Night Fourteen lands at the First Direct Arena and ticket resale sites have gone into overdrive as Yorkshire prepares for a partisan roar. Local favourite Luke Humphries is guaranteed thunderous support yet much of the spotlight still falls on Luke Littler whose five nightly titles have produced a commanding lead at the top of the table.

Gerwyn Price arrives fresh from victory in Liverpool and now trails Humphries by only four points. Michael van Gerwen remains fourth on twenty one but the Dutchman has not lifted a nightly trophy since Cardiff and admits his doubles have gone missing at crucial moments. With Nathan Aspinall only one point back the race for the final berth grows tighter each week.

Quarter final pairings reflect the tension. Rob Cross meets Price in the curtain raiser before Aspinall tries to derail Littler in a grudge rematch of their Manchester classic. Van Gerwen then faces Humphries and Stephen Bunting completes the card against Chris Dobey. Statisticians note that nine of the last twelve nights have been won by a player in the top three of the averages chart suggesting class is beginning to rise to the top.

Organisers expect an indoor record for crowd noise after confirming the roof has been reinforced to cope with amplified chants. Merchandise stalls report Littler jerseys outselling all others three to one while bookmakers list the teenager as even money to claim a sixth title before Sheffield.

Leeds could therefore prove a watershed evening. Victory for Littler would virtually secure first place but a big Welsh or Dutch surge may leave the teenager glancing nervously over his shoulder on the long drive north.