LUKE HUMPHRIES has revealed the wind was put up him by an invisible “nemesis” during his sensational comeback win over Luke Littler.
The World No1 blew the Nuke away by taking the last five legs for a 7-6 victory on his way to lifting the New Zealand Masters crown.
Luke Humphries roared back to defeat Luke Littler before seeing off Damon Heta i the final of the New Zealand MastersGetty
RexHumphries stunned the Nuke with a gust of five legs in a row[/caption]
Humphries followed up that semi-final epic with a title-clinching romp as he beat Aussie Damon Heta 8-2.
But the Berkshire star, 29, was a relieved man after claiming he had to overcome a windy weakness against Littler.
Humphries hates playing with any hint of a gust around the oche.
And he reckons that’s exactly what he encountered when taking on the Warrington whizkid at the GLOBOX Arena in Hamilton, NZ.
Three months earlier, Humphries had noticed a “massive breeze” when losing 11-7 to Littler in the Premier League Darts final.
But this time he jokingly changed his nickname from “Coolhand Luke” to “Escapehand Luke” after nicking a revenge success.
Humphries said: “It was tough in the semi-final. It was a breeze coming through the stage.
“Everyone knows that’s my nemesis.
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“It’s kind of like something that pegs me back. I can’t play to the best of my ability.
“I had to also change to a different set of flights, heavier flights.
“They kind of worked in the semis and I stuck with them.”
Back in May at the O2 Arena in London, Humphries had delivered a chillingly similar verdict after defeat in the Prem final.
He said then: “I tried to stick in there. There was a massive breeze all night to deal with.
“Credit to Luke, he handled it well. He played much better.”
But at least Humphries has now proved darts can be “a game of two drafts” – by turning the tables on the other side of the world.
Indeed, at the second time of asking, he showed he could produce a “winds-win situation”!
Inside Littler’s massive rise
LUKE LITTLER has taken the darts world by storm since exploding onto the scene at the PDC World Championship.
The Nuke reached the final on his Ally Pally debut at just 16 years of age – smashing records along the way.
He has since joined Jude Bellingham on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list.
And the teenage titan even had to snub an invite from the WWE.
The Sun exclusively revealed that Littler is plotting to create a fitness empire.
He is also cashing in away from the Oche thanks to an Instagram side hustle.
And he’s even the face of a brand new cereal.
The wonderkid has now cemented his place among the tungsten elite by winning the Premier League Darts final – and the £275k top prize.
Check out all of our latest Luke Littler stories.