Summary

  • Mike de Decker stuns Luke Humphries 6-4 to win World Grand Prix title

  • Belgian De Decker, a 200-1 outsider before tournament, triumphs in his first televised final

  • England's defending champion Humphries was 4-1 down before levelling at 4-4

  1. The stage is setpublished at 20:09 British Summer Time 13 October

    Who will be lifting this trophy later?

    Thumbs up for Humphries.

    Thumbs down for De Decker.

    World Grand Prix trophyImage source, Simon O'Connor/PDC
  2. What is 'double in, double out'?published at 20:05 British Summer Time 13 October

    For those unfamiliar with the "double in, double out" format used in the World Grand Prix, allow us to explain.

    Unlike most other competitions, "double in, double out" means that players have to start and finish each leg on a double or the bullseye.

    This in itself creates plenty of drama, especially when a player struggles to get their leg underway.

    It also means that averages in "double in, double out" matches are often lower than they are in the traditional format, making Luke Humphries 100-plus average in his semi-final win over Ryan Joyce particularly impressive.

  3. De Decker's route to the finalpublished at 20:01 British Summer Time 13 October

    Mike de DeckerImage source, Getty Images

    Mike de Decker has been the shock of the 2024 World Grand Prix so far, with the world number 36 preparing for his first major final.

    De Decker is yet to play one of the eight seeded players at the Grand Prix in this year's event, but faces top seed Luke Humphries in the final.

    There have been major scalps along the way though, with De Decker beating former world champion Gary Anderson and former Premier League winner James Wade.

    In the semi-finals, De Decker beat fellow Belgian Dimitri Van den Bergh to set up a meeting with Humphries in tonight's final.

    First round: Mike de Decker 2-1 Damon HetaSecond round: Gary Anderson 0-3 Mike de DeckerQuarter-finals: Mike de Decker 3-0 James WadeSemi-finals: Mike de Decker 5-2 Dimitri Van den Bergh

  4. Humphries' route to the finalpublished at 19:57 British Summer Time 13 October

    Luke HumphriesImage source, Getty Images

    Luke Humphries entered the draw as the number one seed and survived a first round scare against Stephen Bunting.

    Humphries lost each of the first five legs and had Bunting taken out double 16, Humphries would have lost 2-0 without claiming a single leg. Instead, he bounced back to win the match 2-1 in sets.

    The world number one has dropped just three sets across his four matches, with Humphries' most convincing display coming in Saturday's semi-final victory over Ryan Joyce.

    He did not drop a set in the' 5-0 win over Joyce, averaging 100.3 in the 'double in, double out' format and took out four 100+ checkouts.

    First round: Luke Humphries 2-1 Stephen BuntingSecond round: Luke Humphries 3-1 Ricardo Pietreczko Quarter-finals: Luke Humphries 3-1 Jonny ClaytonSemi-finals: Luke Humphries 5-0 Ryan Joyce

  5. What happened to Luke Littler?published at 19:53 British Summer Time 13 October

    Teenager Luke Littler went into the tournament as favourite after a stellar year but lost in the first round to Rob Cross on Monday.

    The 17-year-old won the Premier League, having reached the final of the World Championship earlier in the year.

    Littler hit six maximums in his match against the Englishman but at times struggled to get going in the double-start format.

    After losing the first set, he levelled up at 1-1 in the second before Cross, 34, finished with a bullseye to claim only his third victory in the tournament.

    Rob Cross and Luke LittlerImage source, PDC
  6. What's the prize fund?published at 19:49 British Summer Time 13 October

    The difference between winning and losing? Well, that would be £60,000

    Winner: £120,000

    Runner-Up: £60,000

    Semi-finalists: £40,000

    Quarter-finalists: £25,000

    Second round losers: £15,000

    First round losers: £7,500

    Total: £600,000

  7. The World Grand Prix formatpublished at 19:45 British Summer Time 13 October

    The World Grand Prix has been a set play tournament rather than a legged format, like many tournaments are.

    A set is the best of five legs, better known as the first player to win three legs.

    The final is the best of 11 sets, which equates to the first player to win six sets.

  8. Who is Mike de Decker?published at 19:41 British Summer Time 13 October

    Mike de DeckerImage source, Getty Images

    Looking to end the World Grand Prix with his first major title is Mike de Decker of Belgium.

    Nicknamed "The Real Deal", the 28-year-old entered the Grand Prix 36th in the PDC Order of Merit, guaranteeing himself a move into the top 30 for his performance at the Grand Prix.

    Prior to the Grand Prix, De Decker had never progressed past the last 32 in a PDC major event before.

    He was priced by some bookmakers at 150-1 to win this competition and is among the lower-ranked players to have featured at this year's Grand Prix.

    De Decker won his first senior title earlier this year at the Players Championship in Milton Keynes, beating Ricky Evans in the final.

  9. Get Involved - Humphries among the greats?published at 19:37 British Summer Time 13 October

    #bbcdarts, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)

    Has Luke Humphries now established himself among the greats of darts?

    We want to know your top five all-time players - has 'Cool Hand' done enough to merit a place?

    Let us know your thoughts on that, this final and any other darting views.

    Get in touch using #bbcdarts, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply). Please leave your name on messages.

  10. Humphries on a rollpublished at 19:34 British Summer Time 13 October

    Luke Humphries was trending on social media last night - and no wonder after his 5-0 demolition of Ryan Joyce in the World Grand Prix semi-finals.

    The manner of his victory in a dominant year had fans and pundits drooling on X, formerly known as Twitter, and drawing comparisons with the game's greats such as Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen.

    Darts Orakel: Humphries is in his sixth straight TV ranking final. The last person to do that: MvG in 2016/17. The only other person to do it: Taylor.

    He averaged 100+ in a best of nine sets match, double in. The last person to do that: MvG in 2016. The only other person to do it: Taylor.

    Luke HumphriesImage source, PDC
  11. Welcome to the World Grand Prix finalpublished at 19:30 British Summer Time 13 October

    Good evening and welcome to our live text page for the 2024 World Grand Prix final in Leicester.

    World champion and defending Grand Prix champion Luke Humphries faces Belgium's Mike de Decker in tonight's final from around 20:00 BST.

    Humphries is looking to win his sixth major PDC title, winning his first in this competition 12 months ago.

    De Decker is in his first major final.

    We will bring you all the build-up and live updates throughout the night, so let's get straight into it.