“Disappointing to hear a top former pro who I admired say such a damaging thing” – Luke Humphries joins Luke Littler in criticism of Dennis Priestley

On June 20, 2025, world No. 1 Luke Humphries joined 18-year-old Luke Littler in hitting back at darts legend Dennis Priestley after the two-time world champion claimed the duo “let their country down” with their early exit from the World Cup of Darts in Frankfurt, per The Mirror. Priestley, 74, criticized their 8-4 loss to Germany’s Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko, alleging they didn’t practice or sit together, and questioned their recent MBEs, stating, “I don’t think either Luke Littler or Luke Humphries have done enough to earn their MBEs just yet,” per The Irish Sun. Humphries, who won the 2024 World Cup with Michael Smith, responded on X: “Disappointing to hear a top former pro who I admired say such a damaging thing to me and Luke… I didn’t let my country down last year tho did I?” per.

Littler, the youngest PDC World Champion, fired back on Instagram, writing, “Don’t deserve an MBE but done more in 12 months than he ever did,” before deleting the post, per Manchester Evening News. Priestley’s comments, echoed by Gerwyn Price’s claim that the pair lacked team spirit, stung the duo, who were tournament favorites, per Sporting News. Humphries defended their effort, replying to an X user, “We were motivated and felt fine as a team, but it just didn’t come off,” per. Despite their dominance—Littler’s UK Open and Premier League titles, Humphries’ World Championship—Priestley’s remarks highlight the pressure on the young stars, per Daily Record.