EMMA PATON has hit back at Gary Anderson and James Wade after defending Sky Sports’ coverage of Luke Littler.
The teen sensation burst onto the scene at last year’s World Darts Championship, going all the way to the final before losing to Luke Humphries.
Despite being just 17-years-old, Littler has since wrapped up several stunning victories including the Premier League.
And he kicks off his second Ally Pally campaign tonight in a bid to secure darts’ top prize.
However, fellow slingers Anderson and Wade reckon too much media focus has been on Littler.
On previous occasions, they have both expressed concern over how the teen has taken on so much attention – simultaneously drawing the limelight away from world champ Humphries.
But Sky Sports ace Paton has fired back at Anderson and Wade in a robust defence of her broadcaster.
The fan favourite hosts live coverage of the WDC on TV.
Paton has enjoyed interviews with Littler and Humphries on multiple occasions.
And she believes Sky Sports’ coverage of both men has been fair, with both aces achieving so much in the past 12 months.
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Paton told The Mirror: “Yeah, I do (think Humphries has had enough credit). And I think he’ll be happy with it too. I can only talk for our Sky coverage.
“He’s been a fantastic world champ, and if you speak to people, it’s 50/50 over who their favourite (Luke) is for the World Championship.
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“I don’t think there’s been any question marks over his year. For large periods he (Humphries) has been the best on the planet.
“I would say he’s been the most consistent and most reliable. I think we talk about him at length.
“I think for some people, the Littler stuff gets a bit convoluted. We’re talking about an incredible sporting story.
“If we go back 12 months, he was ranked 164th in the world and had barely played on a big TV stage. Then, at 16, he goes and makes the World Championship final.
“I know he didn’t win it but 12 months on he’s up to fourth in the world. I can’t think of a comparison in another sport about how ridiculous it is.
“It’s really hard to put into context that achievement. It’s one you don’t see often, maybe ever. It’s his impact on the sport.
“He’s taken it to places it’s never been to before. The interest from last year hasn’t dwindled. I think what Anderson and Wade got confused about was we’re talking about this in the context of sport and what that means.”
WITH elves around every corner and festive tunes blasting out, Bluestone’s Kingdom Of The Elves is the perfect destination for Christmas-crazy families.
From early November until the New Year, the 5H resort in Pembrokeshire gets a snowy makeover.
With so many seasonal special treats, there’s almost too much to choose from. Happily, there is a good mix of free and paid activities.
Bluestone offers similar holiday resort facilities to a Center Parcs, but at a more affordable price.
Included in all Kingdom Of The Elves breaks is entry to the Snow Globe — a huge adventure dome that has been transformed into a huge snow globe — Santa’s VR Sleigh Ride, where riders take in the sights of the Snow Globe and experience life as one of Santa’s helpers.
Also in the price is the Elf Lagoon swimming pool, complete with fantastic slides and outdoor swimming sections and The Hive, home to various indoor activities.
Little ones can get stuck into complimentary activities including Jingle Jive, a celebration of Christmas characters with festive games, disco and singalongs.
And Polar Postal will see those elves collect children’s special letters.
We stayed in one of the Carningli Platinum Lodges which can comfortably sleep eight.
Walking into the brilliantly designed building it was easy to see how Bluestone got its 5H status.
The upside-down design has the open-plan kitchen and living and dining room on the top floor to take advantage of the gorgeous views.
There’s also a sunroom balcony and even a cosy cwtch — or snug. Perfect for our large group.
Downstairs, the bedrooms were just as impressive. Two double rooms came with top-notch en suites and the two twin rooms shared a bathroom.
But the biggest draw about these lodges has to be the two complimentary golf buggies, which gives exploring the resort another layer of convenience and adventure.
We visited just before Christmas with my three children, 15, 12 and 10, who were beyond excited when we told them they could each take a friend.
Within minutes of arrival, you realise most guests are big fans of Christmas. People bring their own trees and decorations and most golf buggies were decked out in tinsel and baubles.
There were whole families dressed up as Santa or elves and I spotted some very fine Christmas suits. Wherever you go, the standard greeting is, of course, ‘Merry Christmas’.
A lot of the activities are pitched at children younger than mine, but there was still more than enough for my lot to get stuck in to.
The big highlight for everyone was dinner at The Black Pool Mill
The kids absolutely loved the Elf Lagoon and would have happily stayed there drifting around the Lazy River and zipping down the various slides all day if hunger hadn’t beaten them.
The two youngest also went along to the Elf School, which was a lovely little multi-activity experience that they were probably a year or two too old for.
Our whole group went to the Christmas Show: Snow White And The Seven Elves, where even the moody teens cracked a smile at the jokes.
The production was great fun and perfectly pitched for families and we were all really impressed with the vocals.
The big highlight for everyone was dinner at The Black Pool Mill.
It’s an impressive former Flour Mill that Bluestone bought and renovated. They have done a great job with all the old machinery which is perfectly preserved throughout the building.
Every single dish was absolutely delicious and beautifully presented and the kids haven’t stopped talking about their meals.
We also booked the kids on the Sky Walk, which was a huge hit.
It’s a really creative multi-level, bespoke aerial adventure course that has enough flexibility to focus on the stations you enjoy most, or spread your time across everything.
Watching the kids scoot across the wire sitting on a bike or riding a surfboard was hugely entertaining — especially from the vantage point of the nearby bar and cafe.
Bluestone boasts 500 acres of wild Welsh countryside in the middle of a National Park, near Narberth, Pembrokeshire, and our weekend away only scratched the surface of all that this beautiful area has to offer.
One thing is for sure, it’s absolutely impossible to visit Bluestone Kingdom Of The Elves and not get totally immersed in the Christmas spirit.
Q) I AM struggling to get a refund from OVO following an error with my energy meter.
My meter recorded a whole year’s worth of usage over a six-week period and I was billed £12,500, which was later reduced to £4,500.
This is so much more than my usual energy usage and I have a screenshot from an internal system showing my meter was faulty, but OVO is refusing to admit there was a fault.
I’ve had this debt hanging over me for years and it’s ruining my life.
Can you help get this fixed?
Shaun Waterman, West London
A) YOU first contacted OVO in 2020 after you noticed your meter readings looked excessive.
But when you were erroneously billed £12,500, you knew something was seriously wrong.
You pleaded with OVO to fix the error and eventually it reduced the debt to £4,500, but this was still more than you would usually pay in a whole year billed for a six-week period.
OVO refused to admit there was an error with the reading, but you have a screenshot of an internal system showing there was a fault with your meter.
Your faulty meter was finally replaced last year and is now working normally, but you still have this historic debt hanging on your account.
As a result, you now have negative marks on your credit report and this has had a huge impact on your life. You recently failed a background check for a job because of it
After years of going round in circles with OVO, you asked me to intervene.
When I asked OVO to investigate your case, it did indeed find there was an error with your meter and immediately contacted you to apologise.
It has wiped the remaining debt, putting your account £3,240 in credit, and offered an extra goodwill payment too.
It has also requested to remove any negative markers from your credit record, which should be actioned in the next couple of days, and has booked in a smart meter appointment for January.
I can’t imagine how stressful this has been for you – I hope it helps you celebrate this Christmas.
Our Squeeze Team was won back a total of £209,233 for readers.
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To get help, write to our consumer champion, Laura Purkess.
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CHELSEA star Mykhailo Mudryk took a ringside seat in Saudi Arabia to support Oleksandr Usyk – days after he was suspended for failing a drugs test.
Mudryk, 23, was previously snapped with a Chelsea fan YouTuber, who shared the image on social media.
But he was then pictured in Riyadh watching the boxing in support of Ukrainian countryman Usyk, who rematches Tyson Fury.
Mudryk wore a black cap backwards and dressed in casual clothes.
It comes after a YouTuber – known only as Shargi – also reported a brief chat with the £88million winger.
He claimed he told Mudryk: “Chelsea fans from all over the world trust you that you did not take a performance-enhancing substance. We love you very much and we trust in your return
And the fan reports that the Chelsea star replied: “Thank you very much, I hope everything is gonna be fine.”
The winger tested positive for a banned substance in October and is set for a lengthy ban of up to four years.
Mudryk denied knowingly taking meldonium, which was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency banned list in 2016.
It can apparently allow the body to “use oxygen sparingly and quickly restoreenergyto prepare for new loads of physical stress.”
Meldonium is widely used in Eastern Europe and has been on the banned list of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) since 2016.
Mudryk released a statement on Tuesday morning insisting he has never “knowingly used any banned substance.”
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He said: “I can confirm that I have been notified that a sample I provided to The FA contained a banned substance”.
“This has come as a complete shock as I have NEVER knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules, and am working closely with my team to investigate how this could have happened”.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has come out in support of the £88million signing and believes he will return to the team.
He said: “We all believe Mudryk is innocent. I don’t think Misha’s Chelsea career is over. I think he will come back.
“We don’t know when, that is the only doubt we have in this moment. But for sure, he will be back.”
By SunSport's Joshua Jones
MYKHAILO MUDRYK returned a positive sample for a drugs test in October.
The Chelsea winger could face a ban for up to four years – because the drug was a performance-enhancing substance.
It is alleged Mudryk had the drug meldonium in his system.
Meldonium – aka mildronate – is a metabolic modulator similar to insulin and is widely used in Eastern Europe.
It is used in heart disease therapy but is also claimed to enable athletes to withstand greater stress, use oxygen more sparingly and restore energy levels quickly.
Meldonium was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency banned list in January 2016 following its high prevalence at the 2015 European Games in Baku.
Just months later, former tennis world No1 and Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova was banned for two years by the International Tennis Federation – although this was later cut to 15 months on appeal.
Sharapova had been taking the drug for ten years for various health issues and claimed she was unaware it had been added to the banned list.
Also in 2016, Russian boxer Alexander Povetkin was found to have traces of meldonium in his system before he was due to fight fellow heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder.
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