a title and reaching another final in Milton Keynes at the weekend.

‘The Sniper’ picked up his second Challenge Tour title of the year after beating Tom Sykes 5-3 in the Event 17 final on Friday evening.

The penultimate weekend of the season kicked off with Alexander Merkx joining the roll of honour with a 5-3 victory over fellow Dutchman Wesley Plaisier in the Event 16 decider.

Scutt’s title had moved him above long-time leader Danny Jansen at the top of the Order of Merit, but he was overhauled on Saturday when Plaisier claimed the Event 19 title.

The second day of action started with another Dutch player, Jimmy van Schie, securing his maiden Challenge Tour victory in Event 18, beating Daniel Ayres 5-4 in the final.

Recent back-to-back Players Championship finalist Plaisier then won his second title of the campaign, defeating Lee Cocks 5-3 in the Event 19 finale to replace Scutt at the top of the rankings.

A weekend of Dutch dominance continued on Sunday when Christian Kist became the fourth player from the Netherlands to pick up a title, seeing off Scutt 5-2 in the final of Event 20.

The run to the final was enough to see Scutt regain the number one spot on the Order of Merit, leading Plaisier by just £50 with only four events of the season left to go.

The top two players at the end of the season will qualify for the PDC World Darts Championship and earn two-year PDC tour cards, whilst the player who tops the rankings will also earn a spot at the Grand Slam of Darts.

ZONG SEALS ALLY PALLY RETURN

Xiaochen Zong booked a return to Alexandra Palace at the end of the year after winning the inaugural PDC China Championship on Sunday.

'The Pandaman’ reaffirmed his position as China’s best player, dropping just seven legs all day and posting a tournament average of 83.54 on his way to the title.

Zong beat Wenqing Liu 3-0 in sets in the final to claim glory and earn a spot at the PDC World Darts Championship in December.

The victory has also sealed Zong’s place in the PDC Asian Championship in October. The four-day tournament will take place in the Philippines from October 17-20.

Pictures: Stephen Parker/Photosport

Alex Moss is a content creator for Darts Corner and the co-host of the Weekly Dartscast podcast. Alex co-founded the Weekly Dartscast in 2017 and has helped produce 350+ episodes of the podcast, with their list of previous guests on the show a who’s who in the world of darts.

Alex also writes content for the Darts Corner blog, including the weekly darts news round-ups and how-to guides.

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