England Duo Receive Warning Ahead of World Cup of Darts Appearance
England’s hopes of success in the upcoming World Cup of Darts have been given a reality check by a rival player, who has warned that the team’s star duo, Luke Littler and Luke Humphries, may be vulnerable to issues with their egos. The tournament, which gets underway in earnest on Saturday, sees 36 teams compete in a group stage format, with the top four-seeded duos, including England, beginning their campaign on Saturday.
According to reporting by Sport Bible, the Republic of Ireland’s William O’Connor, believes that the pairing of Littler and Humphries, who are heavy favourites to take home the crown, may struggle with their egos in the doubles format. "It’s not singles like, we’ll see how egos go," O’Connor said, speaking to Darts News after a 4-2 win over Gibraltar on Thursday. "If egos go against you, then you never know how that doubles will go, don’t know how those pairs will gel like, they might not gel together."
O’Connor’s teammate, Keane Barry, also had a warning for the English duo, stating that "obviously they’re the team to beat, yeah, but again everyone is beatable and you just have to go up there and be the best team on the day." Barry added that Littler and Humphries "are the team to beat, but you just have to concentrate on what you’re doing, it doesn’t matter what form anyone is in, on the day, anything can happen."
The World Cup of Darts has a new format for 2024, with doubles matches being played throughout instead of singles. The first round involves 36 teams split into three groups of 12, with the top four-seeded duos, including England, beginning their campaign on Saturday. England’s first match will see them face a yet-to-be-determined opponent, with the winners progressing to the next round.
Littler and Humphries have both spoken ahead of their appearance at the tournament, with Littler telling Sky Sports that "I’ve not spoken to anyone about putting the shirt on for your country, but I am sure it is one of the best feelings you’ll ever have." Humphries, meanwhile, has promised to rally round his teammate if the German crowd greet Littler with a negative reception. "We’ve just got to make sure that if they’re on his back, I’ll be there to say, ‘don’t worry about what they’re doing, focus on your game’ and if we play against Germany that’s going to be hard but I think he’ll learn from the occasions of playing against crowds that are hostile," Humphries explained.
The Netherlands dominated the first day of the tournament at Frankfurt’s Eissporthalle, with the Republic of Ireland and Germany also recording first-night wins in the group stage. England, who won the tournament in 2024, will be looking to make a strong impression on Saturday when they begin their campaign.
Sport Bible reported earlier that Littler and Humphries will be looking to make a strong impression at the tournament, with the duo seeking to build on their recent form. As the competition heats up, it remains to be seen how the English duo will fare, but one thing is certain – they will be under intense pressure to perform.
The World Cup of Darts continues on Saturday, with England’s match taking centre stage. Will Littler and Humphries be able to overcome the challenges ahead and bring home the trophy, or will they succumb to the pressure? Only time will tell.
Original Source: Sport Bible
