Luke Humphries has cautioned Luke Littler that the sheer quantity of skilled darts players contending for titles means he will not be able to dominate the sport. With his triumph at the Bahrain Darts Masters, the teenager has gained recognition in the last few weeks for his outstanding performances.
Before Humphries defeated him 7–4, Littler had been well-known for his debut in the World Darts Championship during the Christmas season, having defeated a number of his childhood idols along the way.
The teenager subsequently demonstrated that his exploits at Alexandra Palace were not an exception as he easily won in Bahrain, defeating Michael van Gerwen in the final and displaying maturity beyond his years in the process. He had previously defeated Gerwyn Price and Nathan Aspinall.
Although Humphries has issued a warning to the 17-year-old, Littler’s demonstrations have drawn attention from a larger audience. When asked by Sky Sports if he thought The Nuke has what it takes to win the league in the upcoming years, Humphries said, “That’s a possibility.” However, no athlete is dominating the sport anymore in this period.
Luke has a lot of excellent players to contend with this year, so it could happen if he improves even further. He has only fought six players thus far, thus he hasn’t faced everyone.
“Here are Michael van Gerwen, Peter Wright, Nathan Aspinall, Gerwyn Price, and Michael Smith. All of these athletes are fierce rivals, but if he keeps improving, he could undoubtedly rule the sport; it is my responsibility to improve even more and prevent that from happening.
Humphries then said, “I think we’re in the greatest era of darts because it’s not dominated by one person anymore.” Humphries had lost 20 games in a row in Bahrain. The reason it’s such an open sport is that, in my opinion, many players—I’m talking about guys all the way down to the top 64—think they can win.
Despite his recent success, Littler has maintained his integrity, and Humphries’ remarks will only heighten his desire to win more tournaments and establish himself as the sport’s spokesperson. When the teenager competes in the TOTO Dutch Darts Masters in Maaspoort Den Bosch later this month, he hopes to leave another lasting impression.