'Guy pulled my thumb back and it really hurt': Bizarre walk-on circumstance had negative effect on Luke Humphries

Luke Humphries was part of one of the toughest assignments of the opening round of the US Darts Masters as he managed to edge past Stowe Buntz.

But as he remarked post game, it was perhaps a tie that was doomed from the start as a fan decided to pull his thumb back which he said really affected him and his display.

'Cool Hand Luke' certainly didn't love up to his moniker but not by design. He now faces Danny Lauby and then a likely meeting with Price or Van Gerwen awaits next.

"On the walk on, that guy pulled my thumb back and it really hurt so it affected my performance. So it affected my performance so I tried to come back from that. That thing stays in your head it does. Stowe played really good, he pushed me out of the game but he managed to give it away. In the last two games he almost gifted me the game," said Humphries to Online Darts.

"I don't ever want to come all this way and you lose first game. It's always hard to take. I'm yet to experience that yet luckily but it's never nice. But I knew Stowe was one of the toughest draws. Apart from those last two legs he played really well."

"I felt out of it after 4-3 and felt deflated after what happened. It might be something I manage to capitalise on and do great here. It's the toughest qualifiers we play against for sure. The only person that's probably missing is Alex Spellman."

But also he said that it is not just about the title, it's about adding his name to American folklore. He said that every sportsman wants their piece of the American Pie and he wants to deliver that on Saturday after a scare.

"It would mean the world, it's the World Series I've always wanted to win. It's America, the Big Apple. If you're winning titles in America something good is happening whether NFL, MLB. I want to add my part to that."