Emma Paton hits back at Gary Anderson and James Wade over Luke Littler complaints

Sky Sports darts presenter Emma Paton has come to the defence of the media's portrayal of Luke Littler amidst criticism from seasoned players Gary Anderson and James Wade. The pair have voiced their concerns over what they perceive as disproportionate attention given to Littler, overshadowing the achievements of world champion and world number one Luke Humphries, who has been at the top of his game for the past 18 months.

Despite acknowledging Littler's impressive rise, Anderson and Wade argue that this has resulted in Humphries not receiving the recognition he merits.

However, Paton disagrees with this assessment. Speaking to the Mirror, she said: "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 champion, and if you speak to people, it's 50/50 [between the Lukes] over who their favourite is for the World Championship.

"I don't think there's any question marks over his year. For large periods, he's [Humphries] been the best player on the planet. I would say he's been the most consistent and most reliable. I think we talk about him at length."

Paton maintains that Littler's extraordinary emergence cannot be overlooked due to its significant impact on darts, which includes record-breaking viewership figures on Sky and attracting a broader audience.

"I think for some people, the Littler stuff gets a bit convoluted. We're talking about an incredible sporting story," she said. "If we go back 12 months ago, Luke Littler 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. We talk about the big titles, the Premier League, World Series Finals, and the Grand Slam, but there are other titles as well, such as the Pro Tour and the Euro Tour."

"It's really hard to put into context that achievement. We're talking about it because it's an incredible sporting story. It's one that you don't see often, maybe ever. Also, for me, we're talking about it because of his impact on the sport. He's taken the sport to places it's never been to before. That interest from last year's Worlds hasn't dwindled."

"I think what Gary Anderson and James Wade were getting confused about was that we are talking about this story in the context of sport and what that means."