Emma Paton responds to Gary Anderson and James Wade after Luke Littler complaints

Sky Sports darts presenter Emma Paton has addressed the media coverage received by Luke Humphries and Luke Littler following grumbles from Gary Anderson and James Wade

Emma Paton has defended the media's coverage of Luke Littler following complaints from Gary Anderson and James Wade.

The veteran pair have both slammed what they believe is a lack of recognition for world champion and world number one Luke Humphries, who has dominated darts over the last 18 months. Anderson and Wade believe there has been too much focus on Littler, whose exploits have transcended the sport.

While they have been mightily impressed with the teenage sensation, they believe it has led to Humphries not getting the respect he deserves. However, Sky Sports darts presenter Paton doesn't see it that way.

She 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 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 insists Littler's phenomenal rise has been too seismic to ignore, given his impact on the sport, with record-breaking viewing figures on Sky and the growth of a more diverse audience.

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"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."