Luke Humphries battles past Wessel Nijman to win Players Championship 4 title in Wigan

Luke Humphries defeated Wessel Nijman 8-6 to claim his first ranking title of 2026 at Players Championship 4 in Wigan on Tuesday.

The former world champion won his first Players Championship title since October 2024 as he finished with a tournament average of 102.19, including a 104 average against Nijman in the final.

Nijman had been seeking his second Players Championship title of the year, but surrendered an early two-leg cushion as Humphries then reeled off four successive legs to eventually seal the deal with a 13-darter.

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"Except for the first game, I thought I was really good today," said Humphries. "I've had some really, really tough games to play. A couple of really tough ones early on, and then Stephen Bunting and Gerwyn Price; these are Premier League players.



"I missed a few doubles today, but I'm really pleased with myself and feeling really good about my game.

"I feel elated! For me, these are big. It gives me a lot of confidence because it's the first tournament I've won in a long time.

"I think my son will be watching me at home. He loves watching on the screen; I'm sure he will be very happy as well.

"There's going to be a lot of graft this year, but if I keep playing like that then the rewards will come."

World No 2 Humphries eliminated Premier League rival Bunting in the last 16 before seeing a 108 average guide him to victory over Niels Zonneveld in the quarter-finals.

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Awaiting him in the final four was Pryce, who was the latest to fall victim to another Humphries ton-plus average in a 7-4 loss to the eventual champion.

Nijman delivered a 107 average in a 6-0 victory over Marvin van Velzen, before beating Daryl Gurney and Callan Rydz on his way to the final.

A defeat in the first round for Peter Wright means the former world champion has now dropped out of the world's top 32 for the first time since 2011.

James Wade, meanwhile, is still one shy of 1,000 Players Championship wins after losing 6-1 to Cam Crabtree in the first round.

Last 16
Luke Humphries 6-3 Stephen Bunting
Niels Zonneveld 6-5 Joe Cullen
Gerwyn Price 6-2 Kim Huybrechts
Sebastian Bialecki 6-2 Alan Soutar
Wessel Nijman 6-0 Marvin van Velzen
Daryl Gurney 6-4 Dave Chisnall
Callan Rydz 6-4 Andrew Gilding
Mike De Decker 6-2 Ross Smith

Quarter-Finals
Luke Humphries 6-2 Niels Zonneveld
Gerwyn Price 6-4 Sebastian Bialecki
Wessel Nijman 6-5 Daryl Gurney
Callan Rydz 6-2 Mike De Decker

Semi-Finals
Luke Humphries 7-4 Gerwyn Price
Wessel Nijman 7-3 Callan Rydz

Final
Luke Humphries 8-6 Wessel Nijman

Who will win this year's Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries will be defending his title and you can watch the action every single Thursday from February until May on Sky Sports. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.