Luke Littler saw off Luke Humphries 6-5 to win Night 13 of the Premier League in Aberdeen and pull clear at the top of the table. A quarter-final defeat for Jonny Clayton had opened the door for the world champion, who recovered from 5-3 down to finish strongly and take a last-leg decider as Humphries faded.
There was little between the pair during the opening legs of the final, with Humphries taking out 130 – finishing on the bullseye – to level at 2-2. After Littler, who also won in Liverpool last week, missed the bull for a 130 checkout, Humphries – through to just his second Premier League final this year – landed double 18 to get the first break. A solid hold saw Humphries lead 5-3, but Littler fought back with a break to force a decider, which he took on double 10 as the defending champion's aim consistently faltered.
A fifth nightly win for Littler moves him two points clear of Clayton, whose place in the play-offs is also now confirmed, while Humphries closes to within two points of the top four. In the semi-finals, Littler landed four maximums as he coasted to a 6-1 win over Gerwyn Price, who is set to take part in the UK Open Pool Championship next month which could see a potential clash with the play-offs at the O2 in London.
Gian van Veen had brushed aside Clayton 6-2 in their quarter-final, sealed with a 152 checkout, but then came up short against Humphries, who powered through to the final 6-3, helped by his own superb 160 finish to break the Dutchman in leg eight. In the night's opening quarter-final at P&J Live, Littler closed out a 6-3 victory over Josh Rock, who remains bottom of the table, and Price fought back from 5-3 down to edge Stephen Bunting in a last-leg decider. Humphries was a 6-3 winner over Michael van Gerwen, who was returning to action after being punched in the face during a confrontation while on a night out in the Netherlands celebrating King's Day earlier this week.
