Luke Littler insists he is “just a lad doing what he does best” after Nathan Aspinall called him a celebrity rather than a darts player.
Littler has transcended the sport following his explosion onto the scene at the World Championship over Christmas.
The 17-year-old has been a guest on the Jonathan Ross Show, Comic Relief and appeared on a podcast with social media stars The Sidemen.
However, that has not been a distraction as he has proved himself to be already one of the best players in the world, having won titles at the Bahrain Masters, PDC Players Championship, Belgian Open and making it back-to-back nightly Premier League wins at his Manchester homecoming on Thursday.
“Maybe look at my following, I might be classed as a celebrity,” he said. “But I’m just a lad doing what he does best.
“Am I? I don’t know. I’m just a dart player. I just get on with it, whatever comes my way.
“I just have to get on with it. Whether I say things and don’t back it up. But at the minute I’m saying things and do back it up.”
Asked what his favourite celebrity booking has been so far, he said: “Probably meeting up with The Sidemen. I’ve been watching them since the opening packs on Fifa 13 and 14.
“Just to chat with them and chill out when I’ve got a day off.
“It’s always good just to step away from the darting world, even if it’s just a day at home.
“At the minute everything is going well. I’ve not been planning to win anything, just let my darts do the talking.”
Littler beat his stablemate and friend Aspinall on the way to glory at the AO Arena on Thursday night.
It was Aspinall, who has been mentoring Littler on the mental side of the game, who said that Littler is more than a just a darts player.
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But ‘The Asp’ says Littler still has plenty to learn from those who do not claim the spotlight in the same way.
“He is a fantastic talent. What he’s done for the sport. Forget about his darts ability because it’s not about his darts,” he said.
“He’s not a darts player, he’s a celebrity. I’m a darts player, he’s a celebrity. That’s the difference.
“But what’s he doing, because he’s a celebrity, he’s projecting darts to a whole new level.
“I did a day of media on Tuesday at the BBC, BBC have never cared about darts. All of a sudden me and Luke Littler are in there for five hours doing media, they want us.
“That isn’t because of me or (Michael) Van Gerwen, that’s because of Luke Littler. So you’ve got to give credit where credit is due.
“He is helping us boys out as much as himself. But darts-wise, he’s great but he hasn’t got what we’ve got at the moment.
“He’s got to learn from us. I don’t learn from him, he learns from me.”
England Roses defeat Sunshine Girls 55-47 to take 1-0 lead in Vitality Netball Horizon Series; team heads back to Jamaica for final two games
England Roses Defeat Sunshine Girls to Take 1-0 Lead in Horizon Series
England’s Roses secured a 1-0 series lead against Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls on Sunday with a hard-fought 55-47 victory in Manchester during the second match of the Netball Horizon Series. The result followed a thrilling 49-49 tie in the series opener on Saturday.
The match showcased the contrasting styles of the two teams, with England capitalizing on crucial turnovers and maintaining composure under pressure, while Jamaica struggled to sustain their momentum in critical moments. England started strong, leading 12-8 at the end of the first quarter. However, Jamaica responded with intensity, applying pressure all over the court to edge ahead 23-21 late in the second quarter. England regained control before halftime, thanks to unforced errors by Jamaica, to tie the score 24-24 going into the break.
The third quarter proved pivotal, as England upped their defensive intensity. The Roses forced several turnovers during Jamaica’s attempts to find Romelda Aiken-George in the circle, creating opportunities to extend their lead. Despite a spirited rally by the Sunshine Girls to close within two goals late in the quarter, England held firm to enter the final quarter with a 39-35 advantage.
Turnovers continued to plague the Sunshine Girls in the final quarter, and though they fought valiantly to narrow the gap to 42-41 with 10 minutes to play, England’s relentless pressure proved decisive. The Roses forced critical errors that disrupted Jamaica’s rhythm, pulling away in the closing stages to secure a comfortable win.
Jamaica’s head coach, Sasher-Gaye Henry, reflected on her team’s struggles in the second half, particularly during the third quarter when England took command. “I think we struggled today in the latter part of the game in terms of getting our balls through the court and getting it on top of circle’s edge,” Henry said. “I think the movement was a little stagnant. It’s something we have to look at and correct quickly going into Game 3.”
Henry also highlighted the team’s focus on rotating players to assess different combinations. “It’s about building players, and we want to see rotation,” she explained. “I think we didn’t do a lot with rotation yesterday, so today we wanted to see where the players are at, to see what combination works. We are grateful for that opportunity.”
On the substitution of Shanice Dixon, who limped off and was replaced by Rhea Dixon, Henry noted, “We are looking for more options in our goal attack. Both are options, and we still have to rotate them. I think both did well tonight.”
The Sunshine Girls will look to regroup when the series shifts to Jamaica for the final two matches at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston on November 25 and December 2. With England leading the series, Jamaica will need to address their turnover issues and refine their attack if they hope to level the series and keep their hopes alive.
The Sunshine Girls, known for their resilience, will be determined to defend home court and prove their mettle against a confident England Roses team.
Littler eyeing World Championship redemption after latest triumph
Luke Littler is eyeing redemption at the World Championship finals later this year after securing his maiden World Series of Darts Finals title in Amsterdam on Sunday.
Littler, who won the Premier League in May, comfortably dispatched Michael Smith 11-4 in the final on Sunday with a 102.21 average after losing the first two legs.
The 17-year-old began the day with a quarter-final triumph over Chris Dobey before turning on the style against home favourite Michael van Gerwen in the semis.
Littler took home the £80,000 prize money but remains behind Dirk van Duijvenbode in the world rankings due to the tournament being an invitational one.
The teenager rose to fame earlier this year with his impressive run at the World Championships, reaching the final but losing to world number one Luke Humphries.
And Littler, who avenged Humphries in the Premier League final, wants to go one better at Alexandra Palace later this year.
"I'm playing well so I will go back home and practice even more. There is no time to sit about, it's a busy winter coming up," Littler said.
"Everyone wants to win everything but I've learned you can't do that. I would like to win another major [title].
"I want the Worlds as anyone else does but another major would mean the world."
Root propels England to five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka
Joe Root guided England through a tricky final session as the hosts beat Sri Lanka by five runs in Manchester.
England looked like they could collapse when they were left at 70-3 following the dismissals of Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Dan Lawrence on Saturday.
Yet Root, along with Harry Brook, steadied the ship before the latter was caught and bowled by Prabath Jayasuriya on 32, leaving the hosts on 116-4, chasing a target of 204 to win.
Root, however, remained nerveless, with Jamie Smith contributing an entertaining and useful 39 from just 48 balls in a brief stint at the other end.
Smith's stand came to an end with England still 21 runs shy of their target, but Root would not let victory slip through their fingers.
And it was Root who fittingly had the final say as he struck his second boundary to take himself onto 62 and seal a convincing win.
Data Debrief: Root comes up big
Root has scored 60+ in five of his last seven Test innings, after managing 42 in the first innings of this match (84, 68, 14, 122, 87, 42, 62).
He is just one century away, meanwhile, from matching Alastair Cook's record of 33 Test tons for England.
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