"Gary Anderson is right, the media need to let him play" - Luke Humphries urges caution surrounding Luke Littler hype

Although seemingly nothing is coming easily for Luke Humphries at the World Darts Championship, 'Cool Hand Luke' continues to progress.

Surviving missed match darts from Joe Cullen on Saturday night, Humphries edged arguably the game of the tournament so far 4-3, to reach the quarterfinals at the Alexandra Palace for the fourth time in his career. “I don’t have any words for that. I think that’s one of the best games I’ve ever been involved in," he reflected post-match. "I feel so sorry for Joe because he was fantastic. Sometimes in sport there doesn’t deserve to be a loser and I don’t think Joe deserved to lose that game, but I never give up and I found a way to win.”

After beating Lee Evans 3-0, Humphries has now fought back from the brink two rounds in succession. "I can't keep doing it though," Humphries admits knowingly. "You know it'll only take me so far if I don't start getting in leads and stuff. I keep allowing myself to be behind, I'll get found out."

Nevertheless, Humphries is indeed through to the quarter-finals. In the last eight, Dave Chisnall awaits the three-time major winner. "Me and Chizzy are really close mates. We really get on well and he's had the better of me a lot this year. But the last time we played each other I hadn't won a major title, now I've won three so that might stand me in a bit more good stead."

On the other side of the draw, 16-year-old sensation Luke Littler continues to light up the tournament. "Luke is an amazing talent, just incredible he really is. I feel like he could just keep doing it for 10 hours straight which is so impressive," Humphries says although, similarly to Gary Anderson, he's keen urge caution regarding the media hype. "Gary is right, the media need to let him play."