Luke Littler and Luke Humphries 'let their country down and don't deserve MBEs'
Former world champion Dennis Priestley has accused Luke Littler and Luke Humphries of 'letting their country down' during the World Cup of Darts.
Littler and Humphries, the current and former world champions, suffered a shock defeat to hosts Germany in the last-16 stage.
England were 'massive favourites' going into the tournament, with Littler and Humphries meeting in last month's Premier League Darts final.
But they appeared to struggle to deal with a partisan crowd in Frankfurt and lost 8-4 to the German pair of Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko.
Priestley was hugely disappointed by England's performance at the World Cup and 'heard' the pair were not practising together before the tournament.
'Luke Littler and Luke Humphries let their country down at the World Cup of Darts,' he told OLBG. 'From what we've heard they weren't sitting together or practising together.
'When I was playing in pairs with Phil Taylor we practised together and sat together, we played all over the world and I only remember us getting beaten once.
'If you go on and win the tournament without practising then it doesn't matter, but when you go out without winning a game as the big favourites, it's not a good look.
'Having said that, I think they will learn from the experience and come back stronger. Don't be surprised to see them lifting the trophy next year.'
Popular darts pundit Wayne Mardle felt Littler and Humphries 'buckled under the pressure' of being the overwhelming favourites for the World Cup of Darts.
'Luke and Luke, no doubt, were feeling the stresses and strains of being massive favourites,' the four-time world championship semi-finalist told Sky Sports.
'The pressure got to them at some point and they buckled. Their opponents didn't, and full credit to Martin and Ricardo there.'
Former World Cup of Darts winner Damon Heta added: 'They probably relied on each other, thinking 'Oh, he'll do the business'.
'But the conditions weren't great. The crowd was all for Germany so it was probably brutal out there for them, but they will take it as another learning curve and probably get stronger – unfortunately for the rest of us.
'Fair play to Germany, they played good darts, but we are just worried about us and what we have got to do.'
Littler and Humphries poor display at the World Cup came less than 24 hours after both became MBEs in the King's Birthday Honour.
'This is an amazing and unexpected honour but one which I am very grateful for,' said Littler, who became the youngest world darts champion in history at the start of 2025.
'To receive a recognition like this is something I had never thought would be possible, and it is a proud moment.
'It's unbelievable what I've done for my sport; I'm happy, my family is happy and I can't wait to receive it.' https://www.instagram.com/p/DK2y45qMBQ1/?hl=en
Humphries, meanwhile, added: 'Everyone's talking about darts now, and I think that we're two of the pioneering parts of that.
'We've changed the face of darts over the last couple of years. It's starting to become a younger man's game. It's nice to be at the forefront of that.'
Priestley believes it was 'very early' for Littler, 18, and Humphries, 30, to be handed the accolades.
'To be brutally honest, I don't think either Luke Littler or Luke Humphries have done enough to earn their MBEs just yet,' the 74-year-old added.
NORTHERN IRELAND ARE THE WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS 🏆It's simply incredible… Northern Ireland win one of the greatest World Cup Finals ever, beating Wales 10-9!Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney are the 2025 @BetVictor World Cup Champions! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/rNwCfbzA6u — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) June 15, 2025
'I think in time they could've done enough to warrant it but it feels very early, they have both won one World Championship each and are still young in their careers.
'Littler has been recognised for raising the popularity of darts which is great, but he can still do so much more.
'If he is getting an MBE this soon then you'd have to think he is on the right path to a knighthood, nothing would surprise me now.'
England's World Cup conquerors Germany beat Australia in the quarter-finals before losing 8-1 to Northern Ireland in a one-sided semi-final.
The Northern Irish team of Daryl Gurney and Josh Rock then beat two-time champions Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton of Wales 10-9 in a thrilling final. More Trending
'Me and Daryl said when we team up for the World Cup, we'll win it and we did,' said Rock, 24. 'We've won for our country, we've made history.'
Gurney, 39, added: 'Josh's power scoring was amazing and I was there to clean up the finishing. I've never been so proud of this man and myself.
The prize for winning the World Cup of Darts, which was established in 2010 and now happens annually, was £80,000.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MORE: World Cup of Darts 2025 schedule, TV channel, teams, fixtures and odds
MORE: Premier League Darts final 2025: Prize money, start time, format and schedule
MORE: Gerwyn Price makes prediction ahead of Luke Littler Premier League Darts clash
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Emi Martinez 'pushing for Man Utd move' after Andrea Onana update
Emiliano Martinez continues to be linked with a move to Manchester United whilst Marcus Rashford is ready to return to his boyhood club despite his issues with Ruben Amorim Manchester United's summer has made a lot of noise but so far the only major transfer to take place in the arrival of Matheus Cunha - who joined from Wolves for just over £60million. The Red Devils remain on the hunt for more firepower but look as if they could miss out on Viktor Gyokeres, who would prefer to head elsewhere. The club are keen on Bryan Mbeumo but have had offers rejected as Brentford hold out for their hefty asking price. A new goalkeeper could also be on Ruben Amorim 's radar after seeing Andre Onana make a number of notable errors. He has been linked with the exit door despite having a desire to prove he can cut in at Old Trafford. Replacements have been eyed though with World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez cited as a possible summer target. His future has been the subject of speculation, even if Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has dismissed any suggestion he could leave. Here's the latest transfer rumours from the red side of Manchester. Martinez holding out for move Martinez is already sold on the idea of joining United this summer and is said to have rebuffed offers from 'big-hitters' in the hope of pushing through a dream switch to Old Trafford. There has been speculation that Martinez could move on with Villa potentially needing to sell in order to meet Profit and Sustainability Rules. The Sun now claims that Martinez is 'desperate' to push through a move to United despite the fact that the Red Devils are coming off the back of their worst ever Premier League campaign. And it's even been suggested that the Villa star has ignored offers from other top clubs in order to remain available for United. A source told the publication: 'Emi is big pals with Argentina team-mate Lisandro Martinez and is keen to move. He has already knocked back a couple of big hitters in the hope of joining United. Rashford's return plan Marcus Rashford is planning to return to training with United next month if a deal for him to leave the club hasn't been agreed, according to ESPN. The forward spent the last six months out on loan at Aston Villa after being frozen out under Amorim. No bids have yet been received despite well documented interest in Rashford and, as things stand, the 27-year-old will report back to Carrington to begin his pre-season preparations. It is understood that Amorim is yet to make a decision about whether Rashford and a number of the other fringe players will join the team on their summer tour to the United States. Antony, Alejandro Garnacho or Jadon Sancho all face uncertain futures and may not been included. Monaco eye two Prem keepers - including Onana Monaco are torn between pursing two Premier League goalkeepers but could yet offer Andre Onana a route out of Manchester after two difficult years. French outlet L'Equipe have claimed that Monaco are looking to add a new shotstopper to their squad. They want to upgrade their current options with Radoslaw Madecki and Philipp Kohn currently on their books. Onana is one player who has been shortlisted along with Chelsea's Djordje Petrovic. Onana has remained the No 1 at Old Trafford, albeit he was dropped briefly last term, whilst Petrovic has slipped down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge as Robert Sanchez established himself as first choice. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
'Like a sauna' - weather concerns continue at Club World Cup
As well as the danger posed by the heat to players, staff and supporters, from a scheduling point of view there will be concerns about the delays to games. Four of the first 21 games faced waits ranging from 40 minutes to two-and-a-half hours for thunder and lightning storms and heavy rain. Broadcasters will not be happy with the potential for overlapping matches at the 2026 World Cup. Benfica v Auckland City was due to conclude an hour before Chelsea's match against Flamengo started - but ended up finishing well after the final whistle had been blown in the Blues' defeat. "This is the longest game of my career," said Benfica coach Bruno Lage. "A special thanks to our fans, who have been here for five hours supporting the team. "We played as well as we could. The temperature made it very difficult."
Daily Mirror
5 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Jurgen Klopp's three-word response to huge Florian Wirtz transfer speaks volumes
Liverpool confirmed the signing of top transfer target Florian Wirtz on Friday, having agreed a deal with Bayer Leverkusen to sign him for a British-record £116million fee Jurgen Klopp has offered his seal of approval to Liverpool's new £116million signing, Florian Wirtz. The German playmaker, 22, has joined the Reds on a five-year contract after completing a British-record move from Bayer Leverkusen. Wirtz was Liverpool's top target going into the summer transfer window and they've managed to beat Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich to his signature. The deal is comprised of £100m paid to Leverkusen upfront with a further £16m in potential add-ons. It's by far the biggest signing made since Klopp departed Anfield, with his successor, Arne Slot, having led the Reds to the Premier League title in his first season. Slot's reward is to work with a top talent like Wirtz and Klopp has no doubts that he'll be 'really, really great' on Merseyside. During an interview with to German broadcaster RTL, the former Liverpool boss was asked to give his verdict of the transfer. "It will be really, really great," Klopp replied. "I'm sure of it." The legendary manager went on to say: "It's very difficult to strengthen them when you're champions. But Liverpool have managed that. They've signed an exceptional talent in Florian Wirtz." Wirtz had the pick of some of Europe's best clubs but he and his family felt that Liverpool was the perfect next step. "I just thought that it was the right point in my career to make the next step and of course I wanted to get to a club that is from the top three in the world, and in my opinion Liverpool was one of them," the 31-time Germany international explained. "Yeah, I just saw myself in the best hands in Liverpool. I was really convinced by the people here, by the idea, and everything what the club offers me was really good. And in the end [it was] also easy to be excited for me to come to Liverpool. Will Florian Wirtz live up to his £116m price tag at Liverpool? Give us your prediction in the comments section. "It was not that easy for me, for sure, because I am a German player, I play for the Germany national team. So, it was not easy for me to decide but I think the talks with the coach and Richard [Hughes, Liverpool's sporting director] and everybody were, from the start or from the very first time, so good and it just kept going like this. "Every time I spoke to one of the [people from] the club I felt like, 'this is the place I want to be' and so in the end I was really 100 percent convinced I want to join Liverpool and it was the best choice." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
