LUKE HUMPHRIES will act as a reassuring big brother to Luke Littler if the German crowds pipe up during World Cup duty.
Littler’s past two visits to Germany – a Premier League night in Berlin and Euro Tour in Munich – proved to be ear-splitting ones as he received the wrath of the fans.
Boos and jeers greeted the world champion’s presence on stage and there could be a repeat if England go far in the four-day World Cup of Darts, which starts on Thursday in Frankfurt.
But Humphries – who won the title with Michael Smith 12 months ago when they smashed Austria in the final – is there to provide support as they chase international glory.
Cool Hand Luke, 30, said: “It’s just about not getting involved in the crowd isn’t it?
“We’ve just got to make sure that if they’re on his back, I’ll be there to say: ‘Don’t worry about what they’re doing, focus on your game.’
“And if we play against Germany, that’s going to be hard but I think he’ll learn from the occasions of playing against crowds that are hostile.
“I’ve been there, I’ve had it a little bit before and you just have to focus on the game and not worry about what is going on behind you.”
Humphries beat Littler in the Prem final in London last month but their rivalry will be put to one side as they wear the St George’s flag on their chest for the first time together.
England will be parachuted into the second round on Saturday along with the other top seeds – Wales, Scotland‘s Dartan Army and Northern Ireland – and the format is doubles play.
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Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis were World Cup champions four times between 2012 and 2016 but until last year, it had been a barren spell for the English tungsten throwers.
Humphries, the world No1, said: “It will be me that probably decides but I might put Luke first to be honest because you play to your strengths.
“I think he’s definitely the best scorer in the world. That’s not a lie, it’s obvious.
“So, you’re going to put your strengths forward. You put him first, he is probably better at going for the bullseye than I am, getting the throws. Only if he’s comfortable with it.
“If not, I’ll go first but I played the anchor role last year. I could have said I’ll go first last year because I was the highest-ranked player.
“But I said to Michael, ‘you’re a fantastic scorer, you’ve done it before, you go ahead and set the standard and I’ll follow you’. And it worked.
Littler is definitely the best scorer in the world
Luke Humphries
“I felt really good going second, so maybe that’s my role for this year as well.
“Of course it’s going to feel special for him and it did for me. As you saw when we won last year, the emotion that comes out of you.
“You don’t expect it but it does because you’re just so buzzing. It’s really special and he will understand it.
“He may even feel a little bit nervous at the start, or for the first game we play, because all eyes are on us.
“Everyone will be expecting us to be powerful every game we play but I did say to him, it doesn’t matter how we play.
“As long as we win the trophy, that’s what really matters. It will be a special feeling for him, as it was for me.”
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