Luke Littler won his first match as world number one to progress at the Players Championship Finals, while Gian van Veen produced a second stunning comeback victory against Luke Humphries in the space of a month.
Less than a month after upsetting Humphries in the final of the European Championship, Van Veen fought back from three legs down to defeat the defending champion 6-5 in Minehead.
Humphries flew out of the traps with checkouts of 145, 40 and 83, but Van Veen came roaring back with finishes of 161 and 81 on bullseye.
The former world number one steadied himself before losing throw at 4-4, before two Van Veen misses allowed Humphries to set up a deciding leg.
Van Veen’s hard work looked to be in vain as he missed five match darts, but Humphries was equally wasteful and fell to a fourth consecutive loss to the Dutchman.
It has not been the best month for Humphries, who earlier this month surrendered his world number one crown to Littler when he lost to ‘The Nuke’ in the Grand Slam of Darts final.
Meanwhile, Littler breezed into the second round with a 6-1 victory against Jeffrey de Graaf.
After being introduced to the crowd as world number one for the first time in his career, Littler averaged 104.46 to continue his hunt for a first Players Championship title.
“It felt absolutely amazing, probably one of the best feelings I’ve had, to be world champion and world number one at the same time – but there is more to come,” Little told ITV Sport.
“This is the title I haven’t won yet. Last year I came up short against Luke Humphries so I want to tick this one off.”
The 18-year-old will face Ross Smith in the second round after the Englishman saw off Ryan Meikle 6-1.
Top seed Gerwyn Price was not at his best against Max Hopp – missing six darts when trying to take a 5-2 lead – but the German failed to capitalise and Price won 6-2.
Stephen Bunting notched a routine 6-2 victory over Ritchie Edhouse, before Nathan Aspinall dispatched Karel Sedlacek 6-3.
Four-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld limped out with a 6-3 defeat by Krzysztof Ratajski.
Rob Cross, Dave Chisnall and Jonny Clayton were all beaten in the afternoon session, with James Hurrell defeating former finalist Clayton with a 99.2 average.
Luke Littler won his first match as world number one to progress at the Players Championship Finals, while Gian van Veen produced a second stunning comeback victory against Luke Humphries in the space of a month.
Less than a month after upsetting Humphries in the final of the European Championship, Van Veen fought back from three legs down to defeat the defending champion 6-5 in Minehead.
Humphries flew out of the traps with checkouts of 145, 40 and 83, but Van Veen came roaring back with finishes of 161 and 81 on bullseye.
The former world number one steadied himself before losing throw at 4-4, before two Van Veen misses allowed Humphries to set up a deciding leg.
Van Veen’s hard work looked to be in vain as he missed five match darts, but Humphries was equally wasteful and fell to a fourth consecutive loss to the Dutchman.
It has not been the best month for Humphries, who earlier this month surrendered his world number one crown to Littler when he lost to ‘The Nuke’ in the Grand Slam of Darts final.
Meanwhile, Littler breezed into the second round with a 6-1 victory against Jeffrey de Graaf.
After being introduced to the crowd as world number one for the first time in his career, Littler averaged 104.46 to continue his hunt for a first Players Championship title.
“It felt absolutely amazing, probably one of the best feelings I’ve had, to be world champion and world number one at the same time – but there is more to come,” Little told ITV Sport.
“This is the title I haven’t won yet. Last year I came up short against Luke Humphries so I want to tick this one off.”
The 18-year-old will face Ross Smith in the second round after the Englishman saw off Ryan Meikle 6-1.
Top seed Gerwyn Price was not at his best against Max Hopp – missing six darts when trying to take a 5-2 lead – but the German failed to capitalise and Price won 6-2.
Stephen Bunting notched a routine 6-2 victory over Ritchie Edhouse, before Nathan Aspinall dispatched Karel Sedlacek 6-3.
Four-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld limped out with a 6-3 defeat by Krzysztof Ratajski.
Rob Cross, Dave Chisnall and Jonny Clayton were all beaten in the afternoon session, with James Hurrell defeating former finalist Clayton with a 99.2 average.
Real Madrid may look at Angelo Stiller, Manchester United might offload Bruno Fernandes to help with the summer rebuild, and Barcelona is interested in Harry Kane and Julian Alvarez.
Bruno Fernandes, 31, a Portugal midfielder and club captain, will be let go by Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim to help pay for the signings of England midfielders Adam Wharton, 21, and Elliot Anderson, 23, from Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest as well as Cameroon’s Carlos Baleba, 21, from Brighton. (Teamtalk)
In a move that will save £31 million in wages, Manchester United will allow Brazil’s Casemiro, 33, and England’s Jadon Sancho to leave the organization next summer. (Sun)
Real summer transfer targets for Barcelona include Bayern Munich‘s 32-year-old England forward Harry Kane and Atletico Madrid‘s 25-year-old Julian Alvarez. (Mundo Deportivo, Spanish)
Angelo Stiller, 24, a 24-year-old from Germany and Angelo Stiller, a 24-year-old from Germany, could help Real Madrid strengthen their midfield. (Fichajes – Spanish)
Rayan, 19, and his fellow Brazilian defender Souza, 19, who have both played at left-back for Santos, are being evaluated by Bayern Munich. (German) (Bild)
Givairo Read, 19, is a 19-year-old Dutch defender, who Manchester City are interested in signing in 2026. The player’s camp has already been in contact with Bayern Munich. (Romano-Fabrizio)
Georgia international Georges Mikautadze, 25, is set to receive a £44 million offer from Tottenham. (Fichajes – Spanish)
Daizen Maeda, 28, will be a target for Everton against Celtic and Japan in January. Football Insider
Chelsea and Bayern Munich‘s top targets Pablo Barrios, 22, will not be sold to Atletico Madrid until they can secure at least £88 million for the midfielder. (Fichajes – Spanish)
Officials at Arsenal met with agent Jorge Mendes in Turin to talk about potential deals for 20-year-old Turkish forward Kenan Yildiz. (Caught Offside)
Argentine international Santiago Castro, 21, is alleged to be making an offer at Everton for him in January. (Teamtalk)
Olivier Boscagli, 28, who has struggled for minutes since joining the Premier League club in the summer, may transfer to Fenerbahce on loan in January. (Fichajes – Spanish)
Real Madrid may look at Angelo Stiller, Manchester United might offload Bruno Fernandes to help with the summer rebuild, and Barcelona is interested in Harry Kane and Julian Alvarez.
Bruno Fernandes, 31, a Portugal midfielder and club captain, will be let go by Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim to help pay for the signings of England midfielders Adam Wharton, 21, and Elliot Anderson, 23, from Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest as well as Cameroon’s Carlos Baleba, 21, from Brighton. (Teamtalk)
In a move that will save £31 million in wages, Manchester United will allow Brazil’s Casemiro, 33, and England’s Jadon Sancho to leave the organization next summer. (Sun)
Real summer transfer targets for Barcelona include Bayern Munich‘s 32-year-old England forward Harry Kane and Atletico Madrid‘s 25-year-old Julian Alvarez. (Mundo Deportivo, Spanish)
Angelo Stiller, 24, a 24-year-old from Germany and Angelo Stiller, a 24-year-old from Germany, could help Real Madrid strengthen their midfield. (Fichajes – Spanish)
Rayan, 19, and his fellow Brazilian defender Souza, 19, who have both played at left-back for Santos, are being evaluated by Bayern Munich. (German) (Bild)
Givairo Read, 19, is a 19-year-old Dutch defender, who Manchester City are interested in signing in 2026. The player’s camp has already been in contact with Bayern Munich. (Romano-Fabrizio)
Georgia international Georges Mikautadze, 25, is set to receive a £44 million offer from Tottenham. (Fichajes – Spanish)
Daizen Maeda, 28, will be a target for Everton against Celtic and Japan in January. Football Insider
Chelsea and Bayern Munich‘s top targets Pablo Barrios, 22, will not be sold to Atletico Madrid until they can secure at least £88 million for the midfielder. (Fichajes – Spanish)
Officials at Arsenal met with agent Jorge Mendes in Turin to talk about potential deals for 20-year-old Turkish forward Kenan Yildiz. (Caught Offside)
Argentine international Santiago Castro, 21, is alleged to be making an offer at Everton for him in January. (Teamtalk)
Olivier Boscagli, 28, who has struggled for minutes since joining the Premier League club in the summer, may transfer to Fenerbahce on loan in January. (Fichajes – Spanish)
Musician Aitch opened up about his sisters during the latest episode of I’m A Celeb, admitting his siblings are his ‘whole heart’, leaving fans in tears
Daniel Bird Assistant Celebrity and Entertainment Editor
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Aitch left fans emotional while discussing his sisters(Image: ITV)
Aitch left I’m A Celeb fans in tears as he spoke about his family. The musician never shies away from discussing his sisters, who are ten years younger than he is.
During Friday’s episode of the ITV programme, the musician, 25, recently admitted he was taking part in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! to raise awareness of Down syndrome. But during a chat with reality star Tom Read Wilson, Aitch revealed his non-identical twin sisters are his “whole heart”.
While showing Tom a picture of his siblings, the Baby hitmaker said: “Can you believe them two are twins? Twins them two!” He went on to add: “Hattie and Gracie, she’s an absolute angel [while pointing at Hattie] and she’s an absolute devil,” as he pointed at Gracie.
Speaking of Gracie, Aitch joked: “She’s a naughty girl. But you could come and spend 10 minutes with her and you’d never forget her for your whole life.” When asked if they were close, he said: “That’s my whole heart, them two.”
In the Bush Telegraph, Tom said: “I think the thing that touched me most today, the most defeating moment, was when Aitch decided to show me his family photo he has here. Everything that he does is with them in mind, and I thought, ‘This boy is truly altruistic and he’s got a heart of gold.”
Fans were quick to take to social media, with one writing: “Aitch is precious #imaceleb.” A second penned: “Aitch is adorable #imaceleb.” “Aitch talking about his sisters, so heartwarming #ImACeleb,” tweeted a third. Meanwhile a fourth penned: “Aitch talking about his sisters,” alongside a clip of somebody in tears.
“Tom is such a sweetie. He was so touched by Aitch showing him his family photo. I hope people give him a chance. #ImACeleb,” wrote another.
Speaking about why he’s taking part in the programme, Aitch said: “On a personal Harrison level, this show is something I grew up watching in our house. It would almost be disrespectful to say ‘no’. Why would I not do it?
“On an Aitch level, I feel like I have got this calling to raise awareness for Down syndrome, and I feel that’s the perfect place. Also, you don’t always want to be stuck in the same world forever. You can branch out and do other things. You don’t have to stick to the code (rap world), because you think that’s cool. I did have to cancel some gigs for it. But you are never going to branch out if you do the same thing all the time.”
Elsewhere in the show, Aitch and his pal Angry Ginge headed to the creek to splash about, while the rapper shared what’s on his mind.
“I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for Shona, me,” he said. Ginge replied: “I think she’s really nice, if that’s what you mean, yeah?” Keeping things low-key, Aitch commented: “Yeah, that’s what I mean…”
Since the scene aired, fans have taken to social media, with one saying: Aitch and Shona have chem… Just saying. #ImACeleb.” A second added: “Aitch and Shona would make a lovely couple! #ImaCeleb.” “#ImACeleb I definitely can see Aitch and Shona together,” penned a third.
Article continues below
“The Aitch and Shona friendship #imaceleb,” tweeted another. Before a sixth went on to pen: “Even aitch feeling the spark we all see with Shona #ImACeleb.”
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! airs daily at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
Musician Aitch opened up about his sisters during the latest episode of I’m A Celeb, admitting his siblings are his ‘whole heart’, leaving fans in tears
Daniel Bird Assistant Celebrity and Entertainment Editor
View 3 Images
Aitch left fans emotional while discussing his sisters(Image: ITV)
Aitch left I’m A Celeb fans in tears as he spoke about his family. The musician never shies away from discussing his sisters, who are ten years younger than he is.
During Friday’s episode of the ITV programme, the musician, 25, recently admitted he was taking part in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! to raise awareness of Down syndrome. But during a chat with reality star Tom Read Wilson, Aitch revealed his non-identical twin sisters are his “whole heart”.
While showing Tom a picture of his siblings, the Baby hitmaker said: “Can you believe them two are twins? Twins them two!” He went on to add: “Hattie and Gracie, she’s an absolute angel [while pointing at Hattie] and she’s an absolute devil,” as he pointed at Gracie.
Speaking of Gracie, Aitch joked: “She’s a naughty girl. But you could come and spend 10 minutes with her and you’d never forget her for your whole life.” When asked if they were close, he said: “That’s my whole heart, them two.”
In the Bush Telegraph, Tom said: “I think the thing that touched me most today, the most defeating moment, was when Aitch decided to show me his family photo he has here. Everything that he does is with them in mind, and I thought, ‘This boy is truly altruistic and he’s got a heart of gold.”
Fans were quick to take to social media, with one writing: “Aitch is precious #imaceleb.” A second penned: “Aitch is adorable #imaceleb.” “Aitch talking about his sisters, so heartwarming #ImACeleb,” tweeted a third. Meanwhile a fourth penned: “Aitch talking about his sisters,” alongside a clip of somebody in tears.
“Tom is such a sweetie. He was so touched by Aitch showing him his family photo. I hope people give him a chance. #ImACeleb,” wrote another.
Speaking about why he’s taking part in the programme, Aitch said: “On a personal Harrison level, this show is something I grew up watching in our house. It would almost be disrespectful to say ‘no’. Why would I not do it?
“On an Aitch level, I feel like I have got this calling to raise awareness for Down syndrome, and I feel that’s the perfect place. Also, you don’t always want to be stuck in the same world forever. You can branch out and do other things. You don’t have to stick to the code (rap world), because you think that’s cool. I did have to cancel some gigs for it. But you are never going to branch out if you do the same thing all the time.”
Elsewhere in the show, Aitch and his pal Angry Ginge headed to the creek to splash about, while the rapper shared what’s on his mind.
“I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for Shona, me,” he said. Ginge replied: “I think she’s really nice, if that’s what you mean, yeah?” Keeping things low-key, Aitch commented: “Yeah, that’s what I mean…”
Since the scene aired, fans have taken to social media, with one saying: Aitch and Shona have chem… Just saying. #ImACeleb.” A second added: “Aitch and Shona would make a lovely couple! #ImaCeleb.” “#ImACeleb I definitely can see Aitch and Shona together,” penned a third.
Article continues below
“The Aitch and Shona friendship #imaceleb,” tweeted another. Before a sixth went on to pen: “Even aitch feeling the spark we all see with Shona #ImACeleb.”
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! airs daily at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
