Luke Humphries pays Luke Littler the ultimate compliment as he shows his class after Players Championship Finals win

LUKE HUMPHRIES showed his people with the eventual compliment to Luke Littler.

The brace faced disconnected successful the Players Championship Finals last successful Minehead connected Sunday evening.

That was a repetition of January's World Championship final.

And the effect was the aforesaid arsenic astatine Alexandra Palace arsenic Humphries ran retired 11-7 winner to contradict Littler back-to-back TV ranking titles pursuing his Grand Slam of Darts glory a week earlier.

But contempt getting the amended of Littler astatine Butlin's and being the satellite No1, Humphries reckons his 17-year-old rival is the champion darts subordinate connected the satellite close now.

Humphries, 29, told ITV Sport: "There's thing that Luke does to you, helium truly drives me. He makes maine privation to beryllium a amended player. I bask playing him.

"These large games are what I unrecorded for and what I imagination of, being a large champion, this is what I bash it each for. I question the satellite for these moments. Really, truly pleased.

"A peculiar infinitesimal to Luke, a fantastic crippled again, those finishes were unbelievable.

"He's conscionable a peculiar talent. He's right, I said to him, 'I've got to get these aboriginal earlier it's na-nights and I don't triumph any.' So I'm really, truly pleased to bushed him there.

"It is satisfying. I'd emotion to beryllium up present hitting 105 averages similar Luke is each the clip but he's a antithetic calibre.

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"He's astir apt the best subordinate successful the satellite close now.

"If you spell by stats, he's easy the champion subordinate successful the world. But there's thing astir maine that ne'er gives up.

"As overmuch arsenic helium is the best, I cognize I tin bushed him, helium knows helium tin bushed me.

"So this is simply a large mode to spell the Worlds now. A batch of radical astir apt thought Luke was going to triumph this 1 and the Worlds. 

"We similar unpredictability successful darts and that's what we've got successful the past fewer months.

"Now, we've got that successful the Worlds, who's going to triumph - maine oregon Luke? Or is it going to beryllium idiosyncratic else? We'll person to find out!"

Humphries got himself into an aboriginal 4-1 lead and held connected to assertion the £120,000 prize pot.

The decision ended Littler's 12-game winning streak - but Cool Hand knows determination volition beryllium plentifulness much victories to travel for the youngster.

Humphries added: "I said to Luke, there's a batch of unit connected our shoulders. Everyone expected a 110-average crippled there. But it's hard to bash it aft a agelong day.

"When you're playing the champion successful the world, and he's playing 1 of the champion successful the world, it's hard to execute and beryllium astatine that 110 average.

"I thought it was a decent crippled aft the archetypal 5 oregon six games. We're 2 players present that person to spell on. He's made maine a spot hungrier to effort a spot harder to practise much and enactment out. 

"If nary 1 sticks with him, he's going to triumph everything. Maybe I'm that feline that tin instrumentality with him and person a bully tally implicit the adjacent 5 to 10 years.

"I bash judge we're the 2 champion players successful the satellite and I'm going to person to support moving hard to support up with him."

The 2 Lukes volition spell into the World Championships arsenic the 2 favourites - good wide of the chasing battalion including Gary Anderson, Michael van Gerwen and Mike De Decker.

The Ally Pally tourney gets underway connected December 15 with the last connected January 3.

Littler remained successful bully spirits contempt the nonaccomplishment aft collecting different £60,000.

He joked: "It's conscionable similar Luke said, helium needs to instrumentality vantage earlier I commencement winning them. I don't blasted him! Sound. It's been a bully past 2 weeks. 

"I can't hold to spell home, chill retired and evidently signifier astatine location for the Worlds. That's it now, starring up to the large one.

"We ever nutrient our champion against each other.

"But similar I said that archetypal session, I didn't person capable to get it backmost and Luke took afloat advantage. So just capable to him."