Humphries ends teen Littler's world darts dream
Sixteen-year-old darts sensation Luke Littler's dreams of clinching the world title were dashed on Wednesday when Luke Humphries took five sets in a row from 4-2 down to triumph 7-4 in the final. World youth champion Littler had stunned the tournament by his magical run on his tournament debut to the championship finale, having arrived in London ranked a lowly 164 in the world. The teenager, after a nervy start, found his form and had a dart to lead 5-2 as he tried to become the sport's youngest world champion But Littler missed a tough double two, paving the way for a Humphries fight back in front of a packed crowd at Alexandra Palace as the 28-year-old world number one defeated his fellow Englishman to win a maiden world title. "It has been unbelievable," said Littler, a newly wealthy young man after pocketing a runners-up cheque worth £200,000 (231,958 euros). Victory extended Humphries' winning streak to a remarkable 19 matches in a row and meant he'd triumphed in four of the last five major tournaments. Littler's defeat was not the fairytale finish many darts fans, and those drawn to the sport by the rising social media star stunning progress, had hoped to see. After the match, a tearful Littler was consoled by the match referee before congratulating Humphries on his victory. (AFP)