Luke Humphries has questioned why he isn’t the leading darts player in the list of 2024 Sports Personality of the Year favourites ahead of Luke Littler.

Humphries beat Littler to the World Darts Championship title earlier this year and has since picked up a further two ranked televised events in the World Matchplay and most recently Players Championship Finals titles.

The world No.1 also lifted the Darts World Cup for England alongside Michael Smith, as well as reaching the final of the Premier League, where he was beaten by familiar foe Littler.

By contrast, Littler has picked up just one televised ranking title during his debut year as a professional, beating Martin Lukeman in the final of the 2024 Grand Slam of Darts.

The Premier League victory during the summer was Littler’s crowning glory, but Humphries believes he’s done more to be involved in the Sports Personality of the Year conversation.

Speaking to Sporting Life, he said: “The only thing I’d find is maybe over the last 12 months, I don’t see any UK sportsperson that’s dominated a sport and nearly done everything.

“It’s more done on personality though, it’s not about your achievements. It doesn’t bother me too much, but I’ll go and I’ll be supporting him and if he wins it’s good for the sport.”

The Nuke currently sits ahead of Humphries in the predicted SPOTY rankings, with only Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson ahead of the teenage darts ace.

When quizzed on his hopes of taking home the SPOTY title and becoming the first-ever darts player to win, Littler stated: “It would be a big thing for myself. I’ve not really looked too much into who’s in first…

“People don’t really class us as athletes do they? So if I’m second then that’ll do.”

The pair were speaking ahead of this year’s World Championship at the Alexandra Palace, with Humphries and Littler the top two favourites to win the 2025 edition.

And according to legendary darts ace Phil Taylor, the duo will take some sorting out if they’re to meet as predicted in the competition’s semi-final.

Revealing his prediction, Taylor said: “The World Championships is going to tell us a lot. He [Littler] definitely has the ability, and he’s got the age and youth on his side.

“Luke isn’t motivated by money; he just likes winning, so he will go into the World Championships, and £500,000 for the winner won’t even enter his head.”

The action in north London gets underway in mid-December with the final held in the first week of January.