Peter Wright won an ugly second-round victory over Wesley Plaisier in the World Darts title fight, but Luke Humphries’ bold predictions for defending his title at Alexandra Palace stole the headlines.
Snakebite still wasn’t at his best as he averaged 88 points against Plaisier, but he did enough to get the job done and tie Jermaine Wattimena.
At the press conference after the match, among others: Peter Wright projected No. 1 in the world and defending champion Luke Humphries will be eliminated in the third round.
Peter Wright believes Raymond van Barneveld will beat Luke Humphries
Wright celebrated the victory over Plaisier, saying: “Class is permanent, form is temporary!” as he turned his attention to Wattimena.
When asked about his motivation for playing darts, Wright said: “What motivates me? Luke Humphries i Łukasz Małyr. I know I can still compete with them. I know what I’m doing in training, I can compete with these guys and be better than them.”
After calling out the two Lukes, Wright made a bizarre prediction, suggesting Cool Hand’s time in the tournament could come to a dramatic end against former world darts champion Raymond van Barneveld.
Wright said: “I’m 54, I’ll be 55 next year. Gary motivates me and you know, these old guys can still do it.
“I believe that Barney will beat Luke and then me and Barney will have the best match you have ever seen on this stage.”
If the Dutchman beats Nick Kenny or Stowe Buntz in the second round, Humphries will face van Barneveld in the third round.
Chris Mason considers Barney a dark horse
Wright is not the only one backing van Barneveld to deliver a good tournament at Alexandra Palace, as pundit and former pro Chris Mason has claimed he could cause problems for Humphries.
Speaking to Online Darts, the 2003 World Darts Championship quarter-finalist said: “This might be a situation that suits him perfectly because he can go unnoticed.
“There are no expectations from him, only his own expectations. He’s a dangerous player, Barney. [van Barneveld] it has that one good game in it.
“I don’t think he has two or three, but if he gets rid of Nick Kenny or Stowe Buntz he could give Humphries nightmares and play normally in the next round, which is annoying.”
Barney will face either Buntz or Kenny in the evening session on Saturday, December 21, in Littler’s first match of the tournament.
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