MICHAEL SMITH AND LUKE HUMPHRIES REDUCED OPPONENT TO TEARS AT WORLD CUP OF DARTS

Luke Humphries and Michael Smith left one of their opponents in tears after winning the World Cup of Darts.

The duo delivered a stellar performance to secure England's first World Cup victory since 2016. Previously, only Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis had managed to lift the title for England since the tournament began in 2010.

However, the last two world champions carved out their own legacy in Frankfurt with a 10-6 triumph over the Austrian team of Mensur Suljovic and Rowby-John Rodriguez in the final. The runners-up graciously congratulated Humphries and Smith on stage before Rodriguez, 30, was overwhelmed with emotion.

Speaking to Sky Sports' Love The Darts podcast, he confessed: "I was really disappointed after the final. I was crying [for] a long time. In the hotel, my daughter cried, 'Daddy, the guys with the white shirts took the trophy'. It made me so emotional because I wanted it so badly.

"It was the third World Cup final I played in and I've lost all three of them. In future, nobody is talking about second places, they are always talking about the champions.

"I want to be there. I've had a chance three times in the World Cup now. I wanted it so badly. I wanted it for me, I wanted it for the country, for my family. It was so hard to take in that moment."

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Days after the event, Rodriguez, currently battling to maintain his PDC Tour card, admits the sting of defeat is slowly diminishing. Sharing his outlook on the loss, he said: "After two days now, I can say the England players, number one and number three in the world, they smashed it in the final. Luke Humphries had such a good game, big finishes, good scoring.

"I was a little bit tired in the final but you can see those are world champions and have a winning mentality. I have to learn that. But at that moment on Sunday night, it was devastating and painful."

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2024-07-04T18:33:05Z dg43tfdfdgfd