Luke Littler doesn't hold back after darts legend says he 'doesn't deserve' MBE
Darts sensation Luke Littler has responded to Dennis Priestley's claims that he doesn't deserve an MBE, despite 'The Nuke' enjoying a meteoric rise to superstardom at the oche at the tender age of 18
Luke Littler says that he's done "more in 12 months" in the world of professional darts than Dennis Priestley ever managed in his career, following the former star's claim that the teen doesn't deserve an MBE. At just 18 years old, Littler has enjoyed an unprecedented rise to fame and fortune in darts.
His swift progress culminated in him becoming the youngest-ever player to win a PDC World Championship in January thanks to his convincing victory over Michael van Gerwen in the final.
Currently sat as world No. 2 in the PDC's Order of Merit behind fellow Brit Luke Humphries, Littler has also already lifted a UK Open, a Grand Slam, won a World Series final and become a Premier League Darts champion despite only turning pro last year.
However, both Littler and Humphries, 30, have found themselves on the receiving end of a scathing review from two-time world champion Priestley, following a shock exit from the World Cup of Darts earlier this month. Littler and Humphries headed into the tournament as favourites to bring the title back to England, only to be handed a shock 8-4 loss in their opening round against Germany's Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko.
It came as even more of a surprise given that Humphries lifted the title in last year's tournament while partnered with Michael Smith, edging out Serbian duo Rowby-John Rodriguez and Mensur Suljovic in the final with a score of 10-6.
As a result of their respective contributions to darts, though, Littler and Humphries were named to receive MBEs in King Charles III's recent Birthday Honours list.
However, if it was down to Priestley, neither player would see the accolade bestowed upon them yet. Speaking to OLBG on the back of their World Cup loss, Priestley said: "Luke Littler and Luke Humphries let their country down at the World Cup of Darts, 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."
He added: "To be brutally honest, I don't think either Luke Littler or Luke Humphries have done enough to earn their MBEs just yet. 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."
However, Littler didn't take kindly to the criticism, taking to Instagram to share Priestley's comments while giving the 74-year-old a piece of his mind for good measure.
Sharing a screenshot of an article which Priestley's quotes were used in, 'The Nuke' wrote: "Don't deserve an MBE but done more in 12 months than he ever did... that's what I would say," alongside a smug smiling emoji.
It appears as though Littler has since removed the post from the stories section of his Instagram account.
A founding member of the PDC in 1993, Priestley achieved a significant amount over the course of his own respective career – as evidenced by his 1991 WDF World Championship and his PDC world title three years later.
But the impact that Littler has had on the sport in such a short space of time is undeniable – influencing a younger crowd to engage with the sport while toppling top tier opponents worldwide with incredible performances.
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