God. There's something deeply entertaining about watching elite athletes do weird stuff when they think nobody's looking. I was scrolling through darts highlights last night (yes, that's what passes for excitement in my life these days) when I spotted something that made me spit out my tea.

What on earth was that, Luke?

Former world champion Luke Humphries got caught on camera doing possibly the strangest mid-match hydration technique I've ever witnessed during the European Darts Grand Prix in Germany. The 30-year-old Berkshire native, rather than simply picking up his water glass like a normal human being, decided to BEND DOWN and sip from it like some sort of... well, I don't even know what comparison works here.

It was bizarre.

While absolutely demolishing Connor Scutt 6-1 on Saturday, "Cool Hand Luke" (ironic nickname given what happened next) apparently decided his hands were too sweaty to touch his glass. So instead, this professional athlete - a man who makes his living with precise hand movements - stooped down to drink from his glass without using his hands at all.

The Embarrassing Aftermath

When confronted about this peculiar drinking method in his post-match interview, Humphries looked genuinely mortified. "Did that get shown on camera?" he asked, with teh look of a man who'd just realized his private weirdness had gone public.

His explanation was... interesting.

"It was... my hands were so sweaty, and I didn't want to touch the glass because it was so, like..." he stammered, clearly wishing he could disappear into the floor. "There was so much moisture that I was like, if I pick it up with my hands, it might make..."

Sweat-gate 2025

I've been watching darts for nearly 15 years now (my partner thinks I need better hobbies), and I've never seen anything quite like it. The world's #1 ranked darts player, concerned about hand sweat affecting his performance, resorted to drinking like a cat at a water bowl.

Humphries eventually pulled himself together enough to finish his explanation: "Look, it's very hot out here. It's really, really tough. It's like being abroad when you're on holiday. But you have to make the best of a bad situation, and I thought if I don't touch the glass, I won't add that moisture to my hands, and it worked!"

Then came the killer line that made me laugh out loud at 2am: "I didn't know you were going to catch it on camera. I was hoping I did it discreetly, but yeah, I was just trying to help myself a bit."

Discreetly. As if bending down to lap at a water glass in front of a live audience and TV cameras could ever be discreet. Bless him.

Twitter Had a Field Day (Obviously)

Social media users pounced like sharks smelling blood. One fan pointed out the obvious solution: "Could just use his left hand to pick op the glass." I mean... yeah?

Another commenter went straight for the jugular: "Gonna have to change his nickname to 'Wet hand' Luke now." Brutal, but I snorted coffee through my nose when I read it.

The Moisture Situation Didn't Help Him Sunday

Sadly for our hydration-challenged hero, all that careful moisture management didn't translate to victory the next day. Humphries returned on Sunday only to lose a nail-biter 6-5 against Michael Smith.

Maybe he should've just worn gloves? Or brought a straw? Or hired someone to hold the glass for him? (I'm available for £50 per match, Luke, if you're reading this.)

Whatever the case, this little moment has secured its place in my personal darts hall of fame, right up there with Peter Wright's hairstyles adn that time my friend bet me £40 that Phil Taylor would hit a nine-darter back in 2018. He did, and I'm still annoyed about it.