‘That’s a bit harsh’ – Former world champion slams darts legend Dennis Priestley over Luke Littler and Humphries jibe
**Keith Deller Defends Luke Littler and Luke Humphries Against Dennis Priestley’s Criticism**
Former world darts champion Keith Deller has publicly criticized darts legend Dennis Priestley for his harsh remarks about Luke Littler and Luke Humphries, calling Priestley’s claim that the duo “let their country down” at the 2025 World Cup of Darts “a bit harsh.” Priestley, a two-time world champion, sparked controversy after England’s unexpected 8-4 second-round loss to Germany’s Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko in Frankfurt on June 15, 2025. He told OLBG, “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 practicing together,” and questioned their recent MBEs, stating, “To be brutally honest, I don’t think either Luke Littler or Luke Humphries have done enough to earn their MBEs just yet,” per *The Irish Sun*.[
Deller, the 1983 BDO world champion, defended the pair, saying, “England didn’t play well on the day. But all this ‘letting your country down’ – that’s a little bit harsh,” per *The Irish Sun*. He argued that Littler, 18, and Humphries, 30, the world’s top two players, faced undue criticism for a single poor performance, especially as first-time partners. Littler, the 2025 PDC World Champion, responded via a now-deleted Instagram story, writing, “Don’t deserve an MBE but done more in 12 months than he ever did,” per *The Independent*. Humphries, the 2023/24 world champion, also hit back on X, stating, “Disappointing to hear a top former pro who I admired say such a damaging thing… I didn’t let my country down last year tho did I,” referencing his 2024 World Cup win with Michael Smith, per *The Mirror*.[](https://www.thesun.ie/sport/15527276/darts-legend-deller-priestley-littler-humphries-jibe/)[](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/darts/luke-littler-mbe-dennis-priestley-darts-world-championship-pdc-luke-humphries-b2773671.html)[](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/darts/luke-humphries-luke-littler-priestley-35425687)
Priestley’s comments also drew ire for overlooking Littler’s meteoric rise, including his 2025 World Championship, Premier League, UK Open, and Grand Slam titles, and Humphries’ consistent dominance, per *Manchester Evening News*. Posts on X, like @SunSport (July 11, 2025), amplified Deller’s defense, with fans praising Littler and Humphries’ resilience ahead of their World Matchplay openers against Ryan Searle and Gian van Veen, respectively, per.
