WORLD NUMBER ONE Luke Humphries continued his bid for back-to-back World Championship titles after easing through to the last 16 of the PDC World Darts Championship.
While there was high drama in Alexandra Palace on the first day back after the Christmas break, where Damon Heta threw a nine-dart finish, Humphries enjoyed a serene evening.
He beat Nick Kenny 4-0 to set up a mouth-watering fourth-round meeting with two-time champion Peter Wright.
Kenny was unable to produce the form that saw him beat Raymond van Barneveld in the previous round and Humphries did not need to be anywhere near his best.
“It was one of those games I didn’t want to take for granted,” he said.
“I expected a tough game and I wasn’t firing, I felt there is so much more to give, I felt there was more to come out of me.
“I didn’t want to give anyone an inch because they can take a mile.
“I’m not going to give up this world title without a fight, I wasn’t at my best but when someone pushes me I know I can come up with the goods.”
Earlier in the day Heta set the tournament alight on its resumption with a stunning nine-dart finish before bowing out.
The Australian, seeded ninth, achieved darting perfection in the second set of his match with Luke Woodhouse to earn a cool £60,000 payday.
However, his joy was short-lived as Woodhouse won a thrilling battle 4-3, having trailed 3-1.
Heta was millimetres away from throwing a nine-darter in the previous round when he missed the double 12, but he made no mistake this time in the first match after the Christmas break.
Heta’s feat was the second time a nine-darter has been thrown in the 2025 tournament and the 16th of all time at the World Championship, following Christian Kist’s effort before Christmas.
As well as landing the Australian a hefty payday, it also saw a lucky fan in Ally Pally win a £60,000, with £60,000 also being donated to Prostate Cancer UK.
There were several other titanic battles, none better than Gerwyn Price’s sudden-death leg victory over Joe Cullen.
Price looked like he was going to have an easy night when he coasted into a 3-0 lead, but Cullen hit back to send it to a decider, which went all the way.
Cullen landed a ‘Big Fish’ 170 checkout to send the tie to a sudden-death leg on his throw but Price hit some big numbers to steal victory.
“That was tough, I just wanted to get over the winning line,” he said during his on-stage interview.
“He kept coming back, the crowd were way behind him.
“I thought I was going to lose, but I kept in there right to the end and got the win.
“He played some good darts at the right times. I put myself in that position, I got myself out of it and I’m still in.”
Seventh seed Jonny Clayton also battled to victory after squandering a 3-0 lead against Daryl Gurney.
Gurney then had six darts to send the decider to a tiebreaker but lost his nerve and Clayton stole a 4-3 win.
Stephen Bunting and Peter Wright, who was suffering from a chest infection, enjoyed much more safe passages with routine wins over Madars Razma and Jermaine Wattimena respectively.
But if nobody comes out, how will it ever change?
What a fu***ng as***le!
Apt choice of words there Dave….
Italy is a very patriarchal chauvinistic society, it is no great surprise that an italian man would say this.
i think all italian men need to come out of the closet, no straight men dress that well!
I think italian might close u in the closet waffler… Grow up boy!!!
yep, italians have no sense of humour
I saw his photo and honestly read that as ‘gay Italian footballer comes out of closet’.
You too? LOL
Showering / changing beside a gay man. What’s the problem. Most people are lucky enough to have 2 arms, legs, head, “privates”. We are all much the same basically. What’s the big deal if a gay man sees another naked. So what.
And hooks for hands, and a big pair of F**kn wings!
What’s the point in coming out, sure isn’t it more craic for them to be at it in closets, r so I’m led to believe from the metaphor
We need to encourage people in sport to come out, the younger generation needs to see that their sporting heroes can also be openly gay.
Homophobic dickhead…
Typical arrogance from a footballer. They assume that all the women they see want to have sex with them so why not gay men too.
gay men in football, like in every other situation, world rather have sex with someone who wants them?
Truth
FUCK HIM
literally or figuratively?
Pass on the F.ck, I think he’s gay!
Joan. You were told yesterday.
Berlusconi probably has gays and lesbians at his Bunga Bunga parties.
After all, it was The Romans who invented orgies.
Pete…..Greeks, it was the Greeks!
How are they gonna get fit in there?
Wasn’t there an open gay referee who did well in the sport?
The Rugby Union referee, Nigel Owens “came out” a few years back. I vaguely remember a Turkish football referee publicly admitted to being gay and was sacked a few hours later.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5UkFfcGQrs&feature=fvsr
Pretty funny stuff
To be fair, he’s only telling gay players that their career would be harmed and they would suffer abuse from the louts in the stands if they were brave enough, or reckless enough depending on how seriously you take the threats, physically and psychologically, to come out openly. It’s a chicken and egg argument that things have to change, of course they do but someone has to break the taboo and teh first ones will pay dearly for it. Justin Fashinou killed himself in 1998 not long after coming out, probably due in some measure to the disgusting abuse he suffered for his honesty and bravery. There was an article in the independent on Sunday (UK) from that publicist guy Max Clifford saying he’d advised several gay premier league players to keep the head down for the sake of their career. It’s wrong on all sorts of levels but it takes a brave man to come out knowing what’s coming…
No time like now for courage. Truth does not like hiding.
Surely Paul you are not advocating giving in to bullies.
Of course it’s time for change but it’s easy to say that gay players should have courage to change the culture of the game. Not so easy if you’re all of a sudden faced with massive discrimination. People who belong to ethnic or other minorities are born into families who are the same as them, they have a support network from birth. Gay people don’t have that, they go through years of self hatred and denial before finally accepting who they are. Then they have to get others to accept them too, not easy considering the journey they’ve already taken through hatred. It’s hard to face that again, especially when your career is at stake as well. The Italian guy was being called all sorts. I don’t think he’s being homophobic just telling players what he believes is in their professional best interests. If they want to get political they should also be strategic, come out together or something
Well said paul, whatever about coming out, but to endure abuse from the stand or terraces week in,week out would be tough, frightening and very personal, hurtful. It would have a huge strain on your mental health.who is to say that some players already fear the fans in the crowds, their chants, taunts,and then give them ammo to single you out. Very tough skin to do this
Ok Gis, it was the Greeks.
We Northern Europeans just don’t know how to have a proper party.
I think it’s strange that whenever someone declares their opinion in this manner, people are quick to simply brand them homophobic, and completely ignore the main point. Perhaps being openly gay isn’t the best idea if you are a professional footballer?
Yeah like the case of Justin Fashnu. Specifically told by Brian Clough to stay in the closet. How did that work out in the end? Can’t be easy living a lie.
tommasi – wat a gay
If you do Daniel, don’t kiss & tell :)
It’s like: “we are macho footballers that must stay in the closet” and every weekend they kiss each other and slap each other’s bottoms right in front of the cameras :) But seriously if all the gay footballers came out, it would desensitise the whole issue, it would become the norm after a while.
That reminds me a video from The Telegraph news, of Iran players who put his hand too far in the bottom of the other player while celebrating.
He is cute tho….hope he’s not gay.
Niamh, are you mad? He looks like Cher circa 1989 with a beard! Yuk!
Hee hee…if he had a haircut….I bet ya he scrubs up well. But after his comment I wouldn’t touch him wit a barge pole…in his dreams :)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/8865105/Iran-footballers-could-face-lash-for-goal-celebration.html