Luke Humphries makes Luke Littler confession as rivals blocked from repeating World Darts Championship final

Littler’s run at last year’s World Darts Championship captivated fans and brought new eyes to the sport as he made history in reaching the final.

Humphries, who was the strong favourite to win the title last year, upset the script by stopping Littler in an enthralling final.

The duo have since had some memorable battles during Littler’s debut year on the PDC Tour and the teenager has continued to steal the headlines while Humphries has quietly gone about his business in the background.

Nobody comes close to Humphries at the top of the Order of Merit, although Littler has climbed to fourth in the rankings ahead of the World Darts Championships.

Humphries needed a few years to settle onto the pro tour and it wasn’t until he turned 27 that he truly began making a name for himself.

It’s been a different story for Littler who’s hit the ground running as a teenager and Humphries has admitted he wouldn’t have coped as well as his rival has done if he was in a similar position.

“It’s a whirlwind and you’ve constantly got cameras around you,” he told The Guardian.

“For someone his age it’s incredibly intimidating and he’s coped with it really well.”

Littler and Humphries won’t be able to face off against one another in this year’s final as they were drawn on the same half of the draw.

It means the duo could meet in the semi-final, with the likes of Michael van Gerwen, Michael Smith and Dave Chisnall potential opponents in the final.