England’s star duo, Luke Humphries and Michael Smith, clinched their first World Cup of Darts title since 2016 with a commanding 10-6 victory over Austria. This win marks England’s fifth World Cup title, breaking a dry spell that had lasted eight years.
World Cup debutant Humphries and 2023 world champion Smith delivered stellar performances to secure England’s first World Cup triumph in eight years. Previously, only Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis had lifted the World Cup title for England since the tournament’s inception in 2010. However, Humphries and Smith made their mark with a dominant performance at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt.
“I felt the biggest buzz since winning the Worlds. We really wanted this. We really believed we could win it, and after that first game, we clicked,” Humphries told Sky Sports. “You’ve got a cheat code, the world number one and number three against the field, it’s quite tough for everyone else. We knew if we played our best, we could do it, and we did.”
Smith praised his teammate Humphries, saying, “How good was this man in the final? He hit everything. My tops were non-existent, and every single shot I left him, bang, bang, bang…. thank you so much, mate, you’ve just got me the gold medal.”
The title favorites raced into a 5-1 lead over 2021 runners-up Rowby-John Rodriguez and Mensur Suljovic. Humphries took out 151 in the sixth leg and 121 in the next before Austria hit back to reduce their deficit to 6-4. A 180 from Humphries then set up Smith, who had struggled with his doubles early on, to take out double 15. Finishes of 130 and 112 from Humphries brought England to the brink of victory. Suljovic managed to keep the match alive by taking out 98, but Smith sealed the win on double eight in the next leg.
England deservedly claimed the championship title. Mark Webster, a 2010 World Cup of Darts finalist for Wales, said, “No one has got within four legs of England, they’ve been that dominant. They were pushed in that final, but they had all the answers, including those big finishes from Luke Humphries. They functioned as a team throughout. They were heavy favorites and lived up to it. They’re deserved champions.”
Credit: Sky Sports
