Luke Humphries Has Made Darts History. Only a Trophy Against Gerwyn Price Will Make It Count

Luke Humphries has become the first player to reach four consecutive World Grand Prix finals, and he describes the achievement as worthless unless he beats Gerwyn Price in Leicester on Sunday. That is a striking stance for a man who has just made history. It is also a revealing one, because the record itself carries an awkward detail: three of the four finals are the ones he has already played, and he has lifted the trophy in only one of them.

A record with an unfinished sentence

Humphries reached the Mattioli Arena final by beating James Wade 5-3 in the semi-finals. The double-in event has never before seen a player reach the final four years running, so the milestone is not in dispute. Humphries's own verdict is the interesting part. He called it "super special" and said he is proud of it, then drew a hard line: "unless I pick that trophy up, unfortunately that history doesn't mean anything."

He added that, if he wins, he will look back and think it is amazing. The framing matters. He is not dismissing the record so much as postponing its value until it has a trophy attached.

The ledger explains the caution. Humphries beat Price to win the 2023 title. In 2024 he lost 6-4 to Mike de Decker, and last year Luke Littler beat him 6-1. By a simple calculation, that is one win and two defeats in the three finals already played, with the losing margins running from two legs to five. A record built on reaching finals is a different thing from a record built on winning them, and Humphries appears to know it.

The runner-up habit he wants to break

The Wade win sits inside a longer pattern. Since winning the Premier League in May 2025, Humphries has finished as runner-up in a string of televised finals. Sky Sports lists the 2025 European Championship, the 2025 Grand Slam of Darts and this year's Premier League final among them. He is, in the report's words, determined to end that record.

He was blunt about the stakes: "there's so many major finals I've let slip." That is a player naming his own problem rather than waiting for others to do it, and it shapes how Sunday reads. Another final defeat would add to a list he has already itemised himself.

The performance that changed his mood

Humphries said his journey this year "hasn't been playing sailing", and that earlier years at this event felt considerably easier. Against Wade, though, he felt something he had not felt for a while. He said the scoring was pretty decent and the doubling in was good, and he called it the most controlled and consistent performance he has put in for a long time.

He pinpointed the last comparable feeling as possibly the Premier League final against Littler. He said it had been a long time since he had felt that control, without the sense that he might flounder. Humphries also said he did not think he was far from his best.

Analysis: the significance lies in the contrast he draws himself. He admits the way he had been playing was not the best, and then credits himself for bouncing back. For a player trying to stop losing finals, a semi-final in which he feels in command is more useful than a statistical record, because it gives him something to repeat. He said as much, noting that he must do it again on Sunday.

Price arrives with a rougher story

Price, the 2020 champion, is through to his fourth World Grand Prix final and his first since losing to Humphries in 2023. He beat Nathan Aspinall 5-2 in the opening semi-final. Before that, he survived match darts to beat Jonny Clayton in the quarter-finals.

The semi-final was not a smooth ride for the Welshman, by his own account. Price said he was frustrated for 90 per cent of the match and called it a poor game, up and down. He also said he had words with Aspinall on stage, saying he told him to "stop performing on the board and just play darts". According to Price, Aspinall had been complaining about a crowd that was on his side. Price described himself as great friends with Aspinall, and added that when you are losing, you are losing.

He was upbeat about the outcome. "When my game is there," Price said, he is playing some of the best stuff in the world, and he is pleased to be in another final.

Mardle's read: confidence against inconsistency

Wayne Mardle, speaking for Sky Sports Darts, did not rate Price's semi-final as impressive. He said Humphries feels he was somewhere near his best, calling that confidence, and that Humphries will fancy his chances in the final. Mardle also praised Humphries for improving in the two matches where he needed to, calling that growth.

He was careful not to write Price off. Mardle said Humphries has been inconsistent but so, to a point, has Price. He pointed out that Price was the star of the opening round and has not reached those heights since, though that does not mean he cannot do so again. His hope was for both men to come out "guns blazing".

Analysis: the two semi-finals pull in opposite directions. Humphries has a clean performance to build on and a history of this final to carry. Price has the opposite problem. He is admitting to patchy play, but patchy play was enough for a 5-2 win. Whether that gap has any bearing on Sunday cannot be known in advance, and Mardle's own caveat applies.

Where the pressure sits

Humphries beat Price in 2023, which gives him a precedent he can use, and this time he faces the same opponent rather than a surprise challenger. Last year's loss to Littler and the 2024 defeat by de Decker were both against different opposition.

Still, a record can feel like a weight as well as a boost. By his own words Humphries has tied the value of four straight finals to one result. If he wins, the record gains the trophy it lacks. If he loses, he adds another near miss to a run he has already described in his own words. The final is scheduled for Sunday evening at the Mattioli Arena, with live coverage from 8pm on Sky Sports Main Event.

Research: This article uses the archived evidence supplied for this story. Story inspiration: Sky Sports' original report.