World Champion Luke Humphries faced a heartbreaking defeat at The Masters when one of his darts was “disqualified” in the final leg against Stephen Bunting. This loss comes shortly after Humphries’ defeat to Luke Littler in the Premier League.
Image credit: Rex
During the match, “Cool Hand” Humphries faced whistles and booing from the crowd as he aimed for doubles. The crowd’s reaction mirrored what he experienced in Cardiff just a few days earlier. As the match reached its conclusion, the pressure got to him, and he crossed the oche line with his final dart.
After hitting a 16 to set up a finish at tops, Humphries missed the 20 entirely, hitting the five instead and leaving himself without a chance to finish the game. In a moment of frustration, he threw his third dart while walking towards the oche, resulting in the referee declaring his final throw invalid.
Frustrated, Humphries watched as Bunting stepped up and sealed the victory. After the match, Bunting expressed his disappointment in winning a game that ended in such a manner, saying, “No one wants to win a game like that.”
Humphries’ recent string of defeats has been a blow to his previous night of triumph against Littler at Ally Pally on January 3. Since then, he has been knocked out early in the Bahrain and Dutch Masters, followed by losses in the Premier League and now The Cazoo Masters.
In other news, Nathan Aspinall revealed that he has been subjected to vile abuse on social media, leading him to step away from those platforms. After defeating Dirk van Duijvenbode 10-5, Aspinall spoke out against the abuse, highlighting the need for respect and acknowledging the struggles he’s currently facing.
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