logo
Luke Humphries stunned by Gian van Veen in World Matchplay opener

Luke Humphries stunned by Gian van Veen in World Matchplay opener

Humphries was hoping to become just the fourth man to defend his title in Blackpool after he won for the first time in 2024.
But he was not at his best at the Winter Gardens and was downed 10-8 by the Dutchman van Veen, who celebrated the best win of his career.
VAN VEEN DETHRONES HUMPHRIES! 🤯
What a moment for Gian van Veen!
The young Dutchman secures his first win on the Winter Gardens stage with a thrilling 10-8 victory over reigning champion Luke Humphries!#MatchplayDarts | R1 pic.twitter.com/EJus5BJxxk
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) July 19, 2025
Humphries' exit will make Luke Littler the overwhelming favourite for the event, with the teenager kicking off his campaign against Ryan Searle on Sunday.
Despite not being at his best, Humphries still had chances to beat Van Veen but could only convert 28 per cent of his double attempts.
Van Veen made his move to break at 7-7 and then eventually got over the finishing line on his fourth match dart.
'This feels like the biggest win of my career, to be here at the iconic Winter Gardens,' he said.'Finally I got that winning double and this is the biggest win of my career.
'I guess this makes me the number one seed! I am just going to enjoy this one tonight.
'It means the world, I felt really relaxed on the stage, to beat the reigning champion and world number one, it's an amazing feeling.
'Luke is a true champion, a great guy and the true world number one. To beat the world number one is amazing but it is just one game. I take it game by game.'
James Wade celebrated 20 successive years at the World Matchplay by coasting to a 10-3 win over Joe Cullen.
Wade threw his best-ever average at the Winter Gardens of 104.44, hitting 10 out of 15 doubles.
THE MACHINE MARCHES ON! 👏
📊 104.44 average💪 67% on the doubles
James Wade – featuring in his 20th consecutive World Matchplay – produces his highest ever average on the Winter Gardens stage to storm through to round two!#MatchplayDarts | R1 pic.twitter.com/4KsChqL8RY
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) July 19, 2025
He hit out at anyone who believes he cannot win the title next week, referencing an old spat with Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle who once questioned him.
'I can do it again, 100 per cent. I'm good enough to win this tournament. I mean, I think if anyone believes any different, I think they're a little bit Wayne Mardle-d.
'But I respect Wayne as well. I mean, Wayne's a wonderful person. He's got great knowledge of the game. I think he writes quite a few other players off.
'But I can win this tournament. Of course, again, it's no secret.'
Danny Noppert beat Cameron Menzies 10-2, setting up a second-round meeting with Van Veen.
Wessel Nijman ensured it was a perfect night for the Dutch contingent with a brilliant win over eighth seed Nathan Aspinall.
Nijman, on debut at the Winter Gardens, downed the 2023 champion in style with a 10-6 victory.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Rangers 'to make' £5m offer for Jesurun Rak Sakyi alternative as winger feelings made clear despite injury
Rangers 'to make' £5m offer for Jesurun Rak Sakyi alternative as winger feelings made clear despite injury

Daily Record

time7 minutes ago

  • Daily Record

Rangers 'to make' £5m offer for Jesurun Rak Sakyi alternative as winger feelings made clear despite injury

The Crystal Palace wide man limped off during a pre-season clash with Crawley Town on Friday Dutch side Go Ahead Eagles have reportedly been "primed" to expect an offer from Rangers for winger Oliver Antman. ‌ The Light Blues are ramping up their search for a new wide man having already expressed an interest in Crystal Palace 's Jesurun Rak-Sakyi – with Russell Martin admitting to being a fan having previously tried to sign him while he was still Southampton manager. ‌ It was reported earlier this week the Ibrox side made the first move to sign the winger with a loan bid tabled that included a stunning £10million buy option for the 22-year-old. ‌ But Rangers now face a sweat over an injury to Rak-Sakyi after he went down on Friday night and he was substituted in the 89th minute after coming on midway through the second half. The winger spent two minutes receiving treatment before he walked off the pitch. But Martin appears to have come up with an alternative to Rak-Sakyi in Finnish international Antman. The Herald report that Rangers have taken a "firm interest" in the 23-year-old after his debut Eredivise campaign having signed for the Eagles from Nordsjaelland last summer. It is claimed the club want a £5million payday for their key man and "have been told to prepare for an offer from Ibrox by intermediaries." ‌ You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Celtic page, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season.

Matthijs de Ligt issues promise to Man Utd fans as verdict shared on summer transfers
Matthijs de Ligt issues promise to Man Utd fans as verdict shared on summer transfers

Daily Mirror

time7 minutes ago

  • Daily Mirror

Matthijs de Ligt issues promise to Man Utd fans as verdict shared on summer transfers

Manchester United endured their worst-ever Premier League campain last season but the Dutchman is determined to improve things under Ruben Amorim heading into his second term at Old Trafford Matthijs De Ligt says Manchester United's players owe it to their fans to improve on last season's worst-ever Premier League finish. United ended last season in 15th place, their lowest finish for 15 years, and also missed out on Europe for only the second time in 35 years after losing the Europa League final to Tottenham. ‌ After such a dismal season, United defender De Ligt said Ruben Amorim 's players must make it up to their loyal fans, who stood by the team throughout last term, despite such poor results. ‌ 'Of course we owe it to them,' said De Ligt. 'But I think, first of all, we owe it to ourselves. We were all unhappy with our performances last season, so that's the first thing we have to do. ‌ 'We owe it also to ourselves to play much better. And then, obviously, the fans are the most important thing, so hopefully we can give them a lot more joy this season.' United kicked off their US tour with a 2-1 win over West Ham at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium and De Ligt said winning in pre-season will help build confidence ahead of the new campaign. 'I think after a season like that, it's normal to have to rebuild your confidence,' said De Ligt. 'So that's why I think a win like this is really important. 'I think with winning, you become more confident. You start to believe more in what you're doing. This was a good example of what we can show and hopefully, with this, the group becomes even better." De Ligt said competing in the Premier League Summer series, with games against West Ham, Bournemouth and Everton, is the ideal way to prepare for the new season. 'I think it was good that we played against a Premier League team," said De Ligt. "They obviously also play at a high pace. So it was good that we showed some things that we want to improve on. ‌ 'We've trained a lot, we've trained hard and I think you also saw what kind of intensity we can bring. We're still at the beginning and we have a lot more potential to show in that respect. ‌ 'We've been with the manager for eight months, more or less. Last season was not good enough, we know that, and now we have to find a way to improve. 'We've made some good signings. You saw what Matheus [Cunha] can bring to the team and I liked the mentality we showed - high pressing, a lot of intensity, some chances also. I think we also defended quite well so, overall, I think it was a good performance. 'We're working really hard every day to be at our best for the first game of the new season against Arsenal. Last season is last season. There's a lot of positivity now in the camp and also some new players." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Ashton beats Sherrock to win Women's World Matchplay
Ashton beats Sherrock to win Women's World Matchplay

BBC News

time7 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Ashton beats Sherrock to win Women's World Matchplay

Lisa Ashton has won the Women's World Matchplay in remarkable fashion after Fallon Sherrock missed 11 darts for the title in a pulsating world champion Ashton, 54, came through a final-leg decider to win 6-5 at Blackpool's Winter 'The Lancashire Rose' must have thought her chance had gone when Sherrock, leading 5-4, left herself 40 with Ashton not even on a Sherrock missed eight darts at double before Ashton found double 10 to force a one-leg shootout.A stunning last leg saw Ashton hit a 180 to briefly take charge before Sherrock responded with a brilliant 165 to leave again the 31-year-old, who made history as the first woman to win a match at the PDC World Championship in 2019, could not finish it three match darts went begging and Ashton made her pay by hitting double top to clinch the title - and with it the £10,000 prize money, as well as places in both the Grand Slam of Darts and PDC World Championship."I'm so, so happy. I finally got there," Ashton told Sky Sports."My heart was going ten to the dozen but I just zoned out because I thought I had to take my chances because Fallon was missing - and I did."Ashton also beat fellow Englishwoman Sherrock in the 2015 BDO world final at Lakeside."We push each other and it's good for women's darts," Ashton added. After seeing off Ireland's Robyn Byrne in the quarter-finals, Ashton had shocked top seed and defending champion Beau Greaves 5-3 in the fourth leg proved crucial with Greaves getting down to 36 in nine darts, only to miss eight darts at double before Ashton came from nowhere to take out 140 for a 3-1 proved to be the difference with Ashton at 50% on the outer ring, while Greaves - who had been bidding for a third straight Matchplay title - made just three out of 19 Sherrock had survived match darts in both her quarter and semi-finals before her luck ran out in the edged past Gemma Hayter 4-3 in the last eight before seeing off second seed Noa-Lynn van Leuven 5-4 following a wild final missed five match darts, Van Leuven missed four and both players ended up on double one, with the former eventually finding it to advance to the dramatic wins in a row proved just beyond the 'Queen of the Palace', though, as Ashton pipped her to the trophy. Women's World Matchplay results Quarter-finalsBeau Greaves 4-1 Kirsi ViinikainenLisa Ashton 4-2 Robyn ByrneNoa-Lynn van Leuven 4-0 Lorraine WinstanleyFallon Sherrock 4-3 Gemma HayterSemi-finalsBeau Greaves 3-5 Lisa AshtonNoa-Lynn van Leuven 4-5 Fallon SherrockFinalLisa Ashton 6-5 Fallon Sherrock

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store