Darts results: England beat Austria to win World Cup of Darts

By Sporting Life

Darts

Sun June 30, 2024 · 8M ago

Luke Humphries and Michael Smith guided England to a record-breaking fifth BetVictor World Cup of Darts title with victory over Austria in Frankfurt on Sunday.

Following a thrilling four days of action at the Eissporthalle, World Cup debutant Humphries and 2023 World Champion Smith delivered the goods to secure England's first World Cup triumph since 2016.

Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis were the only players to have lifted the World Cup title for England since the tournament's inception in 2010, but Humphries and Smith created their own history with a 10-6 success on German soil.

The top seeds had kicked off their title bid with a resounding 8-3 win against France on Saturday, before closing out successive 8-4 victories against Northern Ireland and Scotland on Finals Day.

Humphries landed back-to-back 130 and 140 checkouts to catapult England to victory over Northern Ireland, and the English duo produced another clinical display to deny their old adversaries Scotland.

This set up a showdown against 2021 runners-up Austria for the coveted title, and Humphries took centre stage, averaging 113 in the final and converting four ton-plus checkouts to cap off a mesmerising display.

ENGLAND CLINCH WORLD CUP GLORY! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧🏆

Luke Humphries and Michael Smith have made history here in Frankfurt!

The top seeds produce an outstanding display to defeat a spirited Austria 10-6 at the Eissporthalle!

📺 https://t.co/nh8y246ePn #WorldCupofDarts | Final pic.twitter.com/HkbzY3Q8Dj
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) June 30, 2024

The World Champion conjured up a superb double-double 18 finish in leg four, and that sparked an astonishing sequence of big finishes as England took control.

Smith produced the power scoring and Humphries delivered at the double, converting 151, 121, 130 and 112 combinations to inspire England to a landmark triumph.

Austria displayed some mid-game resistance to reduce the arrears to 6-4, although Humphries and Smith were undeterred, winning four of the next six legs to prevail with a superb 100.62 average.

“This is the biggest buzz I’ve felt since the World Championship,” reflected Humphries, who continues his dream run over the last nine months.

“We really wanted this. We really believed we could win it, and when you’ve got the world number and world number three playing together, it’s a bit of a cheat code!

“After that first game on Saturday we just clicked. We knew if we played our best we could win this title, and I just hope we get to come back to defend this title as champions next year.”

YOUR CHAMPIONS! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏆

What a moment!

The two most recent World Champions deliver World Cup success for England!

Superb sportsmanship from the Austrian duo in defeat! 👏#WorldCupofDarts | Final pic.twitter.com/gj2v2ioTeZ
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) June 30, 2024

Smith – making his fifth World Cup appearance in 2024 – adopted the captain’s role throughout the event, and he was visibly emotional after returning to winning ways on the big stage.

“This is what I’ve always wanted. I’ve finally got my gold medal now,” declared the St Helens star.

“It is hard to put into words how much this means. England are World Cup champions again and it’s not just Phil and Adrian, it’s now Luke and Michael as well.

“Hopefully now that gives me the confidence to kick on. I know my game is starting to come now, and now I’m going into the World Matchplay as a World Cup champion!”