Humphries edged a thrilling contest at Ally Pally (Picture: Getty)
Luke Humphries has beaten Luke Littler in the World Darts Championship final, ending the teenager’s fairytale run in the competition at the final hurdle.
The 16-year-old has become an overnight sporting sensation, beating former world champions in a remarkable run to reach the final in his first ever appearance in the competition.
But Humphries proved why he is the no1 player in darts, sealing a 7-4 victory at Alexandra Palace on Wednesday night.
The 28-year-old extends his unbeaten run to 19 games, having climbed to no1 in the rankings with hie demolition job on Scott Williams in Tuesday’s semi-final.
Humphries proved to be a test too far for Littler with ‘Cool Hand Luke’ showing incredible resolve of his own, coming from two sets behind to win the title.
Littler had already made history in becoming the youngest ever World Darts Championship finalist and was looking to go one better in eclipsing the record of Michael van Gerwen, who was eight years older when he won his first world title in 2014 at the age of 24.
Having only played four senior PDC matches prior to his World Championship debut, he began his run with a first-round win over Christian Kist on 20 December before sending UK Open champion Andrew Gilding packing just before Christmas.
Having initially set himself the target of staying in the competition until after Christmas, he saw off Matt Campbell before producing a sensational performance to beat five-time world champion and childhood hero Raymond van Barneveld to reach the last 16.
Littler demolished Brendan Dolan to reach the final four, holding his nerve after losing the opening set to beat Rob Cross on Tuesday night.
More to follow
MORE : How to throw a dart like Luke Littler – according to science
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The world no1 beats the 16-year-old sensation in another Ally Pally thriller.