Darts superstar Luke Humphries exclusive as new-look World Championship board is revealed

Humphries beat Michael van Gerwen in a thrilling Players Championship Final on Sunday night, as he confirmed he is the new king of darts by overcoming the legendary Dutchman.

Van Gerwen hit a nine-dart finish in the final, but that was not enough to see off his rival and Humphries told sundayworld.com that he is ready for the biggest event of the darting year, the Paddy Power World Darts Championship.

Humphries is the form player in after winning the Grand Slam and Players Championships in November and he admits his darting journey has already exceeded expectations.

"It’s crazy to think I’m going onto the world championships as one of the favourites,” he told us in an exclusive interview.

"I never believed my career in darts could go like this. When I first started playing, my dream was to be a professional darts player.

"If I could get into the top 64 in the world and stay there, then I would have earned a decent wage and I’d be good to go.

"Never did I believe I would be top four in the world and winning major championships in the big TV events.

"Now I’m on that wave of winning and I just want more and more.

"Winning the world championships is the ultimate dream. You watch that tournament on TV and always think it would be amazing to play there one day, but now I’m going into it as one of the favourites and it's an amazing feeling.”

Humphries will be playing his first World Darts Championships on a unique dart board next month, with Irish sponsors Paddy Power pulling off one of their stunts by getting treble 20 turned from red to green on the board that will be used for the tournament.

As part of their mission to turn the Ally Pally green for the massive sporting occasion, which will be watched by a global audience of millions over the festive period, the tournament’s new sponsors unveiled a brand new dartboard featuring a green treble 20 – replacing the traditional red - during today’s official launch event in London.

The boards have been produced by Winmau - the PDC's official equipment supplier - and will sit at the centre of a stage illuminated by an electrifying green backdrop, representing the event’s world-famous live atmosphere.

Added to that, masses of Paddy Power merchandise adorning the brand's iconic green colours will be handed out to the 90,000 fans attending the 16-day event.

“First impressions mean everything and as new sponsors we want to make our mark - but this isn't just about the fact the Irish are coming,” spokesman Paddy Power said.

“Our aim is to help make the standard of the first ever Paddy Power World Darts Championship like something you've never seen before,” Paddy continued.

"We saw last year's tournament make headlines all over the world. Hopefully we can play a small part in making this year's just that 1 per cent better.

"And yes - as an Irish brand, the thought of invading an icon of British pub culture and turning the treble 20 green had its own added appeal."

Speaking about the change, PDC chief executive Matthew Porter added: “We have always said as an organisation that we want to move and evolve with the times.

“If after 30 years of our World Championship being played on a traditional dartboard, change means improvement for the standard and quality of the sport, and it directly benefits the health of players, then we owe it to them to give it a go.

"We saw 901 180s struck during last year’s tournament and maybe we’ll break the 1,000 mark this year for the first time ever. It's great to be working with Paddy Power and we hope the players are as excited about this change as we are."