TV host Emma Paton has defended the media’s coverage of Luke Humphries amid complaints from players.
Gary Anderson and James Wade have been among the high-profile darts stars to complain about a perceived lack of attention for Humphries around this year’s World Darts Championship.
The reigning world champion’s dominance of the sport has coincided with the rise of teenager Luke Littler, who has captured the country’s imagination and led to an increased interest in darts.
Anderson said earlier this year: “Just give him a bit of respect. He’s never ever mentioned, it’s always other people. Luke [Humphries] just goes along with it.
“As long as they’re talking about other people, he just carries on what he does. He’s handled it well. But deep down, he must be a bit cheesed off it. No, he just does what he does. He plays darts, runs, and that’s it.”
While Wade later added: “You are not embracing it. And it’s quite sad for darts. If it was Olympian gold medalists, Luke has won more than any Olympian gold medalist in the last three or four years.
“And you’re still talking about, and it’s not a personal vendetta towards Littler, because he’s going to do his bloody own thing. If he wins everything 20 times, he’s going to do that.
“But you’ve got someone who is so special and winning so much and he’s so talented and it’s so sad that you’re not celebrating him.
However, Sky Sports anchor Paton insists the coverage given to both players is fair.
She told the Mirror: “Yeah, I do [think Humphries has had enough credit]. And I think he’ll be happy with it too. I can only talk for our Sky coverage.
“He’s been a fantastic world champion, and if you speak to people, it’s 50/50 [between the Lukes] over who their favourite is for the World Championship.
“I don’t think there’s any question marks over his year. For large periods, he’s [Humphries] been the best player on the planet. I would say he’s been the most consistent and most reliable.
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“I think we talk about him at length.”
Paton added: “I think for some people, the Littler stuff gets a bit convoluted. We’re talking about an incredible sporting story.
“If we go back 12 months ago, Luke Littler was ranked 164th in the world and had barely played on a big TV stage.
“Then, at 16, he goes and makes the World Championship final. I know he didn’t win it, but 12 months on, he’s up to fourth in the world.
“I can’t think of a comparison in another sport about how ridiculous it is. We talk about the big titles, the Premier League, World Series Finals, and the Grand Slam, but there are other titles as well, such as the Pro Tour and the Euro Tour.
“It’s really hard to put into context that achievement. We’re talking about it because it’s an incredible sporting story. It’s one that you don’t see often, maybe ever. Also, for me, we’re talking about it because of his impact on the sport. He’s taken the sport to places it’s never been to before. That interest from last year’s Worlds hasn’t dwindled.
“I think what Gary Anderson and James Wade were getting confused about was that we are talking about this story in the context of sport and what that means.”
Where to buy Luke Littler’s darts range
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Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler has released a collection with Target Darts, with prices starting at just £14.95.
Choose from darts, hardware and accessories endorsed by the Grand Slam of Darts Champion 2024, or pick up The Nuke’s purple playing shirt, on the Target Darts website.
Highlights include: