World No. 1 Luke Humphries admitted he was hoping Gian van Veen would “s*** himself” during their European Championship final in Dortmund.
Humphries fought back from the brink against his Dutch rival, but Van Veen secured an 11-10 triumph and his maiden senior TV title. The 23-year-old had arrows for victory at 10-9, only for Humphries to hold his nerve with a crucial 85 checkout.
‘Cool Hand’ couldn’t complete the comeback, though, leaving Van Veen to seize the title and the £120,000 winner’s cheque.
“Honestly, I’m a very good loser but obviously this is a tough one to take. I felt like… I was kind of hoping he was going to s*** himself at the end there and he didn’t,” Humphries told ITV during the live TV broadcast.
“He’s an amazing player and I kind of expected him to win a major, but everyone seems to win their first ones against me. It’s frustrating but the way he played in the second and third sessions was just amazing and I’m just thinking, ‘If you just go off a little bit I might stand a chance’, but he didn’t.
“I knew this was coming. He’s an unbelievable player, he’s Premier League material, this is some stuff. But of course, for myself, I’m devastated but on the other hand I’m proud of Gian because I’ve known him for many years,” Humphries added.
“I’m gutted but I’m accepting of defeat and it just wasn’t my night.”
Van Veen’s triumph was made all the more remarkable given he was visibly battling injury during his semi-final clash.He struggled to stem the bleeding after slicing his thumb, yet still managed to overcome Michael van Gerwen before rallying magnificently to defeat Humphries.
“I said it to my girlfriend when I walked off stage, whenever I win my first stage title… I wouldn’t cry, but here we are, I’m crying,” the Dutchman revealed.
“It’s such a phenomenal feeling. When I missed the 100 to win it at 10-9 and Luke hit the 85 on the bull, I was like ‘This is over’. But to hit the 100 checkout, the same checkout, to win it, it’s amazing.
“I’ll never forget this moment and neither [will I forget] this crowd,” Van Veen continued. “It’s phenomenal to win my first ever major here in Germany, and what a night.
