Luke Humphries “devastated” to miss out on World Cup of Darts spot
Luke Humphries admits missing out on a place in England’s World Cup of Darts team “hurts the deepest” after he suffered defeat in a fourth European Tour final of the season.
Humphries came agonisingly close to clinching a debut appearance in next month’s Pairs event, but his 8-6 defeat to Cross in Sunday’s European Darts Grand Prix final meant that Cross held on to the World Cup spot alongside Michael Smith.
The world number six led 4-3 in the final in Sindelfingen, before Cross battled back to secure his first European Tour title in what was his eighth appearance in a final.
Humphries, who picked up four Euro Tour titles last season, has now lost in four finals on the continent this year, and admitted in his post-match interview: “It hurts the deepest.
“I just can’t seem to catch a break at the moment, I get punished for every little mistake I make.
“I can play my best but I just don’t seem to get the breaks, maybe I’m not good enough at the moment?
“I’m trying my best to win these tournaments.
“There was a lot on the line there and I showed a lot of bottle to really give it a good go and fair play to Rob, it was a fantastic performance from him.”
The 28-year-old, who reached two major Semi-Finals last season, has vowed to bounce back from his World Cup disappointment as he heads to New York to compete in the US Darts Masters at Madison Square Garden.
He added: “This is one of the most gutted I’ve felt in my career because there’s no other player in that back room that wants to pull on that England shirt more than me.
“I’m devastated about that to be honest, but it is what it is and I have to bounce back.
“I’m proud to have reached four finals again this year but gutted I haven’t won one which would have got me in the World Cup.
“I’m proud of Rob, we’ve had a great relationship for years, we shook hands before the game and whoever won got that [World Cup] spot.
“Nothing will change, I wish him and Michael [Smith] all the best in the World Cup, hopefully the fans get behind them and they go on and win it.”
Cross will make his fourth appearance in the World Cup, partnering Smith for the third time, with the duo having finished runners-up in 2020.
The full line-up of pairings is expected to be confirmed in the coming days, with the event taking place in Frankfurt from June 15-18.
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