Premier League Darts: Luke Humphries gains first win for challenger
- Published
Luke Humphries has reached the quarter-finals of the past two PDC World Championships
Luke Humphries became the first ever "challenger" to win a Premier League match by beating Gary Anderson.
The reigning PDC world youth champion, 25, prevailed at the end of a crazy final leg of missed doubles to win 7-5.
The challenger format, which features invited players in the early weeks of the competition, was introduced when Anderson pulled out injured in 2019.
However, the first 13 games involving a challenger had failed to produce a victory until Humphries' win in Exeter.
Elsewhere, Michael Smith followed his nine-dart finish in Dublin last week by beating world number one Michael van Gerwen.
Glen Durrant leads the table after ending Gerwyn Price's unbeaten start with an impressive 7-3 victory over the in-form Welshman.
Northern Ireland's Daryl Gurney remains without a win and bottom of the table, but he managed to gain his second point of this season's competition with a 6-6 draw against former world champion Rob Cross.
World champion Peter Wright beat Nathan Aspinall 7-3 in Thursday's other match.
Before next week's round of Premier League fixtures is the UK Open, which starts on Friday.
Aspinall will go to Minehead as the defending champion, while female stars Lisa Ashton and Fallon Sherrock are among the field of 160 players aiming to win the £100,000 first prize on Sunday.
Results: Exeter, 5 March
Rob Cross 6-6 Daryl Gurney
Gerwyn Price 3-7 Glen Durrant
Nathan Aspinall 3-7 Peter Wright
Gary Anderson 5-7 Luke Humphries (challenger)
Michael Smith7-4 Michael van Gerwen
Fixtures: Liverpool, 12 March
Michael Smith v Peter Wright
Daryl Gurney v Glen Durrant
Gerwyn Price v Michael van Gerwen
Rob Cross v Stephen Bunting (challenger)
Gary Anderson v Nathan Aspinall