Luke Humphries retained his Players Championship trophy by beating rival Luke Littler 11-7 in a final marred by whistles.
“Cool Hand Luke” survived a scare in Minehead on Sunday night to claim his seventh major title.
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Humphries threatened to escape with a place in the final after previously stumbling into a 4-1 lead Fewer fought its way to 8:7 in favor of the former.
But Humphries took three legs in a row to show fans why he is world No. 1 and one of the favorites for last month's PDC World Championship.
However, there cannot be a rematch between the defending champions and Littler in the final as both draw in the same half, meaning a thrilling semi-final lies ahead.
And should that happen, the duo will be desperate for fans to behave – unlike a select few in the Players Championship finals.
Some of the fans in attendance could be heard whistling as Humphries prepared to throw, although it was obvious this affected his rhythm.
As the whistles grew louder and more consistent as Humphries approached the oche, referee Charlie Corstorphine intervened in the 14th game to deliver a message to the crowd.
He simply announced loudly: “Stop whistling, thank you.”
That seemed to do the trick as the whistles soon turned into cheers and the fans were treated to a world-class event.
Social media was quick to praise Corstorphine for his handling of the incident, which restored order in the final.
Heading over to X, one fan posted: “Much respect for Charlie Corstorphine.”
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Another wrote: “Fair play, Charlie Corstorphine tells those idiots whistling to shut up.”
A third added: “Charlie Corstorphine is showing some serious nonsense and shouting to the crowd every time how it should be done if they keep taking players off the stage until security throws the t*****. * out of.”
Meanwhile, this user simply said: “High praise, Charlie Corstorphine.”
Humphries, who has now won five TV titles in 2024, celebrated in his post-match interview after cashing in the winner's check for £120,000.
He told ITV: “This [trophy] Was in my living room a few months ago and now I have it again!
“I didn't feel well this weekend. I was one arrow behind.
“Luke pushes me, he makes me want to become a better player. I enjoy playing him.
“I’m proud that I didn’t take my foot off the gas. It was another fantastic game with Luke, he is a special talent.
“Luke is probably the best player in the world right now.
“I told him I have to win these trophies before he starts.
“These big games are what I live for, what I dream about, and being a champion is the reason I do this, the reason I travel the world.
“I never give up. I know I can beat Luke. This is the best way to get into the worlds.”
