Luke Humphries issues perfect response to brutal five-word taunt after losing darts final

Luke Humphries was lauded as a "class act" for his composure in the face of jeers from the World Grand Prix crowd after his disappointing final loss. The darts world No.1 was on course to successfully defend his title from last year in Leicester on Sunday.

He was heavy favourite to add another trophy to his growing collection. But in an unexpected twist, Belgian 25th seed Mike De Decker secured a 6-4 upset victory to take the £120,000 top prize.

The defeat was a shock to all inside the Mattioli Arena, and Humphries was then taunted by the audience in brutal fashion. They broke into a song of "Leeds are falling apart again".

The football chant, which is used by rivals of his beloved Leeds United, had been directed at him throughout the tournament given Leicester City beat them to promotion from the Championship last season.

While it may have got under the skin of others, Humphries handled the banter with good-natured grace. He even encouraged the audience to raise their voices, cupping his ear before pumping his arm in the air.

With a smile on his face he then applauded them. His respectable reaction was picked up on by fans watching at home, with one hailing: "Just class isn't he." Another concurred: "Class as per."

A third commented: "Fair play to @lukeh180 tonight took defeat like a man even had a bit of banter with the crowd... unbelievable talent and a joy to watch." And a fourth wrote: "He handles it so well, most players' heads would be on Mars."

"He's got the right attitude that lad love him," praised a fifth, while a sixth said: "Class act on and off the oche. The hate for Humphries is so forced and just stems from jealous nobodies who don't like to see others be successful."

Despite his loss, Humphries was the epitome of sportsmanship during his post-match interview with Sky Sports, heaping praise on De Decker - who out-averaged him to clinch his first televised title at 28 - for the nerve he displayed under the spotlight.

Speaking to Sky, the 29-year-old explained: "I'm obviously gutted to lose - I felt like I really was just on the wires of everything. It's frustrating but I'm so proud of Mike, he showed so much bottle.

"I know how it felt like to be in that position a year ago and he looked as cool as anything. It wasn't my night and sometimes you have to accept that it isn't.

"But you've got a great champion and he's got a target on his back now like I've got. He's a fantastic guy, a great player. There's a lot more big things to come from him after this."