The dream team of Luke Humphreys and Michael Smith defeated Austria 10-6 to secure England a record-breaking fifth World Cup of Darts title and their first since 2016.
Humphreys, making his World Cup debut, and Smith, the 2023 world champion, performed as expected as England won their first World Cup in eight years.
Since the World Cup began in 2010, only two players – Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis – have won the tournament for England, but Humphreys and Smith made history of their own with their dominant success on German soil at the Eisporthalle in Frankfurt.
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Luke Humphreys and Michael Smith celebrate England’s record-breaking fifth World Cup of Darts win
“It was the best excitement I’ve felt since winning the World Championships. We really wanted to win it, we really believed we could do it and after the first game we just hit it off,” Humphries told Sky Sports.
“We have a cheat code. We’re playing against the No. 1 and No. 3 ranked players in the world. It’s pretty tough for the other players, but after the first match we did well. We were only worried about ourselves. We knew we could do it if we played our best, and we did.”
“Hopefully we can come back next year and defend our championships together.”
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Humphreys and Smith share their thoughts after World Cup of Darts victory over Austria
Smith was full of praise for his teammate Humphries, adding: “How good was this guy in the final? He hit everything.”
“my [double] There is no best performance and every shot I left on him was bang, bang, bang…. Thank you so much, you helped me win the gold medal.”
The favourites led 5-1 over 2021 runners-up Robbie-John Rodrigues and Mensur Suljovic, with Humphries scoring 151 in the sixth leg and 121 in the second, but Austria fought back to close the gap to 6-4.
Humphries’ 180 prompted Smith, who had struggled in the early doubles, to hit double 15 before finishes of 130 and 112 from Humphries put England on the brink of victory.
Suljovic hit 98 to keep the match going, but Smith sealed victory with a double eight in the next leg.
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Humphries had four 100-point or better checkouts in the final.
England deserve to be champions
“No team has ever come within four legs of beating England, they are that dominant,” said Mark Webster, who played for Wales in the 2010 World Cup of Darts final.
“They were pushed hard in the final but they had answers for everything, including a great finish from Luke Humphreys.
“They worked as a team from start to finish. They were the overwhelming favorites to win and they lived up to the expectations. They are worthy champions.”
The story of the tape
Darts World Cup: Hall of Fame
England beat Northern Ireland 8-4 in the quarter-finals and Scotland by the same score in the quarter-finals, while Austria beat Croatia 8-7 in the quarter-finals and Belgium 8-3 in the semi-finals.
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Umpire Kirk Bevins ruled that Gary Anderson caused confusion during the Scotland v England semi-final by overstepping Otti while throwing his final dart.
What’s next for Sky Sports?
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The 2024 World Matchplay will be broadcast exclusively on Sky Sports from 13 July.
The 2024 Betfred World Matchplay will take place at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens from 13th to 21st July.
The iconic summer tournament will see 32 of the world’s best stars compete over nine days for the Phil Taylor Trophy and £800,000 prize money.
2024 Betfred World Matchplay
Match Schedule
Saturday, July 13 (7:30 p.m.)
4x Round 1
Sunday, July 14, 1pm
Afternoon Session
4x Round 1
Evening Session (7pm)
4x Round 1
Monday, July 15th (7pm)
4x Round 1
Tuesday, July 16th (7pm)
4x Round 2
Wednesday, July 17th (7pm)
4x Round 2
Thursday, July 18 (8:00 p.m.)
2 Quarterfinals
Friday, July 19th (8pm)
2 Quarterfinals
Saturday, July 20 (8:00 p.m.)
Semi-finals
Sunday, July 21, 1pm
Afternoon Session
Women’s World Matchplay
Evening Session (8pm)
Last
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