MICHAEL Smith was beaten by Luke Humphries in the final of Night Six of the BetMGM Premier League in Brighton.

The pair traded holds to kick off the final contest, but Humphries took control with a brutal four-leg burst, following up a monstrous 143 checkout with legs of 11, 14 and 14 darts to race into a 5-1 lead.

Smith replied with back-to-back legs to reduce the arrears, although Humphries wasn’t to be denied, converting a clinical 74 kill on double eight to prevail with a 101 average.

Smith snapped his three-match losing streak with a dramatic deciding-leg win against Peter Wright in the quarter-finals, surviving two match darts to register his first win since Night Two.

The 2023 World Champion then punished a profligate display from Luke Littler to progress to the Night Six finale, landing five 180s to move to within a point of the teenager.

Littler had booked his place in the last four with a hard-fought win over Night Five winner Nathan Aspinall, progressing to the quarter-finals for the fifth time in six weeks.

Elsewhere, Night Five runner-up Cross inflicted another quarter-final defeat on league leader Michael van Gerwen, closing out a convincing 6-2 win to maintain his strong start to the season.

Van Gerwen leads Humphries by three points ahead of Night Seven, with Littler and Cross occupying third and fourth spots respectively.

The BetMGM Premier League continues in Nottingham next Thursday, as Humphries and Smith meet in a repeat of tonight's showpiece.

Van Gerwen and Littler will renew their rivalry in the quarter-finals, with the Dutchman eyeing a return to winning ways in the East Midlands.

Cross and Aspinall also collide in a repeat of the Night Five decider, while the bottom two lock horns in the evening’s opener, as Wright takes on Price.

2024 BetMGM Premier League.

Night Six – The Brighton Centre.

Thursday March 7.

Quarter-Finals.

Luke Humphries 6-2 Gerwyn Price.

Rob Cross 6-2 Michael van Gerwen.

Luke Littler 6-3 Nathan Aspinall.

Michael Smith 6-5 Peter Wright.

Semi-Finals: Luke Humphries 6-3 Rob Cross.

Michael Smith 6-3 Luke Littler.

Final: Luke Humphries 6-3 Michael Smith.

Night Seven - Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham

Thursday March 14.

Quarter-Finals.

Peter Wright v Gerwyn Price.

Luke Humphries v Michael Smith.

Michael van Gerwen v Luke Littler.

Rob Cross v Nathan Aspinall.