2024 Grand Slam of Darts: Quarterfinalist Calls for Premier League Format Overhaul

Darts underdog Martin Lukeman pulled off a remarkable upset in the last 16 of the Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton, overcoming former European champion Ross Smith 10-5. The victory secured Lukeman a spot in only his third-ever televised ranking quarterfinal. 

The landscape of professional darts has shifted dramatically in the last 12 months, becoming more unpredictable and fiercely competitive. 

As recent results have shown, the era when just a few players dominated the sport is over. The last two televised ranking events underscored this openness, with Belgium's Mike De Decker emerging victorious at the World Grand Prix and Ritchie Edhouse lifting the European Championship trophy. 

Both players were outsiders, and their triumphs have become a beacon of hope for lower-ranked competitors like Lukeman.

Nicknamed "Smash," Lukeman has drawn considerable inspiration from Edhouse and De Decker’s accomplishments. Their success has given him and other players further down the rankings the belief that they, too, can make their mark and claim major PDC titles. 

Speaking candidly after his match, Lukeman shared his thoughts on the evolving dynamics of the sport.

"The standards are getting better," Lukeman told SportsBoom.com. "There's not that one, two, or three players that are dominating no more, and the big boys I think are starting to realise it."

The days of Phil Taylor’s unassailable reign and the relentless dominance of Michael van Gerwen seem a distant memory now. With more players than ever capable of competing for major titles, the darts circuit has never felt so wide open. 

Lukeman openly challenged some of his higher-profile peers, including teenage sensation Luke Littler and three-time world champion van Gerwen, asserting that there is no longer any fear factor in facing the so-called top players.

“Littler might go for one competition, play great, and then two competitions, he's gone,” he remarked. 

“Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, Gerwyn Price, the same. They’re realising us boys we’re here to give them a game now.”

Image credit: PDC

Lukeman’s ambitions extend beyond his current run of form. He dreams of testing himself against the elite in the PDC Premier League, a competition that many players consider a career-defining achievement. 

The Premier League features the top four players from the PDC's two-year rolling Order of Merit, who qualify automatically, while four additional spots are awarded through wildcards selected by broadcaster Sky Sports. 

This selection process often sparks debate, as some top eight players miss out to make way for bigger names.

Lukeman did not hold back in his critique of the current Premier League selection format. He believes the structure should reward merit and that all top eight players in the world should be guaranteed a place.

"Eventually, if it keeps going like this, where you’ve got five, six, seven different winners in the majors that aren’t the top eight, you’ve got to change it," Lukeman argued. 

"You have to go with the top eight players in for the Premier League, regardless of what happens. The top eight and you’re in, that’s what it should be for me personally. That’s what we all work hard for, isn’t it."