Luke Humphries delights Dublin with Premier League hat-trick

World champion Luke Humphries beat Michael Smith to win Premier League night eight in Dublin, while Luke Littler's wait for a victory in the competition goes on.

It was Humphries’ third win in a row and takes the Leeds player seven points clear at the top of the standings.

After overcoming Peter Wright and Nathan Aspinall, Humphries had too much for Smith in the final, averaging 105.5 in a 6-2 victory.

"I'm really enjoying myself," said the 29-year-old.

"The start of the season I felt a little bit worn out. It felt really tough for me.

"Now I’m enjoying the game and that’s when I’m at my best.

"I feel like I belong here. The last three weeks have been fantastic, my standard has been really high. I’m not unbeatable but I feel like I’m at the stage where it takes a big performance to beat me.

"At the start I was so busy and I had to take time off. I feel like you have to manage your calendar in the best way. I’ve got to keep myself in the best frame of mind and best shape.

"Next week I want to create a record and win four on the trot.

"A lot of people think I’ve got one foot in the semis. But I don’t think that. I have to keep working hard.

"I’m not arrogant at all. But I feel if I play my A game I feel like there’s only a couple of people who can test me.

"Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen, they are the two that can push me. Their A level can probably beat me."

Littler, meanwhile, failed to reach the semi-finals for just the second time in the tournament as he lost 6-4 to Smith in the quarter-finals.

The 17-year-old superstar (above) won his first ever senior title, the Irish Open in Killarney in 2021, then aged just 14, but there was to be no winning return to Ireland as a relentless Bully Boy, the 2023 world champion, overcame a