According to major media reports, neither Luke Humphries nor Luke Littler has secured a night win so far in this year's Premier League, with the competition reaching Night Five in Cardiff. Humphries dethroned Littler at the O2 on the final night of last year's Premier League. In the previous edition, Night Five was held in Brighton, where Humphries and Rob Cross both achieved nine-dart finishes but lost their matches.
They were presented with golden darts valued at £30,000 by tournament sponsors BetMGM after those losses. The issue of players losing despite hitting nine-darters has sparked discussion, with three-time world champion and Sky Sports Darts commentator John Part proposing a rule change. Part suggested that in shorter-format contests, a player who hits a nine-darter should automatically win the match.
I've hit about five or six nine-darters in my career. But it's always a special feeling to do it on the big stage and the crowd went wild which was amazing. Of course, I would have rather won the game, but it's a really nice memento.
However, Wayne Mardle dismissed this proposal with amusement. Recently, in Belfast last week, Josh Rock hit a nine-darter but lost to Gian van Veen. Luke Humphries reflected on his own experiences, stating, 'I've hit about five or six nine-darters in my career.
But it's always a special feeling to do it on the big stage and the crowd went wild which was amazing. ' The current status of Part's rule change proposal is unknown, and it is unclear how other players and officials have reacted to the idea. Humphries' performance in the current Premier League season beyond the lack of night wins has not been detailed.