"The papers they put so much pressure on him": Luke Humphries slams treatment and expectation placed on Luke Littler's shoulders

Luke Humphries, the World Number One and favourite for the 2024 World Matchplay continued his bid for a first title at the Winter Gardens with a thrilling 11-7 win over Stephen Bunting.

A match that had the missed darts at doubles, as well as the high scoring and 102 average from Humphries delivered in drama and he was relieved to get past a player who he respects a lot and also divert from in his view negative thoughts that did creep in.

"It was a lot of drama. Me and Stephen (Bunting) were missing doubles here and there and I think that happened in the Ross Smith and Gezzy Price game. I think sometimes when you're trying to get that big lead on someone, trying to hit the doubles. Maybe there was a bit of headshaking from myself, I felt like I was getting in that rhythm where I was letting it affect me. But sometimes I'm guilty of it. I'm stupid but I should've been more strong. But I believe it doesn't affect me in my performances. I thought Stephen battled incredibly well, he wasn't at his absolute best but the way he played the game was fantastic, he was just unlucky on a few doubles," said Humphries post match.

"I just strive for so much perfection and I shouldn't. I should just allow myself to play my own game but I just want to appease the fans. I want to go out there and hit 110 averages, 170 checkout, loads of 180's. Maybe I'm too hard on myself but if I wasn't maybe I wouldn't be as good as I am and maybe if I didn't push myself harder than I do sometimes on the stage, I wouldn't put in these great performances."

But also he sees himself as being at his best, he said that his level is even better than it was last year when he was cleaning up major titles.

"I think I'm there. My average for the year is better than it was last year so I think I'm playing better than I was last year. But just at the back end of it, it was fantastic. No one put in that performance to beat me, it could happen this week. You're playing in the second biggest tournament in darts, anyone can turn up and put that performance in. But if I just keep working hard, all I ask myself is if I lose make someone put in that really good performance to knock you out. But so far it hasn't happened."

A factor though since then has been the Luke Littler effect and Humphries berated the newspapers in particular for overhyping the 17-year-old and also being quit to prey on his downfall. He lost to Michael van Gerwen in the first round and Humphries also said that the idea that he is now a rubbish player are very wide of the mark.

"I see Luke today come in and we had a little chat together. Did he really play that bad? 101 average. I just think that so many people put too much pressure on him. It's more the media, not you guys sitting in front of me. But it's more the people like the papers they put so much pressure on him. They expect him and all the people at home they say all these things like he's not good enough he's had a couple of bad games. I had a couple of bad games this year, I've had many many bad games. He's not playing bad, he just maybe felt the pressure of the situation. But I can assure you he's going to win many major titles."

"I think we forget who he played. He didn't play some random person, he played one of the greatest darts players in the world so if he'd have played any other player he might've won. The pressure he gets is just too much sometimes."