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World Darts Championship

Amjid Javed

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John Part is the Current Holder and the Tourney starts tonight. Im hoping Phil Taylor makes it a 14th Title win for himself after missing out on the last two years!
 
Holder John Part goes out in 1st round and a few other top seeds have gone as well!
 
Saw the epic final 2 years ago: Barney v Phil Taylor - whilst in Pakistan. Watched it Live at 3am on Tensports.

I used to play darts - had the perfect physique for it.

Will watch the final again. Its great drama.
 
Phil "the power" Taylor just cruised past Michael van Gerwen 4-0 in the 2nd round
 
Any one see John Part get dumped from this tournament!

When is the final?
 
1/4 final Line up

Phil Taylor v Co Stompe
Mervin King V B Bates
Van Barneveld V J Klassen
P nicholson v J wade
 
Oxy said:
Taylor v Barney

Its the final we all want!

Barney won probably the best ever final against Taylor two years ago.

On paper Barney is on harder side of draw. Klassen is a very good young player. and the winner will face James wade whose been best young player to come through ranks in last 2 years. Finally Geordie cum Aussie Nicholson has been the surprise gate crasher in this party!
 
Amjid Javed said:
Barney won probably the best ever final against Taylor two years ago.

No doubt about it :aiqbal

Saw it live in Pakistan - 3am!

Barney's win last night v Baxtor went down to 'sudden death'. Good prep for a tough fnal v 'The Power' :)
 
Oxy said:
No doubt about it :aiqbal

Saw it live in Pakistan - 3am!

Barney's win last night v Baxtor went down to 'sudden death'. Good prep for a tough fnal v 'The Power' :)

Well two best finals ive seen Taylor has lost both to Barney and Part!

I got a feeling the Power will take his title back after 2 years with out it!
 
Barney has got the harder side of the draw just scrapped past Baxtor last night but i still reckon HIS THE MAN
 
Shahid A said:
King through to the Semi Finals

Taylor ON FIRE!

Was a good fightback by Bates - thought the 'Welsh boyo' would make it through.
 
On_the_up said:
Taylor just romped past stompe 5-0

Untouchable is 'The Power' - no one will stop him this year - his old 'swagger' has returned...and that 'glint' in his eye.

Look how Barney has struggled so far - then witnes THE POWER!
 
The man is an absolute legend, this will be his 12th world championship if he wins it. Eric Bristow only won it 5 times and he was considered a great at the time.
 
On_the_up said:
The man is an absolute legend, this will be his 12th world championship if he wins it. Eric Bristow only won it 5 times and he was considered a great at the time.

Bristow is my generation - The Craftney Cockney! Never thought he would be surpassed.

But Taylor took it to a new, unsurpassable level
 
Oxy said:
Untouchable is 'The Power' - no one will stop him this year - his old 'swagger' has returned...and that 'glint' in his eye.

Look how Barney has struggled so far - then witnes THE POWER!

Barney hasn't struggled in all his match, I would say in his last match, he had a big problem with his finishing. His scoring was pretty good and he came up against a fired up Baxter, best I've seen Baxter play in years.

Barney averaged over 100 in his matches prior to the Baxter match, so he's still the biggest threat to Taylor, although Barney will have to be at his very very best to present a challenge to Taylor.
 
Raz said:
Barney hasn't struggled in all his match, I would say in his last match, he had a big problem with his finishing. His scoring was pretty good and he came up against a fired up Baxter, best I've seen Baxter play in years.

Barney averaged over 100 in his matches prior to the Baxter match, so he's still the biggest threat to Taylor, although Barney will have to be at his very very best to present a challenge to Taylor.

The Baxter match was his first REAL test - quarter final stage.

And he was really sweating.

And its ALL about the finishing at this level - ordinary Joes from places you've never heard of can score heavy - but its about hitting those doubles.

With your height & reach - darts must be a doddle for you Raz!!!
 
If anyone is to beat Taylor, it'll be Merv King.
Hopefully he'll do it in the semi and hopefully go all the way!
 
Barney was on fire last night and won 5-1 including a Nine-Dart Finish!

Wade won other semi 5-3

so it should be a humdinger of a semi-final!
 
I cant believe I missed the '9 dart finish' last night!!!
 
Taylor and Barney through to the final again, with 6-2 and 6-4 wins over Mervyn King and James Wade respectively in the semis
 
James Wade was on top v Barney

Had 3 attempts at a double to go 3-1 up - he was throwing with the advantage and just crumbled!

An attempt at double 4 went into 13 and he went 'bust'

And Barney destroyed him!
 
So its Taylor V barney again i hope its just as good as two years ago.
 
Punishing darts from Taylor - absolutely relentless.

Stormed into a 2-0 lead.

Barney came back - then there was a epic 4th set. Barney had 2 darts to make it 2-2

He missed and Taylor went in at the interval 3-1 up

No change after the break

Taylor leads 4-1 (1st to 7)

Taylor's 3 dart average now approaching 109 !!!!
 
Power Darts in progress.

Taylor 6 - 1 Barney

Just going through the formalities - should be over in about 15 mins
 
Oxy said:
Power Darts in progress.

Taylor 6 - 1 Barney

Just going through the formalities - should be over in about 15 mins

Taylors wanted this title probably more than the other 13!

Indeed it is power On!
 
Phil Taylor - 14 time World Champion!

Taylor 7 - 1 Barney

Crushing victory!
 
Oxy said:
Phil Taylor - 14 time World Champion!

Taylor 7 - 1 Barney

Crushing victory!

:) Taylor just proving why hes the Greatest ever Tungsten Thrower!
 
I'm gonna look for my old dartboard and stick it up in the kitchen for 4 weeks - whilst the missus is in Pakistan :)
 
Oxy/AJ can one of you guys please tell me what the difference is between the 2 different 'darts organisations' (as it were).

I mean on the one hand there's the current World Championship being played with the likes of Ted Hanky, Martin Adams etc and on the other hand the 'other' Darts Championship with Merv King, Barny (both of whom switched recently) and of course Taylor.

Is it an ICL/IPL type thing? :)
 
Mohsin said:
Oxy/AJ can one of you guys please tell me what the difference is between the 2 different 'darts organisations' (as it were).

I mean on the one hand there's the current World Championship being played with the likes of Ted Hanky, Martin Adams etc and on the other hand the 'other' Darts Championship with Merv King, Barny (both of whom switched recently) and of course Taylor.

Is it an ICL/IPL type thing? :)

The British Darts Organisation (BDO) was the original darts governing body - their tournaments were always televised on terrestrial TV (BBC)

Their power was challenged about 15 years ago - and a new body was formed called the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).

I think the top players at the time 'broke away' from the BDO - and I think Barry Hearn might have had something to do with it, but dont quote me on that!

Its unlike IPL/ICL as they are both new organistaions - whereas the PDC is a 'breakaway' organisation - more akin to the various boxing governing bodies (WBC/WBA/WBO/IBF etc)

PDC is less traditional, covered by 'pay-tv' - offeres more glitz, glamour and prize-money

So we effectively have 2 tournaments running concurrently - and 2 world darts champions!
 
Last edited:
Oxys pretty much summed it up above.

The PDC is a much stronger quality of darts i must say also.
 
Ah i see, well yeah the quality is definitely better in PDC

Thank you :)
 
PDC World Darts Championship 2022

Not everyone's cup of chai but the precision and quality on display is sensational in these quarters
 
Peter Wright wins PDC World Darts Championship title for second time

Peter Wright produced a sensational comeback to beat Michael Smith in a thrilling final of the PDC World Darts Championship.

Trailing 5-4 and with Smith two legs up in the 10th set, Wright fought back to win three sets in a row to claim the title.

The Scot, champion in 2020, is only the sixth player to win the title twice.

"I'm over the moon, I've got her back," said Wright. "This is my lady and I'm happy to get it back."

"I didn't turn up for eight sets and it was horrible and I was telling myself off so I stopped doing that," added Wright, who changed darts twice during the final.

"I was getting more and more frustrated with myself and I stopped doing that and that's why my darts straightened up.

"To be part of that elite group, people might have said I was lucky to win to beat Michael van Gerwen [in 2020] who wasn't on form that year but I can prove to everyone I can win it horrible as well."

The 51-year-old wins £500,000 in prize money and is only £15,250 behind world number one Gerwyn Price in the world darts ranking system.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/darts/59855213
 

16-year-old storms to final of world darts championship with £500,000 prize at stake​


A 16-year-old named Luke Littler on Wednesday will compete in the final of the PDC World Darts Championship hoping to become the youngest ever winner of the sport's premier tournament.

Littler will play in the final against new world number one and fellow Brit Luke Humphries with £500,000 ($631,345) up for grabs for the winner at the Alexandra Palace in London. The runner-up will bag £200,000.

It has been a fairytale run for Littler who beat 2018 world champion Rob Cross in the semis to make it to the final.

Coming into the world championship, Littler was ranked 164 by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), the governing body in charge of the tournament. On his course to the final, he has knocked out some highly-ranked names in the sport including five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld.

If Littler is victorious, he will be the youngest ever winner of the World Darts Championship. The record is held by Michael van Gerwen who won the title in 2014 at the age of 24.

Littler has grabbed the hearts and minds of fans in the U.K. thanks to his food choices, revealing that he likes to eat a kebab as a post-match meal.

Click here to view interactive content
In an interview with Sky Sports after his semi-final win on Tuesday, he revealed what he'll be doing on the day of the final. "I'll do what I've been doing. In the morning, go for a ham and cheese omelet, then come here have my pizza and then [practise] on the board. That's what I've done every day," Littler said.

The 16-year old has also earned the respect of his peers, and his finals opponent Humphries.

"I'm probably going to have to play the game of my life ... to stand a chance of beating him. I know what's in front of me, I know the task it is, it is an uphill task. I got to play at my best ... I know that," Humphries said in an interview with Sky Sports after his semi-final win.

Source : CNBC News
 
England's Luke Humphries defeated teenager Luke Littler 7-4 in a gripping final at Alexandra Palace to win his first PDC World Championship title.

Littler, 16, was aiming to become darts' youngest ever world champion after a remarkable run to the final.

But Humphries, the pre-event favourite who became world number one on Tuesday, saw off his challenge to claim the £500,000 first prize.

Trailing 4-2, the 28-year-old won five consecutive sets to close out victory.

Humphries has now won four of the past five major televised tournaments in the PDC (Professional Darts Corporation).

Littler's progress on his World Championship debut has captured the public's imagination in the past three weeks and he produced another exceptional, composed performance in the final.

However, Humphries' brilliance ensured the youngster fell just short of completing what would have been an amazing sporting fairytale.
 
Luke Littler has been selected for Premier League Darts following his fairytale run to the final of the PDC World Championship.

Only eight players contest the 16-week series and the 16-year-old, who was beaten 7-4 by Luke Humphries in Wednesday's final, has been included.

World number one Humphries is also involved and will make his debut in the competition.

The tournament begins in Cardiff on 1 February.

Littler, who will be 17 when the event begins, will be the youngest player ever to compete in the Premier League.


BBC
 
Sixteen-year-old Luke Littler will make his World Series debut this month after becoming the youngest player to reach the PDC World Championship final.

Littler will compete in the Bahrain Darts Masters on 18-19 January and the Dutch Darts Masters on 26-27 January.

Last week he was named among the eight players who will feature in Premier League Darts.

England's Littler lost 7-4 to Luke Humphries in the World Championship final on 3 January.

World number one Humphries will also feature at the Bahrain International Circuit - his first tournament since becoming world champion - and Maaspoort Den Bosch in s-Hertogenbosch.

Former world champions Michael van Gerwen, Peter Wright, Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith and Rob Cross, and World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall will compete alongside eight local representatives in both tournaments.



BBC
 
Bahrain Masters: Teenage sensation Luke Littler claims 6-3 win on World Series of Darts debut

Teenage sensation Luke Littler beat Hong Kong's Man Lok Leung 6-3 on his highly anticipated World Series of Darts debut at the Bahrain Masters.

Littler, who turns 17 in three days, was the youngest PDC World Championship finalist earlier in January.

He faces fellow Englishman Nathan Aspinall in the last eight, after the World Matchplay champion edged past the Philippines' Lourence Ilagan 6-5.

The winner of the tournament will collect a top prize of £20,000.


BBC
 
Teenager Luke Littler beat Gerwyn Price 7-3 to book his spot in the final of the Bahrain Masters.

Littler, 16, broke Price in legs six and eight to edge closer to the £20,000 top prize.

He beat Nathan Aspinall 6-3 in the quarter-finals, throwing a nine-darter in the opening leg.

England's Littler takes on three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen in the final.

Van Gerwen missed five match darts in his semi-final against defending champion Michael Smith but held his nerve in the 13th leg to win 7-6.

It is Littler's second final appearance this month, after losing against Luke Humphries at the PDC World Championship.

Humphries went out in the quarter-finals here as Price beat him 6-4.


BBC
 
Teenager Luke Littler will meet Luke Humphries in a PDC World Championship final rematch on the opening night of this year's Premier League Darts.

The 2024 Premier League begins at Cardiff's Utilita Arena on Thursday, 1 February.

Littler, who turned 17 last Sunday, shot to prominence at the World Darts Championship.

He lost a gripping final to Humphries earlier this month, but will now get a chance to avenge that defeat.



BBC
 
Three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen beat teenager Luke Littler 8-6 to win the Dutch Darts Masters.

Littler, 17, beat Van Gerwen to win his first PDC senior title at the Bahrain Masters last week but was unable to make it back-to-back titles.

Both players exchanged early breaks before a run of holds meant the game was level at 6-6 in a best-of-15 tie.

Van Gerwen then held, before taking out 85 to win his home World Series event for the first time.

Littler outscored Van Gerwen to average 106.71 compared to 100.59, but the Dutchman's checkout percentage of 66.7 left his opponent with very few opportunities.


BBC
 
Teenage darts sensation Luke Littler will make his Premier League Darts debut in Cardiff on Thursday.

In a rematch of the PDC World Championship final, 17-year-old Littler will play Luke Humphries at the Utilita Arena in one of four quarter-finals.

Also in the eight-man field are former world champions Gerwyn Price, Michael van Gerwen, Michael Smith, Peter Wright and Rob Cross with Nathan Aspinall.

The winner of the overall title will be crowned on 23 May.


BBC
 
Michael Smith beat Gerwyn Price 6-2 to win the opening night of the 2024 Premier League Darts in Cardiff.

Smith beat Michael van Gerwen and Luke Littler to reach the final at the Utilita Arena, despite whistles from the crowd adding a stain to the night.

'The Iceman' beat Nathan Aspinall in his quarter-final before cruising past Rob Cross to reach the evening's final.

But Smith denied Price a second straight Premier League win in Cardiff, easing to victory against the Welshman.

Price won the first leg of the final, but Smith took a hold of the game to storm into a 5-1 lead before the home favourite won just his second leg.


BBC
 
Stephen Bunting put in a brilliant performance to defeat Michael van Gerwen in the Cazoo Masters final and win his first televised PDC title.

The Englishman beat five-time champion Van Gerwen 11-7 in Milton Keynes in his first televised PDC final since the 2014 Sydney Darts Masters.

Having thrashed Peter Wright 10-2 and Nathan Aspinall 11-1, Bunting kept that form to average 102 in the title match.


BBC
 
Teenager Luke Littler hit a nine-dart finish as he beat Michele Turetta 6-1 on his debut at the Players Championship event in Wigan.

The 17-year-old was cruising against Italian Turetta, 38, in the last-32 tie before he landed his second nine-darter of the season.
 
Michael van Gerwen made it successive weekly Premier League wins with a 6-5 victory over Luke Humphries in Glasgow.

Seven-time champion Van Gerwen was below his best throughout the night and trailed 4-2 in the final, but triumphed in a last-leg decider.

In his debut campaign, world champion and number one Humphries was bidding for a first success in the event.

Teenager Luke Littler was knocked out in the quarter-finals, losing 6-5 to Gerwyn Price.
 
Michael van Gerwen made it three successive nightly wins in the Premier League of Darts with a 6-4 victory over Nathan Aspinall in Newcastle.

Seven-time champion Van Gerwen now has an eight-point lead at the top of the table after wins in Berlin and Glasgow.

He beat Gerwyn Price in the quarter-finals before getting the better of Luke Littler in a last-leg decider.


BBC
 
Teenager Luke Littler played down praise he received from Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, describing it as "literally another day in my life."

Klopp compared his young players, who helped the Reds win the Carabao Cup last week, to the 17-year-old darts sensation.

But Littler, who beat James Wade to reach the last 32 of the UK Open on Friday, is not getting carried away.

"I gave it a like and went on to the next video," he said.

"That was literally another day in my life."


 
Damon Heta won an outstanding UK Open quarter-final to end Luke Littler's hopes of a first major PDC title.

Heta and 17-year-old Englishman Littler averaged in excess of 104, with the Australian winning 10-8 in Minehead, Somerset.

Heta will play Belgium's Dimitri van den Bergh, who beat England's Martin Lukeman 10-5, in the semi-finals.

World champion Luke Humphries, a 10-2 winner against fellow Englishman Stephen Bunting, will play Ricky Evans.

The tournament will be played to a conclusion when the action resumes at 19:00 GMT on Sunday, with the semis and final played over the best of 21 legs.

English world number one Humphries, winner of the past three major PDC titles, will be a strong favourite to extend that streak following the exits of World Championship runner-up Littler and 2018 world champion Rob Cross.

Cross lost 10-7 to fellow Englishman Evans, who was ranked 46th in the world before the event and was emotional on stage after reaching his first major PDC semi.



BBC
 
Luke Humphries produced three superb displays to win night six of Premier League Darts in Brighton.

The world champion, 29, beat Gerwyn Price 6-2, Rob Cross 6-3 and Michael Smith 6-3 for his first ever night win, which lifts him to second in the table.

Humphries' victory cut Michael van Gerwen's lead at the top of the standings to three points.

Van Gerwen went out in the quarter-final for the second consecutive week, losing 6-2 to Cross.

Two-time world champion Peter Wright missed two match darts in the deciding leg of his quarter-final defeat by Smith and the Scot remains without a win in this year's competition.

Smith, who won night one in Cardiff, then beat 17-year-old Luke Littler in his semi-final but lost against the man that replaced him as world number one in January.



BBC
 

Adam Smith-Neale: World number 82 suspended for allegedly assaulting opponent​

Professional darts player Adam Smith-Neale has been suspended by the Darts Regulation Authority after he allegedly assaulted an opponent at the end of a match in an amateur event on Saturday.

Video footage shared online appears to show the Englishman, 30, throwing a punch at the event in Nuneaton.

World number 82 Smith-Neale is suspended from "attending or competing in DRA sanctioned events".

He can appeal against the decision and faces a disciplinary hearing.

The DRA, darts' governing body, said: "On 12th March 2024 Nigel Mawer the DRA chairman took the decision to suspend Adam Smith-Neale from attending or competing in DRA sanctioned events.

"This relates to an allegation that he assaulted another player at the end of his match in an amateur event in Nuneaton played on 9th March 2024.

"He has the right to appeal the suspension decision and he will face a disciplinary hearing at a date to be arranged."

Smith-Neale, who regained his PDC tour card last year after a five-year absence, will miss next week's Players Championship 5 and 6 events in Hildesheim, Germany.

A PDC spokesperson said: "The PDC are aware of a video from a non-affiliated event, featuring a Tour Card Holder, which is circulating on social media.

"The Darts Regulation Authority have been made aware and are investigating this appropriately."

Source: BBC
 
Luke Humphries believes only two players in the world are capable of beating him on current form after winning night eight of Premier League Darts in Dublin.

World champion Humphries won a third successive night in the competition by beating Michael Smith 6-2 in the final.

Humphries is now seven points clear at the top of the table.


BBC
 

Luke Littler: How darts' new star handles huge demand on and off the oche​


Imagine sharing stages or sofas with Sir Lenny Henry, David Tennant, Davina McCall, Millie Bobby Brown, Raye, Jonathan Ross and Matt Lucas.

It would take most entertainers years to check off such a list on their showbiz rounds - teenage darts sensation Luke Littler did it in a week.

The youngest ever PDC World Championship finalist is flying on the oche - and his profile is soaring off it.

"It's just been crazy - since the World Championships, it's changed my life," the 17-year-old said.

So how is the youngster, who has earned more than £350,000 in prize money in the past three months, handling such a rapid rise into the spotlight?

Littler's manager is Martin Foulds, whose ZXF Sports Management firm also looks after other top players including World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall.

Foulds believes Littler's amazing ascent is unparalleled - and says interest in the teenager is non-stop.

"It's just another level, completely alien to anything that has happened in the darting world," Foulds said.

The 40-year-old estimates he receives "20 to 40 emails, phone calls, messages, minimum" about Littler every day from commercial or media organisations.

"I probably spend 70% of my working day dealing with Luke-related enquiries - calls, messages, Zooms, Teams meetings, media requirements," Foulds added.

Littler has even had to put on hold the driving lessons he was desperate to begin taking when he turned 17, so tough is it to find time in his schedule.

Already in 2024, Littler has flown to Bahrain, the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium as well as playing each week in the Premier League and other PDC tournaments across the UK.

But Foulds insists his schedule is being managed carefully to avoid any chance of burnout.

Littler was one of several top players to withdraw from a recent tournament in Germany, a call made easier by the fact he's already lifted two ranking titles.

"It's given him such an advantage [winning those events] - he's pretty much in every TV event for the rest of the year without throwing another dart," Foulds said.

"There's no off-season in darts. You've got to travel to these events - you don't just time-warp and you're in Belfast, Graz, Munich, Rotterdam.

"It's unsustainable for any player to travel and play all of those events. When you're playing in the Premier League especially, travelling can take its toll on anybody.

"He's still a teenager, still 17 - if he wasn't playing darts, he's be doing an apprenticeship or still be in school. So there are duties of care we have to follow to look after Luke as best as we can."

Not that it's easy to tear him away from the game.

"The other day he had to come in, do some paperwork, some shirt signings - he's sat in my meeting room and he's got two phones on with two different streams of the Players Championship," Foulds said, laughing.

"He's not at the darts but he's still watching it - he just loves the game."

Ascending to the top of the darts world within just months is one thing - Littler has been training, practising, honing his skills since he was a toddler with that end goal.

Adapting to becoming a household name in the blink of an eye, and taking it all in his stride, is perhaps even more impressive.

In the space of a week, he's appeared on Comic Relief on BBC One, the Jonathan Ross Show on ITV, and Fantasy Football League with Matt Lucas on Sky.

"It's clearly unprecedented," PDC chief executive Matt Porter told BBC Sport.

"But it's been really encouraging how professionally and maturely he's dealt with the scenarios put in front of him.

"He's taken to it like a duck to water. You feel like he's been there for a long time, he's composed, he's calm, he enjoys himself.

"There are a lot of demands on his time, but there are a lot of benefits and rewards as well."

Littler's life since mid-December has been the stuff of dreams for most sports-mad teens.

He's had Premier League footballers asking him for photos, met Sir Alex Ferguson and other Manchester United heroes and received messages from David Beckham.

He got to speak to United boss Erik ten Hag and played darts at the Red Devils' training ground with Harry Maguire and Christian Eriksen.

He has more than 1.2million followers on Instagram and another 178,000-plus on X.

"He's modest and intelligent enough to understand he's in a fortunate position and he's grateful for those opportunities - but he's earned them," added Porter.

Porter says Littler doesn't get "starry-eyed or star-struck" - which is apparent to anyone who has seen him play.

Just a few months into life as a professional, he's already beaten virtually all of the game's top names.

"When I was 16 I was playing with Lego and Playmobil - this guy is something else, he's on another level," ex-world champion Raymond van Barneveld told Sky Sports after his World Championship exit to Littler.

His world final defeat to Luke Humphries was Sky Sports' biggest non-football peak - and largest darts audience - attracting 3.71 million viewers.

But it has not been all sunshine and roses. Littler's showmanship on the oche has rubbed up the odd player the wrong way, with Germany's Ricardo Pietreczko accusing him of "arrogance" after an unconventional checkout route.

That is a verdict Foulds firmly rejects.

"It's just the way he is - he just enjoys playing darts, it's fun for him, he loves entertaining," Foulds said.

"You've got three darts in your hand, it's up to you which way you go. There's no right or wrong way."

Of course, all this wouldn't be happening if the World Championship had been a flash in the pan.

But he has kicked on massively, beating Aspinall and world champions Gerwyn Price and Michael van Gerwen to reign in Bahrain in January.

He lifted a Players Championship title in February, plus the Belgian Open crown in March - and has hit three magical televised nine-dart finishes too.

"Anything he does now doesn't surprise me - he's just ridiculously good, he's got something special," Littler's former junior coach Karl Holden told BBC Sport.

"He's always surpassed everything I've thought he could do. I've thought 'he can't get much better, this lad' - and then he's always got better."

Foulds says Littler has "two different personas".

"You've got the off-screen, off-stage one - he's quite shy and humble, just wants to talk with his mates, play a game, spends a lot of time on his phone like most teenagers," Foulds said.

"But when he gets on the stage it's like something switches - he's in his element. He loves the arenas, the more fans the better. He seems to thrive with bigger crowds."

"The phrase people are using is 'generational talent' and I think that's quite appropriate," added PDC chief Porter.

"He's clearly done more than the majority of youth talents have done - not just in darts but in any sport.

"He's opened up some doors to a new audience for us - darts was on an upward curve anyway but he's accelerated that growth."

 
Teenager Luke Littler continued his extraordinary rise as he won his first Premier League Darts night with a 6-4 win over Nathan Aspinall in Belfast.

Littler, 17, rose to prominence when he was runner-up to Luke Humphries in the World Darts Championship on debut.

The Premier League debutant had reached the final in week two in Berlin but lost to Michael van Gerwen.

He beat Humphries, who defeated him in January's World final, in the quarter-finals, and Van Gerwen in the semis.

The win leaves Littler second in the eight-player Premier League Darts table with the top four progressing to the play-offs on 23 May at London's O2 Arena.


BBC
 
Teenager Luke Littler won his third night of the Premier League season with a comfortable 6-2 win over Rob Cross in Liverpool.

Littler has become a fan favourite across the UK, but with the 17-year-old a fan of Manchester United he was roundly booed by the 8,500-capacity crowd.

He played up to it though, often cupping his hands to his ears, and signalling 2-0 to the crowd ahead of his quarter-final in response to Liverpool's defeat at Everton on Wednesday.


BBC
 
Littler in Premier League play-offs after Aberdeen win

Teenager Luke Littler secured his place in the Premier League play-offs by beating Rob Cross 6-4 in the final on night 14 in Aberdeen.

The 17-year-old's victory was his fourth of the season and he has beaten 2020 world champion Cross in successive weekly finals.

Littler is joined in the four-man play-offs at London's O2 Arena on 23 May by world number one Luke Humphries, who has secured his place because of the remaining fixtures.

Warrington-born Littler is eight points clear of world champion Humphries and is well placed to seal top spot with just two weeks left of the regular season.

"I can just play with a free throw now that I'm through. I'll play to win but if it's not to be, it's all about getting ready for London," Littler told Sky Sports.

Asked if he is the best player in the world at the moment, Littler replied: "No. I don't know who is."

Despite not believing he is, Littler is in phenomenal form.

He has won 12 games in a row across two Premier League weeks with a European Tour success in Austria in between.

Littler was scratchy in his quarter-final against Nathan Aspinall, surviving match dart and a checkout percentage of just 24% to claim a final-leg win.

He was annoyed by persistent whistling by the crowd and rushed to the side of the stage and shushed them after sealing victory.

His semi-final performance was scintillating though as he brushed aside 2023 world champion Michael Smith to win 6-1.

Littler averaged 110.1 and hit six of seven doubles to reach his fifth nightly final in six weeks.

He exchanged breaks with Cross twice in the opening six legs, before claiming the ninth leg against the throw to move to within one.

Cross, who keeps his slim play-off hopes alive, missed double six to force a decider before Littler hit his favoured double 10 to secure the win.

Elsewhere Smith gained two points on Aspinall and Michael van Gerwen as the race for the final two play-off spots intensifies.

Gerwyn Price is out of contention though after pulling out of night 14 because of a trapped nerve in his back.

The final weekly round in Sheffield on 16 May sees fourth play fifth and that may well decide the last spot.


 
Van Gerwen into play-offs despite Humphries defeat

Seven-time winner Michael van Gerwen clinched his place in the Premier League Darts play-offs despite losing 6-5 to world champion Luke Humphries in the night 15 final in Leeds.

Humphries' success was his fourth night win of the season, and he matches Van Gerwen and teenager Luke Littler's record.

It also kept the 29-year-old in contention for top spot, which would see him face the fourth-placed player in the play-offs at London's O2 Arena on 23 May.

The final week of the regular season will see fixtures decided from the league table standings, so fourth-placed Nathan Aspinall will face Michael Smith, who sits fifth, in the quarter-finals with the winner sealing the final play-off spot.

For Humphries, the victory was a career highlight in the city of his football team Leeds United after they finished third in the Championship and missed out on automatic promotion to the Premier League following a poor run of results.


 
Rob Cross withstood a Luke Humphries nine-darter to clinch the NEO.bet Baltic Sea Open title with a thrilling 8-6 victory in Sunday's final in Kiel.

Both players threw five 180s each and averaged over 104 in a high-quality contest.

World champion Humphries looked on course to claim a seventh European Tour title when he opened up a 5-3 lead over Cross with a sensational nine-darter in front of a delirious crowd at the Wunderino Arena.

But Cross delivered an emphatic response, winning four of the next five legs before hitting a 100-checkout to seal the second European Tour event victory of his career and £30,000 prize money.


SKY News
 
Michael Smith sealed the last spot in the Premier League Darts play-offs on his way to winning the final league-stage night in Sheffield.

The 2023 world champion secured his progress with a 6-3 win over Nathan Aspinall in the quarter-finals.

Smith and Aspinall, who are close friends and recently went to Las Vegas together, went into the night in fifth and fourth respectively, knowing the winner of their match would progress to London's O2 Arena on 23 May.

That tie was nip and tuck initially but ignited in the seventh leg when Smith checked out a superb 136 to edge ahead on throw.

The key leg followed as a brilliant 132 checkout helped Smith to break and then he closed out for the win.

Smith then beat Luke Littler and world champion Luke Humphries to win the night.

BBC
 
Wayne Mardle believes world champion Luke Humphries is the man to beat in the BetMGM Premier League Darts Play-Offs on Thursday.

Humphries finished in second place in the final Premier League table, four points behind Luke Littler in top spot and seven ahead of Michael van Gerwen in third.

The 29-year-old will now face Van Gerwen in a semi-final clash at London's O2 arena in a best-of-19-legs clash to play the winner of Littler vs Michael Smith in a best-of-21-legs match-up to be crowned Premier League champion.


SKY Sports
 
Littler beats Humphries to win Premier League Darts title

Luke Littler won the 2024 Premier League Darts title with an 11-7 victory over Luke Humphries at the 02 Arena in London.

Littler, 17, was left in tears after winning six of the last eight legs to beat Humphries in the final, racing off the stage to hug his family.

In the first leg after the halfway break, Littler hit his fourth nine-darter in 2024 to send the 14,000 capacity crowd into pandemonium. Humphries could only smile and applaud in response.

From there Littler raced into control, turning a tense 5-5 start into a convincing victory.

Littler reached the final after a 10-5 victory over Michael Smith earlier in the evening, while Humphries was victorious over Michael van Gerwen by the same scoreline.



BBC
 
Rock beats Clayton to earn first European Tour title

Northern Ireland's Josh Rock secured a first European Tour success thanks to an 8-4 win over Jonny Clayton in the Dutch Darts Championship final.

The players were tied at 4-4 before 23-year-old Rock pulled clear to defeat his Welsh opponent in Rosmalen.

Rock beat Dirk van Duijvenbodem, Cameron Menzies and Gerwyn Price before overcoming Martin Schindler 7-3 in the semi-finals.

Clayton clinched a 7-6 victory over home favourite Michael van Gerwen 7-6 to make Sunday's decider after knocking out Marin van Velzen, defending champion Dave Chisnall and Ryan Searle.

It is a second PDC ranking title for Broughshane thrower Rock after winning the Players Championship two years ago.

The victory also means Rock moves up from 20th to 18th in the PDC Order of Merit.


BBC
 

Littler wins in under 10 minutes on dream US debut​

Luke Littler took less than 10 minutes to beat Matt Campbell 6-0 on a dream debut at the US Darts Masters in New York.

The 17-year-old powered past Canadian number one Campbell in nine minutes and 52 seconds with a 103.66 average, in what was his first match in the United States.

Littler was the star attraction at Madison Square Garden, where he was making his first appearance since winning the Premier League in London on 23 May.

"I couldn't wait to get on that stage tonight. I felt really comfortable, everything just went well and I can't wait to play tomorrow now," said Littler.

"With the amount of top athletes that have performed here, it would mean the world to lift this trophy, and hopefully I can go all the way."

Littler will take on Jeff Smith on Saturday, after the Canadian beat Michael Smith 6-1.

World champion Luke Humphries will face Nathan Aspinall in the last eight after seeing off Canadian veteran David Cameron 6-0.

Michael van Gerwen, the 2023 champion, beat Danny Lauby 6-1 after losing the first leg.

The Dutchman is bidding for a record-extending third US Darts Masters title.

Elsewhere, Peter Wright overcame a last-leg shootout against Alex Spellman to progress, Rob Cross saw off debutant Adam Sevada and Gerwyn Price overcame Jules van Dongen.

The tournament concludes on Saturday evening, with the quarter-finals and semi-finals taking place in a three-in-one session.

Source: BBC
 
World Cup of Darts: Luke Humphries and Michael Smith's England defeat Austria in final

The dream team of Luke Humphries and Michael Smith gave England a record-breaking fifth World Cup of Darts title and first since 2016 with a 10-6 victory over Austria.

World Cup debutant Humphries and 2023 world champion Smith delivered the goods to secure England's first World Cup triumph in eight years.

Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis were the only players to have lifted the World Cup title for England since the tournament's inception in 2010, but Humphries and Smith created their own history with a dominant success on German soil at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt.


 
Littler suffers second shock defeat in two days

Luke Littler suffered a surprise defeat for the second time in the space of two days at the Players Championship 14 on Wednesday.

A struggling Littler, who averaged 89.4, was defeated 6-3 by world number 92 James Hurrell in his second competition since not being included in England's World Cup of Darts team.

The 17-year-old was also knocked out of the Players Championship 13 in the first round on Tuesday by world number 116 Robert Grundy.

England's Grundy, 47, who only secured his Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) tour card in January after a 15-year absence from the sport, defeated Littler 6-5.

Before his second shock defeat, Littler had returned to winning ways earlier on Wednesday with a hard-fought 6-5 victory over Ricky Evans in the first round of the Players Championship 14.

Luke Humphries, who beat Littler in the World Championship final in January, and 2023 world champion Michael Smith were picked ahead of the teenager for the World Cup with only two spots available on the England team.

In June, Littler defeated England's Rob Cross in the final of the Poland Darts Masters to claim his second World Series of Darts title of the year.

This came after the Warrington teenager won the 2024 Premier League Darts title in May, following a victory over Humphries to avenge his World Championship final defeat.

However, Littler still sits outside the top 10 English players in the world rankings and is ranked 25th on the PDC Order of Merit - which is based on prize money.


BBC
 
Smith and Van Gerwen reach Blackpool quarter-finals

Michael Smith claimed victory with his third match dart to beat Chris Dobey 11-9 and reach the World Matchplay quarter-finals in Blackpool.

England's Smith cruised into a 6-2 lead but his compatriot Dobey reduced the deficit to 6-5 with an impressive 170 checkout.

Smith recovered and moved 8-5 in front but could not close out the next leg in three visits to the oche as Dobey stole it.

A fine 140 finish saw Dobey drag it back to 9-8 but Smith showed his resolve to avenge last year's quarter-final defeat and set-up a tie with Rob Cross.

Elsewhere, Michael van Gerwen held off a Joe Cullen fightback to reach the last eight.

The three-time winner cruised into a 9-5 lead before being pegged back to 9-8 as Englishman Cullen hit back.

Dutchman Van Gerwen quickly recovered and won the next two legs to book a quarter-final with Andrew Gilding.

The Englishman comfortably beat Poland's Krzysztof Ratajski 11-5 in their last 16 meeting.

Ratajski remained in touching distance until Gilding won the final four legs to progress into the next round.

England's Cross sealed his place in the next round with a convincing 11-6 win over compatriot Ryan Searle.

Cross looked at his fluent best as he finished with an average of nearly 107 to move into the quarter-finals.

Thursday's quarter-final matches

all times are BST

Ross Smith v James Wade (20:15)

Luke Humphries v Dimitri Van den Bergh (21:45)

BBC
 

Van Gerwen into World Matchplay semi-finals​


Michael van Gerwen clinched his place in the semi-finals of the World Matchplay in Blackpool with a gritty 16-10 win over Andrew Gilding.

The world number two from the Netherlands started slowly against Gilding before an eight-leg winning streak swung the contest his way.

Van Gerwen turned an 8-6 deficit into 14-8 lead as the Englishman struggled to find a response at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.


BBC
 
World number one Luke Humphries will face three-time winner Michael van Gerwen in his first World Matchplay final.

Humphries beat James Wade 17-10 to book his spot in Sunday's showpiece at Blackpool's Winter Gardens, while Van Gerwen overcame Michael Smith 17-13 in their semi-final.
 
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