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Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Luke Humphries showed true colours after inspiring World Matchplay star to return to darts
Women's World Matchplay darts contender Gemma Hayter opens up about rediscovering her passion for the sport thanks to a little help from men's world No. 1 Luke Humphries Gemma Hayter will grace the famous Winter Gardens stage after being inspired to get back into darts by old friend Luke Humphries. The 31-year-old will make her Women's World Matchplay debut on Sunday, just 18 months after ending her eight-year break from the game. Hayter was an exciting prospect as a teenager and was even touted as a future world champion at one stage. She played youth darts with Humphries and was called up to represent England almost a decade ago, teaming up with the likes of Fallon Sherrock and Lisa Ashton. However, around the same time, she quit the game, citing a lack of opportunities for female players. She said: 'I was 12 or 13 when my nan took me along to the Hampshire youth set-up and I played youth darts. Then, when I was 14, I got called up to the senior team and played senior darts for a few years. "In 2016, I qualified to play for England. But that was the year I gave up for eight years. I just felt there was no opportunity for the women back then. I didn't do the BDO tour, as it was back then, so the highest I could go was to play for England. 'I also met my partner and we got quite serious. We wanted to buy a house and I was spending £200 a weekend to play one game for Hampshire. I felt there should have been more competitions for the ladies.' Hayter still played the odd game during her sabbatical but was inspired to get back into the sport properly during the 2023/24 World Championship. She said: 'It was a bit of Luke Littler fever when he played his first Worlds. And I played youth darts with Luke Humphries and that was the year he won it. 'It was someone I'd known since I was 16. If that doesn't inspire you, nothing will. Darts was everywhere and I still had a board at home. I was throwing and said to my other half, 'These are going really well.' 'She said, 'If you want to get back into it…' I looked at when the Women's Series started and she said, 'Right, I'll book the weekend off and will drive you.'' Hayter hit the ground running at her first Women's Series tournament in 2024. After beating Sherrock, she was suddenly inundated with offers from potential managers. That prompted her to turn to Humphries for advice, and he showed his class in response. 'When I came back to darts, I had a few good results. At my second ever Women's Series event, I beat Fallon 5-1 with like a 97 average,' she added. 'I then had a few contract offers from managers, so I messaged Luke. I said, 'I know you're really, really busy, but you know about this stuff more than me,' and he navigated it with me.' Hayter eventually signed with MODUS management and the Red Dragon manufacturer, who are also Humphries' backers. 'He's a really nice, genuine and laid-back guy,' said Hayter, who will face Sherrock in the quarter-finals of the Women's Matchplay. 'I never thought he'd be doing what he's doing now. He was always a decent player but he didn't play any senior darts at that point [when we played together]. His rise has been brilliant to watch.' The Women's Series and tournaments like the Women's Matchplay have been welcome additions to the calendar, giving Hayter an incentive to get back into the sport. However, she isn't entirely satisfied with how the female game is promoted and supported. 'A lot of the manufacturers and people who sponsor darts players, they're not really backing the women,' she said. 'And I've been quite critical of the PDC. I don't feel like they push the women enough. 'They didn't put any of the Women's Series finals on YouTube until I kicked up a bit of stink about it online. I put up a post on Twitter [saying], 'Why are we not getting seen?' All they were posting was the last six darts of a final.' With that in mind, Hayter would like to see more women's tournaments in the PDC, like a World Championship. She added: 'I think now is the time,. The trouble is, the PDC are only interested in when the women are beating the blokes, that's the only time you see them get pushed, which is a shame. 'Everyone knows Beau, Fallon and Lisa Ashton are great players. They're producing big averages against each other but no one is seeing it. They need to get people interested in the women's players more.'
Daily Record
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Ross 'The Boss' has fire in his belly again as he takes major title
The East Kilbride darts ace won the Champion of Champions Ross Montgomery got the fire back in his belly to win the World Senior Darts Champion of Champions title, and says enjoying his game was key to victory. 'The Boss' triumphed in Portsmouth as he defeated defending champion Richie Howson 8-5 in the final at the MODUS Live Lounge, having also knocked out Raymond van Barneveld and Trina Gulliver. Greenhills champion Montgomery, 62, says staying focused, and undertaking an 18k walk with wife Dorothy before the final, played a huge part. Ross, who received the trophy from former champion Phil Taylor, said: 'It's good. This one isn't in as big a box as the World Championship one was, but it's a good feeling and I do wish this sort of thing happened a long time ago. 'I was winning titles, but nothing as prestigious as this, and it's helping. 'I was very pleased to win this, considering the way I played against Trina in the first match. 'I went 4-0 up and thought 'job done' but then went 'oops, it's first to five' and then tried to refocus. 'Trina was absolutely superb, she was hitting everything, and she brought it back to 4-4. 'I managed to pull it out the bag, beat her 5-4, and I was thinking 'it's Barney next', so got the focused head on, tried to remember the days when I was playing for my country, and how it felt, getting the fire in the belly, and it worked – I really enjoyed it.' Montgomery added: 'Barney was a total gentleman in defeat, but beating him was quite a pinnacle for me, and I felt good, going into the final. 'I had played Richie a few times in the MODUS series, and he had done me like a kipper a couple of times, but I know I've got a game against him. 'The heat was unbelievable towards the end of the game, we were both pretty warm, but I think I was handling it a little bit better. 'We had done an 18k walk the day before, and I think that helped. I didn't go out to do 18k, but Dorothy loves to walk, and it was a beautiful day. I think that helped, and I managed to pull through in the final.' Senior World Champion Montgomery will defend his title at Epsom in November, and said: 'I daresay there will be a few targets on my back, who will want to get me, because they're fed up with me winning! 'Now I'm at this age and playing in this, if they go they go, and if I win, I win – I'm enjoying it.'
The Irish Sun
08-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘Pretty certain' – Darts legend, 61, tipped for instant return to the sport just months after retirement
DARTS hero Steve Beaton has tipped to come out of retirement months after laying down his arrows. , 61, began on the professional circuit in 1991 - competing against the likes of Dennis Priestley and Bob Anderson - before 2 Steve Beaton has tipped to come out of retirement Credit: Getty Beaton is a former Lakeside World Champion and semi-finalist in the UK Open and World Grand Prix. The "Bronzed Adonis" played in his 33rd consecutive PDC World Darts Championship last year, seeing off Dutchman Wessel Nijman 3-1 in the last 96. Beaton, who holds the record for 33 World Darts Championship appearances, brought the curtain down on his three-decade-plus stint on the main tour at the end of 2024. He currently competes on the MODUS Super Series alongside the seniors circuit - which Phil Taylor used to feature in after retirement. READ MORE DARTS NEWS But Matthew Edgar, 38, has backed Beaton to make a remarkable comeback to the PDC this yea r. Edgar reckons the huge investment into the sport, combined with the expanded World Darts Championship format coming to Ally Pally later this year, will prove irresistible for the Coventry ace. Edgar told the Love The Darts podcast: "With the increased ranking money next year, if you're going to have a bad year and miss the big events, you can get away with it. "Because you can make it back up again in the previous year and the following year when you're not defending anything, you've got this heightened prize money , you can make the jump quite significantly. Most read in Darts 2 Matt Edgar believes Beaton's run in the PDC isn't over Credit: Getty CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS "You're guaranteed the UK Open so realistically you think, 'Well, if I just have an okay season I should be in three potentially big events." Sky Sports presenter Abigail Davies then guessed that Beaton could be among those players motivated to return, to which Edgar boldly declared: "I think he does, I'm calling it now. Darts fans hail 'greatest thing I've ever seen' as star lands extremely rare triple-bullseye checkout "I think Steve Beaton's at Q School this year. I am pretty certain of it." Q School is a qualifying tournament for players who compete against each other to earn a PDC Tour Card, which allows them to play on the professional circuit. The World Championship is expanding to 128 players for the 2025/26 edition, with a total prize fund of £5 million, including £1 million for the winner. Despite Edgar's prediction, it was only last month that Beaton revealed it was time for him to step back from such a demanding darts schedule. He said: ""You've got to move on. I'm 61 now. I can't keep playing darts all the time. "I do watch them and I feel for them you know, they're on the clock all the time. It's great when you're younger. But once you get older it's harder."
Irish Daily Mirror
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Luke Littler left fuming by 'scum of the earth' while playing darts exhibition
Luke Littler was livid after his team's van was trashed by vandals during an exhibition in Norwich. The reigning world champ was joined by darts legends Phil Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld for the MODUS Icons of Darts night out in Norfolk. The Nuke made headlines, beating Luke Humphries in the final to add another chapter to their burgeoning rivalry. Post-match, Littler was left gutted as he found the back window of his Mercedes van smashed in. Taking to Instagram, he shared a snap of the damage with his followers. Littler didn't mince words in his caption: "Just trying to do an exhibition in Norwich and this happens, absolute scum of the earth." The vandalism happened on the closing day of Epic Studios' MODUS event, set in the heart of Norwich city. The organisation is known for throwing non-PDC dart events that feature today's heavy-hitters, online sensations, and blasts from the past, reports the Express. Littler triumphed over Humphries not long before news dropped that they'd be teaming up for next month's World Cup of Darts. Touted as heavy favourites, they're poised to scoop the prize in Frankfurt owing to their recent reign over the sport. Earlier in the week, Humphries backed their all-star duo to deliver the goods at the cup, with Cool Hand claiming it'll take something special for any competitors to take them down. "I think everybody is expecting us to win it and no one's going to touch us," he shared with the Weekly Dartscast. "There are some great teams in there, the likes of Gezzy [Price] and Jonny [Clayton] are a potential banana skin. "Gian van Veen is playing really well. Him and Danny [Noppert], if they get going, that's a tough team. Gary [Anderson] and Peter [Wright], Peter's playing better again now. "These are all potential banana skins, but if me and Luke gel and everything goes well, it's going to be an incredibly tough performance to beat us both."
The Independent
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Luke Littler's van window smashed in Norwich during exhibition with Luke Humphries
Luke Littler was dismayed to discover that the rear window of his van was smashed while he took part in an exhibition match in Norwich. The 18-year-old defeated rival Luke Humphries in the MODUS Icons of Darts event in the city on Friday night but returned to his vehicle to discover the rear window had been smashed. Alongside an image of the van, Littler posted on Instagram: "Just trying to do an exhibition in Norwich and this happens, absolute scum of the earth." The PA news agency has approached Norfolk Constabulary for comment. Humphries and Littler, ranked first and second in the world, were joined at the exhibition by former world champions Phil Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld. Littler became the youngest-ever darts world champion in January, aged 17, when he defeated Michael van Gerwen in the final of the PDC's flagship event at Alexandra Palace.
