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PETER WRIGHT’S mental strategies were incredibly effective as he skillfully outplayed Luke Humphries, toppling the defending world champion in an exhilarating match.
At 54 years of age, Snakebite defied the 25-year age gap, displaying a finishing brilliance to secure a 4-1 victory in the fourth round of the PDC World Darts Championship, backing up his pre-match jibes.
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Credit: Rex
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Credit: Rex
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Humphries, now 29 years old, faced a shocking elimination from the tournament, nearly a year after he first claimed the world title.
The world No. 1 will not defend the Sid Waddell Trophy, becoming the first player since Gary Anderson in 2016 to not do so, following his first loss in nine consecutive matches at the Ally Pally stage.
This result significantly opens up the top half of the draw, presenting 17-year-old Luke Littler with a prime opportunity to become the youngest world champion in history.
Wright, a two-time world champion, overcame health issues to achieve an impressive 70 percent success rate on his doubles in this surprise result of the 2024/25 tournament.
Before the match, the Scot stirred some controversy by claiming that Raymond van Barneveld would eliminate Humphries in the third round.
Though that prediction didn’t come true as the Dutchman exited early, Wright persisted in his assertion that he and Barney would deliver “the best game you’ve ever seen on the stage.”
In response, the Berkshire player warned his trash-talking opponent that there would be “egg on his face” if he couldn’t manage to “smash me.”
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He also threw a sharp verbal jab, saying, “I’m just one world title away from matching his career and I’m 25 years younger!”
This added an exciting layer to their encounter, and although they share a friendship, only a brief fist-bump occurred at the start.
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Wright, sporting another vibrant Christmas sweater, who had been coughing and sneezing the previous Friday due to a chest infection, appeared in much better form as he performed his usual dance on stage for the crowd.
He was evidently motivated for this match, taking a 1-0 lead—marking the first set that Humphries had lost at the world level since his championship victory last January.
Humphries replied with an impressive 161 finish in the first leg, then made a crucial steal under pressure in the fifth leg to level the match at 1-1.
During the television timeout, Wright changed his darts, a routine for him, and launched the third set with a brilliant 83 before switching back to his original darts to take a 2-1 lead with a 96 finish.
The audience sensed an upset was in the works, and when he surged ahead to a 3-1 lead, there was a television commercial break, giving the players time to regroup backstage.
Wright emphatically began the fifth set with a Bull finish on 88, which Humphries acknowledged with a fist-bump, before sealing his best victory of the year on double eight.
On New Year’s Day, Wright will compete against the No. 8 seed, either Stephen Bunting or Luke Woodhouse, with the match being finalized on Monday.
In a post-match interview after his landmark victory, Wright stated, “He didn’t play to his potential. I’ve never experienced crowd support like this in my life. Thank you; it’s incredible.
“I struggled with my form throughout the year. It’s incredibly frustrating. I know I can still play darts. I switched to a different set there to try to find something.
“This crowd, I have never encountered anything like it in the world. Absolutely remarkable. Fortunately, I wasn’t facing the Luke Humphries of last year as he was phenomenal then.
“I am a double world champion, and I aimed to win it for the third time. I’m not too old.
“All you need to do is perform well for two-and-a-half weeks throughout the entire year. Nothing else matters.
“This is all that counts. I’ve made it to the quarter-finals.
“I felt like I played poorly tonight. I hope to elevate my performance in the next round. As long as this crowd supports me, I have a great chance.”
