Ex-world darts champ desires radical rule change that might’ve spared Luke Humphries defeat

Luke Humphries and Rob Cross both hit nine-darters in Brighton, only to then lose their respective matches on night five of Premier League Darts

Darts legend John Part has suggested a bold rule change follow an unprecedented occurrence of two nine-darters in one evening of the Premier League darts – with both players suffering subsequent match losses.

During night five’s action in Brighton, world No. 1 Luke Humphries and Rob Cross each achieved perfect legs, but then faced defeat in their matches. Humphries executed his nine-darter against Cross during the early stages of their quarter-final bout.

Despite this early spectacle, Cross stormed back to clinch a 6-4 victory after bagging seven maximums and boasting an average of 111. Cross also hit peak form with his own nine-darter later in his semi-final clash with Nathan Aspinall, though Aspinall managed a narrow 6-5 win, proceeding to the final on that same night, ultimately losing out to Luke Littler.

The pair’s nine-darter finesse didn’t go unrewarded; they were presented with exclusive 18-carat gold darts, valued at £30,000 each, from tournament sponsor BetMGM, reports the Mirror.

Commenting on the experience, Humphries said: “I’ve hit about five or six nine-darters in my career. But it’s always a special feeling to do it on the big stage, and the crowd went wild which was amazing.

“Of course, I would have rather won the game, but it’s a really nice memento.”

This string of incidents, including nine-darters followed by defeat, echoes recent events with Christian Kist and Damon Heta enduring the same fate at the previous World Championship.

During the electric atmosphere in Brighton, darts legend and three-time world champion John Part threw a radical idea into the mix, claiming any player nailing a nine-darter should instantly clinch the match.

Co-commentator Wayne Mardle could only chuckle at the outrageous proposal, but Part clarified it could work for short-form games like those in the Premier League’s best-of-11-legs structure.

Adding to the night’s drama, the Sky Sports broadcast faced technical hitches early on, which tested fans’ patience until they were sorted. Despite the glitch, both nine-darters soared onto the screens without hitch.

Keen to alleviate concerns about the coverage issues, Humphries quipped: “Did it get shown, maybe? Just about luckily enough. That would’ve been well disappointing, hit your first [televised] nine and they don’t even show it on TV!”