Luke Humphries and Michael Smith insist their BetVictor World Cup of Darts triumph ranks among their greatest achievements, after the pair celebrated success in Frankfurt on Sunday.
Humphries and Smith steered England to a record-breaking fifth World Cup crown on a famous night at the Eissporthalle, defeating Austria 10-6 in a high-quality final.
The pair produced a ton-topping average to deny Rowby-John Rodriguez and Mensur Suljovic in Sunday’s showpiece, joining four-time winners Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis on the roll of honour for Team England.
“It’s hard to put it into words,” admitted Smith, who was making his fifth World Cup of Darts appearance.
“We just complemented each other so well, and to finally get my hands on that trophy, it’s amazing.
“It is not just Phil and Aidy, it’s now Luke and Michael, and hopefully we get to come back and defend it [the title] next year.”
Humphries and Smith kicked off their campaign with a resounding 8-3 win over 2023 quarter-finalists France in Saturday’s second round, before delivering a trio of dominant displays on Finals Day.
The English duo converted 57% of their attempts at double in 8-4 victories against Northern Ireland and Scotland, before a mid-game fightback to deny Austria a maiden World Cup title.
“It just clicked against Northern Ireland when we played Josh Rock and Brendan [Dolan],” continued Smith, a World Cup runner-up with Rob Cross in 2020.
“We played well against Scotland and in the final Luke was incredible. He just cleaned up everything.
“Luke kept telling me in the break, don’t worry, it doesn’t matter what you’ve missed, you’re going to get the winning shot, and he was right!
“I went to run off [in celebration] and then I saw Luke chasing me! I thought: ‘What’s going on?!’
“I have never felt that before because I never thought someone would be running after me. It was a weird feeling, but it’s one of the best feelings I’ve ever had.”
Humphries, meanwhile, enjoyed a dream World Cup debut at the Eissporthalle, producing an individual average of 113 in the final to inspire the top seeds to the title.
The world number one delivered a finishing masterclass in Sunday’s finale, converting 112, 121, 130 and 151 checkouts, pinning eight of his nine attempts at double in the process.
“This is extra special,” declared the 29-year-old, who adds World Cup glory to his World Grand Prix, Grand Slam, Players Championship Finals and World Championship wins over the last nine months.
“This is up there with my best achievements. My first major win was obviously the most incredible feeling, and when you win the World Championship, that feeling cannot be topped.
“This is up there for me though. That incredible feeling of emotion that I got running through my body when Michael hit that winning double – you know you’ve done it, you’re World Cup champions.
“It’s not every day you get to play for your country, let alone win for your country, so I’m super proud.”
Despite Humphries’ status as world number one, Smith adopted the captain’s role throughout the event by opening up each leg – a strategy which paid dividends.
“This is a different feeling. I’m really proud of the way we both played in that final,” added Humphries, who becomes the fourth player to win the World Cup of Darts on debut.
“We played fantastically as a team and we didn’t really let anybody get near us. We said if we played our own game there’s nobody that can touch us, and that’s what happened.
“I know my finishing was great, but Michael’s first three darts each leg were fantastic most of the time, and that set the tone for the tournament.
“In my opinion Michael is the best scorer in the world. That’s the reason he went first, and that’s why we made it so tough to play against us.”
