Luke Littler and Luke Humphries were England’s dream team at the World Cup of Darts. So, why did it go so wrong against Germany in the quarter-finals?
Littler is the reigning world champion, while Humphries beat the 18-year-old to seal Premier League glory at London’s O2 Arena last month, so the world’s top two players were always going to be hot favourites to win the pairs competition.
However, against all odds, they slipped to an 8-4 second-round defeat at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt, where Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko, spurred by a partisan home crowd, sealed a comprehensive victory.
The showdown didn’t start well for England after they were booed by German fans as they walked out to the stage to Fat Les’ iconic ‘Vindaloo’.
Littler started nervously and the Germans took the first two legs, but his 123 checkout got England on the board before a 64 finish levelled it up at 2-2.
However, the Warrington wonderkid missed three darts at a double in the fifth leg to allow Pietreczko to win it with a 106 finish and another in the sixth as the Germans restored their advantage, and after Humphries had hit 25 rather than bull going for 122, they went in at the break 5-2 ahead.
Pietreczko took out 101 after the resumption before Germany went 7-2 up and, although Littler and Humphries took the next two, they eventually succumbed as a return of just four doubles from the 11 chances they created, averaging just 93, which ultimately proved costly.
Tale of the Tape
Mardle: Playing for your country is different than playing for yourself
Wayne Mardle looks back on England’s shock exit to Germany in the second round of the World Cup of Darts
Wayne Mardle, speaking to Sky Sports’ Emma Paton, applauded Germany for their relentless nature on the stage where conditions worked in their favour and pointed to the fact that Littler and Humphries were unable to gel as a team, which proved to be their ultimate downfall.
“It was astonishing. It was outstanding. And what was amazing was the way that Martin and Ricardo went about their business from leg one to the very end,” said ‘Hawaii 501’.
“They never excelled at any moment with, like, an 11 or 12 darter against the throw. But when they had their chances, they took them. They never dropped off for a millisecond.
“Every time England won a leg, it was like it was earned. It really was earned.
“Luke and Luke, no doubt, were feeling the stresses and strains of being massive favourites and to go on about how good Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis were, they just made it look easy – that’s how difficult World Cup pairings can be.
“The pressure got to them at some point, Luke and Luke, and they buckled. Their opponents didn’t, and full credit to Martin and Ricardo there.”
He added: “Playing for your country is different than playing for yourself. Playing with a teammate is different than playing just by yourself.
“The rhythm that you get in is different. Luke Humphries having won it last year with Michael Smith, I thought would give him confidence, knowing what it’s all about. But when you’re under pressure, you’re under pressure.
“You can’t just think: ‘I’ve been here before, it’s fine.’ You can’t do that.”
Littler’s frustration in Germany grows after past crowd issues
Littler has had problems playing in Germany before (Pic: Jenny Segers, PDC Europe)
Littler, who goes by the moniker ‘The Nuke’, has frequently been the subject of booing in Germany and even threatened to boycott the country when he was knocked out of the German Darts Grand Prix by Gian van Veen in the semi-finals.
“I had a little head loss moment, as some of us players do,” he said after his loss to the World Youth Champion. “I just don’t get it, and I can’t explain it. Obviously, you do your walk-on, but then as soon as I got on stage, I started getting booed.”
He added: “I got booed in Hildesheim last year against Peter Wright on the European Tour. I was flying and then they started booing me and I lost.’
“Obviously, the Germans mustn’t like us English.”
He later posted on Instagram: “Shouldn’t have been in Munich but had to play anyway. Next one in Germany for me is Dortmund and I am glad to say that.”
Did conditions play a factor?
Did conditions at the Eissporthalle Arena in Frankfurt play a factor in England’s defeat?
Safety concerns have been raised about the Eissporthalle Arena in Frankfurt with Irish player William O’Connor fearing a player will collapse on stage due to the heat.
O’Connor claims there is risk of a medical emergency due to the searing temperatures.
“It’s so hot up on that stage, it’s hard to play your best darts,” he claimed. “It’s really hard. It’s terrible, we have to change the venue. Or maybe put the air conditioning on because someone will drop over on that stage.”
He added: “I’m not exactly the biggest man in the world, but I can tell you it is hot upon that stage. And it is not good. The quicker you are off that stage, the better.”
Teammate Keane Barry said: “The darts were slipping in my hand, and it was just so sticky, but it is the same for everyone.”
Schindler: Both Lukes have been struggling!
Martin Schindler said Germany ‘believed’ in themselves as they shocked England to reach the quarter-finals
Schindler, who insisted they had a chance at victory against the favourites, said: “I was right. We believed in ourselves and I think we’ve been putting in a solid performance and obviously the double 16s from Ricardo when it mattered. We are very happy to go through.
He added: “I think it was definitely one of the best atmospheres we’ve had in a World Cup. Obviously we have to say that we don’t approve of the whistling and booing.
“For us we have to say it’s not getting easier for us because our opponents are getting booed or whistled. So we still need to go out there and perform and we’ve done that.
“Both Lukes have been struggling as it seems and I think the day is done now for us and we are happy that we won that one.”
Dream Teams don’t always take home the silverware
Brazil 1982 was considered the greatest team NEVER to win the World Cup
A reminder that there’s no guarantee of winning titles in any sport and Littler and Humphries’ shock exit is a perfect example of that.
The Brazil football team at the 1982 World Cup is remembered as one of the greatest teams never to win the tournament, while in basketball, the 2004 US Olympic team, packed with NBA stars including Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson and a young LeBron James, dropped their first game to Puerto Rico by 19 points and lost two more times before finishing with the bronze medal.
At the 1999 Rugby World Cup, Christophe Lamaison inspired France with a 33-point salvo without reply that destroyed mighty Jonah Lomu and his New Zealand side to reach the semi-finals.
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