Darts may be at a new high, but Gary Anderson isn’t happy about where the attention is focused.

The sport has gathered extraordinary momentum over the past 12 months, triggered by Luke Littler’s run to the PDC World Darts Championship at the tender age of 16.

Littler has bought new eyes to the sport, but some of his rivals think it’s the other Luke who deserves the attentionGetty

TV viewing figures are at an all time high, while venues are selling out across the country, and momentum is picking up in other nations such as the Netherlands and Germany.

However, outside of the diehards, a lot of the focus remains on Littler, and not his victor at the World Championship, Luke Humphries.

The 29-year-old world no.1 has had quite an extraordinary year, and Anderson thinks it isn’t getting enough attention.

“It’s not just being world champion,” the Scot said. “What has Luke [Humphries] won in the last two years? This is the thing. He has won just about everything. 

“He’s not just a world champion. He’s there for a reason. World Champion was added onto his CV. He’s won so much more, and the boy gets looked over every time, which I think is a load of b*****s to be honest.

“He’s deserved everything that he’s worked for, everything that he’s got. And just to talk about other players, rubbish, absolute rubbish. Just give him a bit of respect. He’s never ever mentioned, it’s always other people. Luke [Humphries] just goes along with it.

“As long as they’re talking about other people, he just carries on what he does. He’s handled it well. But deep down, he must be a bit cheesed off it. No, he just does what he does. He plays darts, runs, and that’s it.”

Humphries is the reigning World Grand Prix champion, Grand Slam champion, Players Championship Finals champion, and the World Matchplay Champion.

Anderson’s comments on the leading player weren’t his only headline-making remarks from a fiery press conference.

The two-time world champion was just coming off a statement win over Michael Smith at the World Grand Prix when one reporter asked about retirement.

Anderson was in a combative mood

“This is what happens when you work for press and TV. You’ve not got a frigging clue,” the 53-year-old replied. “I’ll stop when I want to stop, you have not got a clue honestly. 

“You just think what you see is what you get, you’ve not got a clue. People have lives, do you have a life? Do you have a life, do you have a life?

“Yeah, well it’s nice to have a life, but if you are doing this constantly then you wouldn’t have a life.

“I know what I can do, I know what I can’t do. And, at the end of the day, like you say, your pundits, you’ve not got a clue.

“That’s why they’re sitting on their a**** talking about darts instead of playing darts.”