Luke Humphries knows he has a target on his back as darts star bids to defend title at huge £600k World Grand Prix

LUKE HUMPHRIES admits everyone is retired to “de-throne” him arsenic helium bids to stay the existent king of darts.

The World No.1 has had a sensational twelvemonth with five large titles successful 10 months.

It each began with a crushing decision of Gerwyn Price successful the World Grand last a twelvemonth agone successful Leicester - and present helium begins his defence connected Monday against Stephen Bunting.

‘Cool Hand’, 26, knows helium has a people connected his back.

He said: “Everyone wants to bushed you and evidently I’ve won rather a lot. Everyone wants to instrumentality those titles distant from you.

“I’m not going to springiness them up truthful it’s a changeless conflict for maine to enactment hard and support everyone astatine bay.

“Of people the endowment retired determination is truthful large that it’s hard for maine to support winning each the time. I’ll conscionable support riding the wave.

“There’s nary unit connected my side, I’m not defending excessively overmuch connected the rankings.

“I’m conscionable defending the titles. There’s plentifulness of opportunities for maine to triumph galore much large titles this year. But it’s going to beryllium incredibly hard.

“I’ve got galore titles to support earlier I interest astir the World Championship. That’s the 1 you are looking guardant to.

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“I truly privation to support that one. That changes lives. My purpose is to beryllium back-to-back two-time satellite champion due to the fact that that’s a grounds I haven’t got to my sanction yet.

“These are the accolades I privation to support achieving. That’s thing that’s decidedly up determination for maine now.

“But hopefully I tin beryllium successful a blistery tally of signifier earlier going to the Worlds similar I was past twelvemonth and clasp it.

“But, similar I said, it’s going to beryllium tough. Everyone wants to de-throne me, hopefully they don’t.”

Bunting has already KO’d freshly crowned World Champ Humphries successful the 2nd circular of the Masters backmost successful February, connected the mode to winning the title.

But Humphries believes winning the Players Championship against ‘The Bullet’ past week was a captious warm-up.

He added: “This was important for me. When you’re connected the large stage, it feels different. I consciousness amended than ever connected that large stage.

“I cognize I’ve got a truly pugnacious crippled against Stephen due to the fact that he’s usually truthful beardown connected his doubles, but these are the moments I unrecorded for now.

“I privation to play the champion and beryllium progressive successful these large games, and hopefully it’s a large World Grand Prix. I would emotion to clasp it.”