England see off Scotland's challenge to reach World Cup of Darts final for first time since 2020

England has qualified for the final at the World Cup of Darts at the expense of Scotland. Luke Humphries and Michael Smith won 8-4 over Peter Wright and Gary Anderson, allowing them to take on Austria later in the evening.

Beforehand, England was already the big favourite for the title. They have the highest ranked pairing with Humphries and Smith, and made a great impression on Sunday afternoon against the Northern Irish duo of Josh Rock and Brendan Dolan. The two Englishmen withstood this test by beating Northern Ireland 8-4 with an average of 98 and a finish percentage of 57 percent.

Against the Scots, the two Englishmen produced another good match with a 96.39 average and a 57 percent finish percentage. Wright and Anderson threw 94 average, but had a finishing percentage of only 33 percent.

A key moment in the match was the sixth leg, in which Smith managed to throw a 68 finish to give England a 4-2 lead. 'Bullyboy' then hit the double 5 in the seventh leg, giving the English a 5-2 lead going into the break. Scotland came out of the break with an 11-darter, but Humphries then made it 6-3 via a 43 finish. In the 11th leg, "Cool Hand Luke" also threw out 97, making it 7-4. England then finished it off with a 15-darter.

For England, it is the first final at the World Cup of Darts since 2020. Then Smith and Rob Cross lost 3-0 to Welsh duo Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton in the final. In 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016, the title did go to England. Then Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis made up the English team.