Humphries "greatest feeling"

ENGLAND hero Luke Humphries admitted it was the “greatest feeling” to win the World Cup on his debut. 

The World No1 and Michael Smith delivered a powerhouse final to dump shock merchants Austria 10-6 in Frankfurt on Sunday night. 

Having beaten Northern Ireland and Scotland 8-4 in the quarters and semis, Humphries was the star of the show with four sensational finishes of 151, 130, 121 and 112 in the final.

The pair picked up £80,000 for England’s first win since Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis in 2016 and a proud Humphries said: “I have felt the biggest buzz since I won the Worlds. 

“We really wanted this, we really believed we could win it. After the first game we played, we clicked. 

“We knew if we played our best we could do it. I just hope we can come back next year to defend it together as the champions. 

“We had the right regime, we worked it out with the best scorer going first. My finishing has been fantastic the last 12 months. We just worked so well as a team. 

“Honestly this is one of the greatest feelings ever. To be World Cup champions for the first time in eight years, it really does mean the world.”

It was tight in the early stages but Humphries gave England control with a double double 18 finish and 151 to go 5-1 in front. 

The Austrian pair of Mensur Suljovic and Rowby-John Rodriguez kept fighting and pulled it back to 6-4. 

But Humphries dug out a 130 and 112 and it was soon over as England became the most successful side of all-time with a fifth title. 

Smith added: “This is up there as my third best win after the Grand Slam and Worlds. This is what I’ve always wanted. I’ve finally got my gold medal now. 

“He hit everything. My tops was non-existent and every shot I left him bang, bang, bang.

“It’s hard to put into words how much this means. It’s no longer just Adrian and Phil, it’s now Luke and Michael as well.”

Words by Phil Lanning