HUMPHRIES HITS BACK AT CRITICISM OF LITTLER PARTNERSHIP

LUKE HUMPHRIES has hit back at critics who claimed he and Luke Littler were not working as a team at the World Cup of Darts.

England suffered a shock second round exit at the hands of Germany earlier this month. 

World No. 1 Humphries and Littler’s surprise loss led to the pair being questioned whether they were truly united at the oche. 

But ‘Cool Hand’ has rubbished those claims and insists there was no teamwork issue with teen sensation Littler. 

He told Online Darts: “There was a lot of talk about me and Luke not being a team, but coming from the horse’s mouth I can assure you we were a team. We were! 

“We didn’t arrive at the same time because I said not to.  

“I told Luke: ’Do your own thing, there’s no point us trying to change the way we play.’ 

“He gets there about two hours before, I get there four hours before, I need more practice.

“I said to him to do what he does before, don’t change yourself for me. He turned up two hours after I did and that was not us not being a team.” 

He added: “We sat right by each other. When I arrived I was on the same table as my manager, someone who works with my management and my girlfriend on a four-seater. 

“I’m not going to kick them off the table. He was sat right beside me. 

“All that sort of stuff about us not being a team was not true. We were well up for playing together, we get along really well, it just didn’t happen and that’s it.” 

Eight-times major winner Humphries suggested that the rowdy atmosphere in Frankfurt may have got to the world champion, who previously admitted he does not enjoy playing in Germany. 

He said: “Fair play to the Germans, they create a great atmosphere. Obviously it was an incredibly tough environment to be involved in. 

“I could tell by Luke’s face he didn’t enjoy it. I kind of relished it, but he’s still young, he didn’t enjoy the environment he was in and I don’t blame him.  

“We had to get on with it, we didn’t win and that was it. 

“It seems to have carried on a lot. I thought it would have been nice if Northern Ireland had a bit more talk about them winning it rather than us losing it.”