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."
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.
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 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.
Luke Littler has competition for the hottest young star in darts after 10-year-old Owen Bryceland enjoyed an astonishing weekend on the junior tour.
Bryceland, who makes 17-year-old Littler look like a seasoned professional, won back-to-back tournaments on the Foundation Tour in Coventry.
The Scot beat Mitchell Lawrie 5-1 in the Event 11 final and then Jack Howarth in the Event 12 showpiece to put himself in a strong position to qualify for the JDC Advanced Tour.
Bryceland highlighted the incredible level he is already able to play at as he produced the Foundation Tour’s highest ever average of 104.86 in his last-16 win over Joshua Machin.
As barometer for his standard, world number one Luke Humphries won the World Championship final against Littler with an average of 103.67.
Littler, who has won back-to-back Junior World Championships in 2022 and 2023, has taken the darting world by storm since his breakthrough at Alexandra Palace over Christmas.
He got to the final of the tournament on debut, won his debut events in the World Series, Player Championships and European Tour and currently sits on top of the Premier League table after back-to-back nightly wins in Belfast and Manchester.
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.”
Luke Littler was inspired to win his Premier League homecoming by Manchester United’s late collapse at Chelsea.
Littler, a staunch United fan, came on to stage at the AO Arena in Manchester moments after watching his side conceded two goals in injury time to lose 4-3 at Stamford Bridge and claimed a second successive weekly Premier League win, beating Gerwyn Price 6-3 in the final.
The 17-year-old star, who enjoyed a maiden victory in Belfast last week, was happy to give United fans in attendance something to cheer about.
“We were watching backstage, we were winning 3-2 and we conceded a penalty and Cole Palmer scored and then he scored again,” Littler said.
“I was in a bad mood, I was like, ‘I’m winning this now’. It gave me motivation.
“There were a few Manchester United fans on the walkout so I was glad to win.”
Price had thrown an epic nine-dart finish against Michael Smith in the semi-final, but was not good enough to get past the teenager, who was imperious in the final.
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Victory sends him to the top of the Premier League table as his star continues to burn bright following his breakthrough at the World Championship over Christmas.
Having already won titles at the Bahrain Masters, PDC Players Championship and Belgian Open, he is now all-but certain to qualify for the play-offs at the O2 in London.
“I just try and live my life as I have done so far,” he said. “As a 17-year-old boy, I just know every week playing these guys I have looked up to, I just thrive off it.
“All I do is stay in my zone. I just do what I do.”
Price produced his best performance of this year’s competition and became the first man to throw a perfect set of darts since he did it twice in a night in Belfast in 2022.
And his run to the final raises his hopes of getting to the O2, though he has a lot of work to do in the final few weeks.
Littler’s night started well as he took a winning record in his rivalry with Michael van Gerwen.
It had been tied at 3-3 but Littler moved ahead with a 6-3 quarter-final win before beating Nathan Aspinall in the semi-final, thanks largely to 131, 90 and 136 checkouts.
Price was superb in beating Peter Wright in the quarter-final before a magnificent performance, capped by the nine-dart finish, sent him to the final.
Luke Littler saw off stablemate Nathan Aspinall to secure his first Premier League night win in Belfast.
Littler never looked back after edging out Luke Humphries in a last-leg decider of the opening quarter-final at the SSE Arena, which ended the world champion’s three-night winning Premier League run.
The 17-year-old – who has won titles at the Bahrain Masters, PDC Players Championship and Belgian Open in a breakout year – followed up with an impressive 6-3 win over Michael Van Gerwen, who had beaten him on night two in the Berlin final.
‘The Nuke’ landed a 136 checkout in first leg of the final, then just missed finishing off 170 in second before Aspinall broke throw as he built a 3-1 lead.
Littler, though, fought back to level with a showpiece bullseye-25-bullseye finish – which got a high-five from close-friend Aspinall – and then pushed on to within one leg of victory at 5-3.
Aspinall dug deep to break back in the next, but Littler eventually got the job done on double 10.
Overall victory on night nine moves Littler up to second in the table, four points behind Humphries, while Aspinall now sits in fourth, the last of the play-off places.
“I am just happy to win my first one,” Littler said on Sky Sports.
“People may have seen I have changed my throw to take that little bit of extra time then releasing the next two. I have put more practice in and it has paid off.
“I can’t wait for next week (in Manchester). I know I have got Michael (Van Gerwen) in the first round, but Nathan will obviously enjoy it also in his home town.”
Aspinall had reached his fourth final of this year’s Premier League campaign with a 6-2 win over Peter Wright, in which he produced 14 scores over 100.
Earlier in the other quarter-finals, Premier League title holder Van Gerwen came from 4-2 down against former world champion Michael Smith to win the last four legs, securing victory on a 150 checkout.
Aspinall had seen off Gerwyn Price, last year’s Belfast winner, in a last-leg decider to leave the Welshman further adrift of the play-offs, while Wright beat 2018 world champion Rob Cross 6-3.
Luke Littler edged out Luke Humphries in a last-leg decider to end the world champion’s winning Premier League run on night nine in Belfast.
Following successive wins in Brighton, Nottingham and Dublin, world number one Humphries had opened up a seven-point lead at the top of the table.
Littler, though, had already beaten Humphries in each of their last three meetings since the world final at Alexandra Palace.
The 17-year-old, who had dropped to fifth in the Premier League table, after last week’s quarter-final defeat to Michael Smith in Dublin, forced an early break to open up a 2-0 lead.
Humphries, however, soon recovered to level the opening quarter-final at the SSE Arena, and the match continued on throw through to the deciding leg.
The world champion sat on a 170 check-out, but missed the second treble 20 which allowed Littler the chance to take out 68 on double 10 and progress to the semi-finals.
Littler hit seven maximums with a match average of 102.02, and goes on to play the winner of Michael Smith against Michael Van Gerwen.
World champion Luke Humphries was at his clinical best to seal a hat-trick of Premier League wins on Thursday.
The world number one saw off Peter Wright and Nathan Aspinall before impressively defeating Michael Smith 6-2 in the final in Dublin.
It gave Humphries control at the top of the table, following victories in Brighton and Nottingham.
The 29-year-old won the first four legs to take control of the showdown against Smith and wrapped up victory with double 16.
“The last three weeks have been fantastic,” Humphries told Sky Sports afterwards.
“The standard has been high. I’m not unbeatable but I’m putting in that stage of performance where it takes something big to beat me and nobody has done that so far.
“I’m just happy with the way I’m playing and if I keep playing like this then it will take a tough performance to beat me – that’s all I ask of myself.
“If someone beats me and I play well then I’m not too disappointed but the last three weeks have been a dream.
“I’m really pleased with the fashion I’ve won the last three nights.”
Humphries extended his lead to seven points as Michael van Gerwen was beaten 6-5 by Gerwyn Price, who ended a run of four successive quarter-final losses.
Luke Littler had a night to forget when he lost to Smith – for the third time – in the first round of night eight.
The 17-year-old succumbed 6-4, having led 3-1, his second quarter-final exit of the season.
It leaves him fifth in the standings after Aspinall gained two points for edging Rob Cross 6-5.
“It’s my first year in the Prem. Some weeks have gone to plan and some weeks have not,” Littler said.
“But it’s all about getting the points on the board. Obviously this is the halfway point, whatever happens from now until the end is the crucial part.”
Luke Littler will miss the Nordic Darts Masters in June due to family commitments, the Professional Darts Corporation has announced.
The 17-year-old has had a packed schedule since his astonishing run to the World Championship final at Alexandra Palace, where he lost to Luke Humphries.
Littler was given a Premier League place as a result of his heroics at the start of the year and has also won titles at the Bahrain Masters, Players Championship and Belgian Open.
However, Littler – who will make his US Darts Masters debut at Madison Square Garden in May – will not be part of the line-up in Copenhagen on June 7-8.
Newly crowned UK Open champion Dimitri Van den Bergh will take Littler’s place in the Danish capital.
World champion Luke Humphries delivered back-to-back nightly wins to move top of the Premier League with a 6-3 victory over Nathan Aspinall at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham.
Humphries, who also triumphed in Brighton, beat Michael Smith in his opening match and then comfortably saw off Peter Wright to reach a second successive final.
Aspinall had ended the hopes of Luke Littler with a 6-3 win in the semi-final, but soon found himself trailing against the world number one.
Humphries had secured an early break to lead 2-0 which he soon extended to 4-1 on the back of another maximum.
Aspinall clawed a couple of legs back to trail by just one with a break of his own by checking out on double top.
The world champion, though, made the most of some wayward finishing to take the next leg and move one away, which he set up for a 78 finish, landing treble 18 and double 12.
Humphries now moves two points clear at the top of the table, with Aspinall sitting fourth.
“I had two great performances in the first two games, and Nathan was fantastic against Luke, who is such an amazing player – it gets to the point where you are thinking ‘play with two darts’ so Nathan did well to beat him,” Humphries said on Sky Sports.
“It was not the best final, maybe as we had both played really well we felt the pressure was off us and relaxed a little bit, tried too hard.
“But back-to-back weeks in the Premier League is really tough, so I am really proud to have done that and to be top of the league.”
Humphries added: “What me and Luke have done since the worlds has been amazing for the sport. I think the sport is in the best place possible now, with all these players, and is in the best place it has ever been.
“Hopefully now the crowds can keep getting behind us and enjoying it, because it is going to be an exciting sport for the next nine months.”
Littler was looking to build on his Belgian Darts Open final victory over Rob Cross, which had included a nine-dart finish, and earlier recorded an impressive 6-2 win against previous league leader Michael Van Gerwen.
Aspinall, though, produced his own top form in their semi-final clash, landing five maximums with an average of just over 104 to see off the 17-year-old sensation.
Humphries, meanwhile, hit four maximums as he had little trouble in coasting to a 6-1 win over Wright, who had earlier secured his first points of the competition.
In the night’s opening quarter-final at the Motorpoint Arena, Wright ended his barren run with his first points on the board when he edged out Gerwyn Price in a last-leg decider after the 2023 runner-up had missed three match darts.
Luke Littler hit a nine-darter as he won his first European title on his debut with an 8-7 victory over Rob Cross in a thrilling final at the Belgian Open in Wieze.
Littler’s victory over former world champion Cross included six maximums compared to his opponent’s five in a see-saw battle.
Cross averaged 108 for the match and Littler 104, but it was the 17-year-old who collected the £30,000 winner’s prize.
Luke Littler put in another Saturday night prime-time performance to advance to the third round of the Belgian Open.
While a pre-recorded appearance on the Jonathan Ross Show was being aired at home, the 17-year-old featuring alongside Liam Gallagher and Millie Bobby Brown on the popular chat show, he let his darts do the talking to beat Krzysztof Ratajski 6-3 in Wieze.
Littler was frustrated by the Pole’s slow play, but he held his nerve, crucially breaking in the eighth leg with an 11-dart finish.
Victory sets up a rematch with Australian Damon Heta, who ended Littler’s hopes of winning the UK Open last week in Minehead in one of the highest quality matches in the tournament’s history.
The teenager, playing in his maiden European Tour event, says revenge is not on his mind.
“That’s what people say, revenge is a thing,” he said during his on-stage interview. “I just get on with the next game and beat what’s in front of me.”
Peter Wright has a chance to give himself a perfect birthday present after beating Michael van Gerwen.
Wright celebrates his 54th birthday on Sunday and four more wins will see him lift the title.
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A first ranking victory over the Dutchman since 2021 will give him confidence, even if it was not a convincing 6-4 victory.
Van Gerwen, who has been struggling with a shoulder injury, had two darts to send it to a last-leg decider but could not find his target and Wright took advantage.
Wright said: “Michael has still got a shoulder injury and I was feeling sorry for him.
“He didn’t do much practice in the back room so I thought I had a chance.
“I nearly threw it away, but I got through. Normally you have to average over a ton to beat Michael, hopefully he gets better and he starts playing the darts we know he can.”
Mike De Decker knocked out 2023 world champion Michael Smith.
Smith’s form has plummeted since winning at Alexandra Palace 15 months ago and he was outplayed by the home favourite in a 6-2 defeat.
World number one Luke Humphries also eased into Sunday’s action with a 6-1 win over James Wade.
Luke Humphries registered his first Premier League night win as the world champion defeated Michael Smith 6-3 in Brighton.
The final of the tournament’s sixth night saw world number one Humphries, a competition debutant this year, surge into a 5-1 lead.
Smith, the 2023 world champion and winner of night one in Cardiff, hit back but ‘Cool Hand Luke’ was not to be denied.
Humphries said on Sky Sports: “I felt like I haven’t played my best, since the Worlds maybe for the first six weeks, and I’ve come back playing a lot better. Sometimes it takes a bit of time.
“I think after the Worlds, the way I played, everyone expected me to win everything, and that’s not going to happen. There is so much great talent out there, so many great players, and winning nights like these is fantastic because they are really hard. I’m really proud the way I played tonight.
“My dad said ‘you look a million dollars, you look like you’re throwing like you were in the Worlds’.
“I did feel really good after the Worlds – unfortunately some things happened. My Nan passed away and that did have an affect on me. But that’s no excuse. You build again, you go again, and I think in the last couple of weeks my mind has been straight again and I feel really good.
“I felt really good at the UK Open (last weekend, when he was a beaten finalist), I just didn’t win, but tonight that’s the best I’ve played since the Worlds, and the best I’ve felt.”
Humphries, who averaged 101.04 against Smith, had advanced to it by defeating Rob Cross 6-3 with an average of 113.71. It was the same score as Smith won his semi against 17-year-old World Championship runner-up Luke Littler.
In the quarter-finals, Humphries got past Gerwyn Price 6-2 and Smith ended a three-match losing streak with a 6-5 victory over Peter Wright, who remains without a win in this year’s competition.
Defending champion Michael van Gerwen, winner of three of the first five nights, suffered a second successive quarter-final loss as he was beaten 6-2 by Cross, and night five winner Nathan Aspinall lost 6-3 to Littler.
Humphries moves up to second in the table on 12 points, three behind Van Gerwen, with Littler and Cross a further point back and Smith just outside the play-off spots on 10 points.
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