FUMING Luke Littler has slammed darts legend Dennis Priestley for suggesting he does not deserve his MBE due to his age.
Two-time world champion Priestley, 74, claimed Littler and world No.1 Luke Humphries “let their country down” following their dismal exit from the PDC World Cup of Darts in Frankfurt
The darts star hit back at the former player on social media[/caption]
Littler shared his furious response before later deleting it[/caption]
The English pair were red-hot favourites to claim the title on their maiden appearance together but they surprisingly lost to Germany in the quarter-finals.
That result came the day after it was announced the two Lukes – the top two in the world – were going to receive recognition in the King’s Birthday Honours List.
Straight-talking Yorkshireman Priestley said in a chat with a bookmaker that neither player had “done enough to earn their MBEs just yet”.
He added: “When I was playing in pairs with Phil Taylor we practised together and sat together, we played all over the world and I only remember us getting beaten once.
“In time they could’ve done enough to warrant it but it feels very early.
“Littler has been recognised for raising the popularity of darts which is great but he can still do so much more.
“If he is getting an MBE this soon then you’d have to think he is on the right path to a knighthood, nothing would surprise me now.”
This jibe angered 18-year-old Littler – the reigning PDC world champion – who posted a short but pointed response on Instagram.
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The Nuke screenshotted an article that contained the quotes and captioned it with his response.
He said: “Don’t deserve an MBE but done more in 12 months than he ever did…
“That’s what I would say anyway.”
He has since deleted the post.
Littler is the most recognisable figure in the sport and his Instagram account mushroomed to 1.9 million followers shortly after he burst on to the scene in December 2023.
His next appearance on the oche will be at the bet365 US Darts Masters, which will be held on June 27-28 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Littler, meanwhile, has teamed up with fast food giant McDonald’s to launch a brand new burger.
The ‘Big Arch’ is one of five new additions to the McDonald’s summer menu launched on Wednesday.
Priestley has also offered some advice to Littler which relates to the deals he has been handed away from the oche.
He said: “Luke Littler’s team needs to shield him from all distractions and make sure he gets all the best advice because he is still so young.
“I hope he reads this because my advice would be it’s not about how much money you earn now, it’s about how much you’ve kept when your career comes to an end.
“He has his head screwed on but the important thing is that the darts remains the priority rather than all the sponsorship deals he keeps being offered.”
