LUKE HUMPHRIES says his oche bromance with ‘little brother’ Luke Littler can dominate darts for the next decade.
Humphries, 29, is aiming to become the FOURTH man to retain the Sid Waddell Trophy and follow in the footsteps of the legendary Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis and Gary Anderson.
If he scoops £500,000 on January 3 he will boast more than £2million in prize money over the past year — a record.
Sport is defined by rivalries and Cool Hand reckons his emergence alongside superstar Littler, 17, will elevate standards and help establish a “new era”.
The world No 1, winner of seven major TV titles, said: “I won my first major a couple of months before Luke appeared on the scene but I feel like we’ve come through it together at the same time.
“It’s not like he’s knocking me off my perch or I’m knocking him off his perch. We’re going together.
“When you look back, you see that Phil Taylor ruled and then Michael van Gerwen came along and knocked him off his perch. Maybe Phil didn’t like it but Michael was loving it.
“And with Eric Bristow and Taylor, it happened when Phil took over.
“The difference for us two is that we’re coming through at the same time.
“I know I’ve won more over the last 15 months — but hopefully over the next ten years we can share it out and create our own legacies.”
This year’s finals between the ‘Lukes of Hazard’ saw Humphries win the Worlds, Littler the Premier League, and Cool Hand the Players Championship.
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The pair never trash talk, routinely fist-bump on stage and hug one another — the rivalry is a healthy one.
Humphries admitted: “I do feel like an older brother to him. I met him when he was 12 or 13.
“I knew a lot about him. I knew his dad before. I can only imagine what I’d feel like at 17 and in this situation.
“We’ve sort of come through the top end together. We get along. He does his own thing but we always have a chat.
“It’s good fun being involved in the top end of a sport — it’s a privilege.
“We see it as a bonus we’re the top two in the world at the moment.”
Humphries begins his world defence tonight against France’s Thibault Tricole or Aussie Joe Comito but he knows Warrington ace Littler might await in the semis if they both make it that far.
The Berkshire-born star added: “We come from different backgrounds — I’m from the south and he’s from the north — but now we both live near each other.
“If you’d told me two or three years ago all this was going to happen I wouldn’t have believed it. He probably wouldn’t have believed you, either.
“Everything can change and one of us could shoot off or the other drop off.
“At the moment, we’re battling for trophies and I can’t see that changing.
“He’s much younger than me and if he takes his game to another level, then I am going to have to work even harder to catch him.”
