Luke Humphries has revealed the reason behind his refusal to train with England partner Luke Littler ahead of their World Cup of Darts campaign that kicks off this weekend.
Humphries, 30, is looking to defend England's World Cup title after beating Austria in the final last year.
At the time, he was partnered with former world champion Michael Smith, but this year he is paired with rival Littler.
The duo recently faced off in the final of the Premier League, with Cool Hand getting the better of Littler this time in the latest episode in what appears to be a generational rivalry at the oche.
Luke Humphries beat Luke Littler in the final of the Premier League last month
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The pair have separated from the rest of the pack this year, clearly showing they are the best two in the world and represent a great chance for England to defend the title.
Despite this, Humphries has gone on record to explain his decision not to practice with his partner.
The world no 1 outlined their relaxed preparation and belief in each other to thrive under the pressure.
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Luke Humphries will be paired with Luke Littler for the World Cup of Darts this weekend
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“when you've got two of the best players in the world, we're not going to need to start practising together," he told Sportsboom.
"Me and Michael Smith didn't do that last year."
Last year, Bully Boy and Cool Hand beat Rowby-John Rodriguez and Mensur Suljovic of Austria in the final to secure £80,000 in prize money.
Following their victory, despite Smith’s struggle for form of late, Humphries remained complimentary of his former partner.
“Michael Smith was probably the best player I could have played with last year,” Humphries said.
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“I was really happy to play with him and that's why I put him first because he’s a great scorer, and I’ll do the same with Luke this year.”
Humphries also noted the added pressure of the two top-ranked seeds playing together and the added pressure that would come to win the tournament.
“There'll be pressure on our shoulders of course. But what do you think me and Luke do? We thrive on pressure," he said.
Former world champion Michael Smith won the World Cup with Luke Humphries last year but has been replaced by Luke Littler
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“We are involved in the biggest finals in the world. World finals, Premier League finals, Matchplay finals.
“It's not going to be any different. I'm not going to look into it thinking we're under pressure, we've got to win.
“We don't think we've got to win, but we know we can win. That's the most important thing.”
The pair enter the tournament as undoubtedly the favourites to win.
The first round of the tournament begins on Thursday, June 12.
However, the tournament's four ranked teams, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, do not enter the tournament until the second round on Saturday, June 14.
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