Luke Littler swept into the world darts final with the support of his beloved Warrington Wolves ringing in his ears.
Super League stars Josh Thewlis and Matty Ashton – as well as the club’s mascot ‘Wolfie’ – were present at Ally Pally to cheer the 16-year-old through his emphatic semi-final win over Rob Cross.
The duo, who presented Littler with a Wolves shirt emblazoned with ‘Littler 180’ on the back, were forced to zip straight back up the M6 for the start of post-season training on Wednesday.
But they marvelled at Littler’s composure on the oche, with Thewlis telling the PA news agency: “It must be pretty daunting for a 16-year-old to be up there on the big stage on his own.
“When I was 16 I was still turning up to training feeling star-struck by everyone, but I had 12 other blokes with me on the field who I knew would be able to help me out.
“Somehow Luke seems to be taking it all in his stride. Any other person in his position would be quite nervous, but he’s so chilled out and genuinely excited by it all.”
Littler has posed with a series of Premier League footballers during his run to the Ally Pally final, but his heart lies with the Wolves where he has been a season-ticket holder for the last four years.
And, having recently renewed his regular seat for the 2024 campaign, he appears to have no intention of using some of his six-figure winnings to splash out on a £15,000 executive box to watch the games in comfort.
Wolves and England star Ashton is no stranger to live darts action and often heads to the big events with his brothers when his rugby league schedule allows.
Ashton, a regular at the World Matchplay tournament in Blackpool, also hailed Littler’s composure and the impact he is likely to make on his home town, where sporting heroes – Wolves excepted – are in short supply.
“It’s great to have someone from the town and so close to the club doing so well,” said Ashton. “Darts is a massive sport and the whole place is really rooting for him.
“When I was 16 I don’t think I would have coped. I’m 25 years old now and I’m still getting used to some sort of media attention. What Luke is experiencing is something else and we’re all so pleased for him.”
Nathan Aspinall claims second Premier League victory in Rotterdam
Nathan Aspinall earned his second Premier League darts victory this season with a 6-4 victory against Michael Smith in the Night 12 final in Rotterdam.
Smith beat Gerwyn Price in the semi-finals to reach Thursday’s showpiece against the Asp, who pulled off an amazing comeback to beat Luke Humphries 6-4.
Aspinall took the first two legs in the final and although Smith started to grow into the match the Asp remained in control to take a two-leg lead.
Bully Boy capitalised on outer ring misses to pull a leg back before Aspinall responded to lead 5-3.
Smith continued to fight back and hit a stunning 170 checkout the following leg, but after missing three match darts the Asp eventually wrapped up victory with double eight.
The result means that Aspinall climbs into third in the table and believes his 140s helped him throughout the final.
He told Sky Sports: “Everyone knows me and Smithy are really good mates, we’re actually going on holiday next week together- so it might be a bit awkward!
“I came from behind against Luke and I’m thinking ‘don’t ruin this opportunity, you’ve been given a good chance here’ and I thought I played well.
“I thought I controlled the final, I didn’t play amazing, but my 140s were fantastic in that final and I know if I’m scoring well there’s not many people can beat me.”
Arguably Aspinall’s highlight of night 12 came against Humphries in their semi-final meeting.
Humphries spoiled Michael van Gerwen’s Rotterdam homecoming with a 6-5 victory, fending off a late comeback from the Dutchman to meet Aspinall in the final four.
“Cool Hand Luke” got off to a quick start with a two-leg lead, but the Asp began to creep back into contention, taking advantage of Humphries’ misfortune on the outer ring to come from 4-1 down to draw 4-4.
Finishing with a 97.18 average, Aspinall hit double 20 to secure his spot in the final.
Reflecting on that victory, the Asp added: “I’ve got a reputation of being behind, digging deep and winning games.
“What I always say is my opponent might be 4-0 up, but I know I’m better than you in my head.
“So if you can win four legs, I can win four legs and that is always what I try and tell people.
“Luke’s 4-1 up there, he wasn’t playing great, I saw him go and I’m thinking ‘yeah you’re the world champion, but if I play my game I’m as good as you’.
“That’s what I keep telling myself throughout the game and that was a big win against Luke tonight.”
After reaching the last three successive Premier League finals, Luke Littler was knocked out in the first quarter-final of the evening following a 6-3 defeat to Smith.
Smith met Price in the semi-finals after the Iceman claimed a 6-3 win over Rob Cross and he subsequently took Smith all the way in their final four meeting to force a deciding leg.
Bully Boy then hit a 74 checkout to squeeze into his fourth final of the campaign and he sits fifth in the standings.
World Championship unlikely to leave ‘beloved venue’ Alexandra Palace
Professional Darts Corporation chief executive Matt Porter says it would take “something very special” to move the World Championship away from Alexandra Palace, despite the Luke Littler effect on the sport.
The 17-year-old has thrust darts into the mainstream consciousness following his breakthrough run to the final at Ally Pally over Christmas.
The PDC has reported a huge increase in viewing figures and engagement since Littler’s arrival on the scene and he is set to be the main attraction at the worlds later this year.
But not everyone will get a ticket for the north London venue, which has hosted the tournament since 2008 and is considered the home of the sport, as they sell out in July before even hitting general sale.
Despite the likely demand, the PDC is not considering moving to a bigger venue and are in talks to extend its stay at the 3,200-capacity Ally Pally beyond the 2024/25 edition.
“Ally Pally is an iconic venue, it is a beloved venue,” Porter told the PA news agency.
“The World Darts Championship at Ally Pally at Christmas, those three things go together in the same way Wimbledon, strawberries and cream and the summer fit together.
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“There are certain aspects of major sporting events at venues, which just fit.
“It is a fantastic venue for the event, we bring a lot of infrastructure with us, in terms of the fan village, and not every venue can do that, there is way more to the Ally Pally than the arena where the darts is played.
“But you can never rule out anything going forward because the event is sold out in July even before it goes on general sale.
“It is a phenomenon and it is up to us to maximise the opportunity and the revenue for the players.
“You can’t rule it out but you don’t want to fix what is not broken.
“It is something that is under constant review but it would take something very special for us to leave Ally Pally.”
Littler has changed the landscape of the sport and is already a bigger celebrity than any other player past or present.
He was a guest on the Jonathan Ross Show, featured on the cover of Forbes magazine, appeared on Comic Relief and visited Manchester United’s training ground as his popularity soared.
But he is backing that up with his performances at the oche as he won debut titles in the World Series, Players Championship and European Tour while currently topping the Premier League table.
“These are things that wouldn’t happen to normal 17-year-olds, so for him to be able to deal with them as well as playing in front of thousands of people is testament to his mental strength and maturity,” Porter added.
“Luke has opened up doors to us to a new audience. There is an increase in younger fans, teenage-age and even younger who are now more interested in darts.
“That’s through TikTok and Instagram, or on TV.
“It’s quite refreshing, it is something we hadn’t expected but something we are reacting to quite well.”
Michael Van Gerwen ends Luke Littler’s Premier League winning run
Michael Van Gerwen ended Luke Littler’s Premier League winning run to claim victory on night 11 in Birmingham.
Littler had been targeting a third consecutive nightly victory following back-to-back successes in Belfast and Manchester, which put him top of the table.
The 17-year-old had looked to be building up another head of steam after earlier edging out Rob Cross in a last-leg decider and then holding off a stirring fightback from world champion Luke Humphries to win their latest epic tussle 6-5 – landing five maximums with a match-average of just over 107.
Dutchman Van Gerwen, though, capitalised on a low-key start to the final, before eventually breaking twice to close out a 6-3 win and rekindle his own play-off ambitions.
Van Gerwen, the defending Premier League champion, had avoided another early exit after coming from behind to beat Nathan Aspinall in his first match and then eased past Michael Smith 6-4.
Littler remains top of the table with 26 points, two clear of Humphries, while Van Gerwen sits third on 22 and Aspinall fourth.
Van Gerwen hopes he can now head into night 12 in Rotterdam with renewed confidence.
“I have made it hard for myself to be fair,” the Dutchman said on Sky Sports, “But more importantly it is about how you bounce back.
“I know the last few weeks have not been great for me, but to come back with a win tonight feels good for me.”
Van Gerwen added: “I had to go really deep tonight and at the end, Luke and I neither really played our A-game, but when you win nights like this, it is not always about who is playing well – sometimes it is who can handle it.
“I had a struggling few weeks, but to bounce back with a win like this gives me confidence of course.
“People will write you off when you off when you lose, that is how things go, but I believed in my own opportunities and you need to make sure you keep your mind focused.
“I know there is more to come – the fighting spirit in my body is still there. I need to make sure I am good for next week.”
In the night’s opening quarter-final at the Utilita Arena, Humphries – who enjoyed European Tour success at the recent German Darts Grand Prix in Munich – came from 4-1 down to claim five straight legs and beat Peter Wright, who remains cut adrift at the bottom of the table.
Littler had been trailing 3-1 and then survived a match dart as he eventually battled past Cross, before former world champion Smith put last week’s defeat by Gerwyn Price behind him with a 6-3 win over the Welshman.
Van Gerwen landed an impressive 152 checkout as he came from 4-2 behind to take control of his quarter-final against Aspinall, going on to close out a much-needed 6-4 win.
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