Luke Littler and Luke Humphries ‘let England down and don’t deserve their MBEs’ former star darter
Former world champion Dennis Priestley stirred controversy by claiming Luke Littler and Luke Humphries “let England down” at the World Cup of Darts and “don’t deserve MBEs” following their shock 8-4 loss to Germany’s Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko in Frankfurt on June 14, per Daily Star. Speaking to OLBG, Priestley criticized their lack of teamwork, saying, “They weren’t sitting together or practising together… When I played with Phil Taylor, we practised and sat together,” and argued their MBEs, awarded in the King’s Birthday Honours on June 13, were premature: “They’ve each won one World Championship… it feels very early,” per. Gerwyn Price echoed this, noting their lack of “camaraderie off the stage,” per.
Defense and Context
Rob Cross passionately defended the duo, telling Action Network, “These boys are the two best players in the world… They deserve the MBE as they work hard,” highlighting their individual brilliance, per. Littler, 18, and Humphries, 30, received MBEs for boosting darts’ popularity, with Littler’s 2025 World Championship win and Humphries’ Premier League and World Matchplay titles cited, per. Their World Cup debut as a pair faced a hostile German crowd, with boos and whistles disrupting their rhythm, leading to a 93.5 average and 4/11 doubles hit, per. Littler’s past frustrations in Germany, including a threatened boycott after the 2024 German Grand Prix, added pressure, per.
Performance Analysis
The English pair, pre-tournament favorites, struggled against Germany’s 106 and 101 checkouts, with Littler missing three doubles in leg five and Humphries misfiring on a 122, per. Sky Sports’ Wayne Mardle suggested they “buckled” under expectations, joking, “How quickly can MBEs be taken away?” per. However, Schindler disapproved of the crowd’s booing, saying, “It’s not easier for us when opponents are booed,” per. X posts, like @NufcTroy, praised Humphries’ grace in defeat while noting Littler’s emotional exit, per.
Broader Perspective
Critics like Priestley overlook the duo’s transformative impact on darts, with Littler’s £1.3 million in 2024 earnings doubling Michael van Gerwen’s, per. Humphries, reflecting on their rivalry, told BBC Sport, “There could be 10 players as good as us in five years,” showing humility, per. Their World Cup flop, likened to Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard’s England struggles, highlights the unique challenges of pairs play, per. As they prepare for the 2025/26 PDC World Championship’s new 128-player format, their MBEs reflect their contributions beyond one loss, per.
