Luke Humphries has taken full control of the Premier League with a third successive victory on week eight of the competition.
While the world champion endured a slow start to his campaign, he went to Dublin having prevailed in the sixth and seventh weeks.
However, his most impressive showings came on Thursday as he dropped just seven legs against Peter Wright, Nathan Aspinall and Michael Smith respectively.
Having eased to a 6-1 win over Wright, Humphries was pushed all the way by Aspinall before posting a 6-4 victory, averaging 106.09 and 104.87 in those two matches.
HUMPHRIES DOMINATES IN DUBLIN! 🇮🇪
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) March 21, 2024
Luke Humphries makes it three nightly wins on the spin with Night Eight success in the Irish capital!
The world number one averages 105 to see off Michael Smith in the evening's showpiece!
📺 https://t.co/gbUt9q25Jh#PLDarts | Final pic.twitter.com/nNUUpHnZMf
The final saw him record a 105.53 average as he blitzed Smith by a 6-2 scoreline, Humphries taking a 4-0 lead and rarely being pushed by the St Helens thrower.
Humphries now sits a massive seven points clear of second-placed Michael van Gerwen, who lost in a deciding leg to Gerwyn Price in his opening match of the night.
Price would then go on to lose in the same fashion to Smith, who had earlier come through with a 6-4 win over Luke Littler.
Aspinall, Smith and Littler are all level on 13 points in third, fourth and fifth spot - just two points behind Van Gerwen - with Rob Cross hanging onto their coattails in sixth.
Although Price reached the semi-finals, he sits six points adrift of the top four, with Wright still cut adrift at the bottom on just two points.
Darren Plant
