LITTLER URGED NOT TO SNUB WORLD CUP
30/04/2025 By Aaron Nijjar
By Aaron Nijjar.
COLIN LLOYD admitted he would be “disappointed and surprised” if Luke Littler withdrew from the World Cup of Darts.
Reigning World champion Littler and world number one Luke Humphries are scheduled to represent England at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt.
However, Littler recently hinted he would not be appearing at the event in June.
Following his semi-final defeat at the German Grand Prix, ‘The Nuke’ shared a cryptic message to social media.
Teen sensation Littler’s reaction to losing to Van Veen suggested he would not be playing in Germany until the European Championships in October.
Two-time major winner Lloyd reacted to Littler’s post and told talkSPORT: “It was a strange comment. I can’t see him not wearing an England shirt.
“I’ll be disappointed and surprised if he didn’t, because those opportunities don’t come along very often, the number one and number two player in the world (pairing up).
“Them sort of days were like Eric Bristow and John Lowe, so you’re going back to the 80s, and that was a formidable partnership. They won umpteen World Cup events.
“I can’t see that Luke (Littler) will not take the opportunity to partner up with Luke (Humphries) for the World Cup of Darts, I can’t see it. Listen, he might do. MVG pulled out of it.”
Stephen Bunting is next in line to partner Humphries if Littler withdraws.
The World Cup of Darts pairs the top two available players from the PDC Order of Merit.
Bunting is currently ranked fourth in the world, with Humphries and Littler the top two players across the last two years.
Rob Cross is ‘The Bullet’s’ nearest challenger for the reserve spot as the world number five.
The official pairings will be confirmed by the PDC on May 13, a month before the event gets underway.
England are the defending champions after Humphries and Michael Smith claimed a fifth title for their nation last year.
Image by Taylor Lanning.
