World Cup of Darts: England’s Luke Littler and Luke Humphries set up Wales quarter-final showdown
England’s Luke Humphries and Luke Littler advanced to the quarter-finals of the World Cup of Darts after defeating Spain’s Cristo Reyes and Jose Justicia 8-5 in Frankfurt, setting up a last-eight clash with Wales. The top-seeded English pair, entering the event in the second round, made a fast start by racing into a 3-0 lead. Spain responded by breaking back in the fifth leg, and the match stayed close as the teams traded legs. Littler eventually secured a crucial 6-4 advantage with a double six, and the world’s top two-ranked players then finished the job to book their place in the next round.
Humphries said the performance was solid rather than spectacular, noting that England were not at their Premier League best but showed good fighting spirit to recover and win. He added that getting through the first match should allow them to relax and play with more freedom in the following round.
England will face seventh seeds Wales on Sunday after Jonny Clayton and Nick Kenny defeated the United States 8-5. The result gives Humphries and Littler a chance to progress further than last year, when England suffered a surprising exit at the same stage against Germany.
Elsewhere in the tournament, defending champions and third seeds Northern Ireland also progressed after Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney edged Belgium 8-7 in a tense opener. They will meet Latvia in the quarter-finals after Latvia beat France by the same scoreline.
Scotland, seeded fourth and represented by Gary Anderson and Cameron Menzies, produced one of the most dominant performances of the round, sweeping Norway 8-0. They now face Ireland after William O’Connor and Mickey Mansell defeated Poland 8-5.
The final quarter-final will see the Netherlands take on Germany, with both teams advancing after 8-6 wins over the Czech Republic and Sweden respectively.
The tournament concludes on Sunday with quarter-finals and semi-finals played over 15 legs, followed by a 19-leg final to decide the World Cup of Darts champions.
