IIn the blink of an eye, over the past two weeks, a teenager from Warrington has become a household name at London’s Alexandra Palace. Luke Littler took the PDC world by storm by making an unlikely run into the last 16, defeating seasoned pros and displaying maturity beyond his years in headlines and national press briefings Darts tournament.
The new girl in darts has earned £35,000 so far and will face five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld in the fourth round on Saturday night. The contestants are only 40 years apart in age. A video of him throwing darts in his nappy, showing off a move eerily similar to the one he uses today, went viral on social media, with 7.7 million people viewing his mum Lisa’s post showing him opening it up in front of them Christmas gift. This week he was stopped by England football internationals Aaron Ramsdale and Declan Rice for a photo in his hotel.
While the story of Luke “Nuke” Littler may be a fascinating novelty to many outside the darts world, for those who know the game, one of the most established in the sport The foundation behind Genius has been several years in the making. Littler began throwing darts almost as soon as he could walk, and by the age of seven was throwing darts on a full-size board. Fortunately, a new darts academy opened in nearby St Helens around the same time, providing Littler with the opportunity to hone his craft when he joined aged nine.
The town is a hotbed of darts talent, with Dave Chisnall, Stephen Bunting and reigning world champion Michael Smith all hailing from the area, and is about to witness a rare The arrival of genius.
“We have an academy event every Monday night where people of all ages take part in tournaments – entry is £2,” says co-founder Karl Holden. “I remember the night Luke first came; word quickly spread around the room about this special kid in the under-10s tournament.
“You hear that a lot, so I went to see him play in the final. He blew me away. At nine or 10 years old, he joined our under-14s team almost immediately. He wiped out them. If you win three out of five weeks there, you advance to the bigger age groups: He won five weeks in a row at 10 and averaged over 70. He was beating everybody. “
Littler swept through the under-16s and by the age of 13 was playing on the big stage in the under-21s, competing in county darts and winning the Open Championship at St Helens. “He’s awesome,” Holden said with a smile. “But there was nothing we could do. When he was 12 he was probably the best player in the world under 16. I think he lost the final of the 10 men’s tournament at St Helens before he was 13 , which gives him some extra strength. But he needs to take the next step and go to JDC.”
JDC is a junior darts company that is the breeding ground for the next generation of professional stars. Its chairman is Steve Brown, a former professional who was considering returning to the tour in person during lockdown, when he had an unforgettable first meeting with the teenager. “There were a lot of rumors about Luke,” Brown recalled. “I tried to get my game back on track, tried to play on tour again during the lockdown and ended up playing him in an online tournament.
“I think he was about 12 or 13 years old, mopping the floor with me. It gave me a little reality check on where my game was at! But he was a one-in-a-million talent.”
Newsletter Promotion Post
When Littler joined the JDC Tour, another prodigy, Kean Barry (now 21), dominated the junior scene. Things quickly changed when Littler arrived, and at age 13 he was averaging 87 points per game against Barrie. “Keane set the standard for junior darts players but Luke has surpassed it and set it to a level that I don’t see anyone reaching for some time,” Brown said.
His achievements in the JDC are long and wide, having won the world title in each of the past two years, but even while dominating the junior circuit he has made an impact in the senior ranks. At 14, he won the men’s WDF Irish Open title while also averaging 111.33 points at the JDC: a figure that no player has yet achieved at this year’s World Championships.
In November, he won the PDC World Youth Championship final and then flew to Gibraltar day and night to qualify for the JDC World Final. He swept through 138 entries and won the final at Alexandra Palace this month. “When he joined JDC, I explained to him that while his trajectory would be upward, it could also be downward or even plateau,” Brown said. “But that didn’t happen; I’m still waiting for that plateau. I’m starting to think it might not come.”
Littler’s maturity beyond his years is evident on stage, and that’s no accident. “Our job is not just to prepare them to play darts, but to prepare them to be professional darts players,” Brown said. “He’s certainly done 50 interviews at JDC and that’s been very well thought out so that when he gets on the mainstream media and Sky Sports cameras – which he has now – he’s ready for that. preparation. That’s why he’s so relaxed and calm.”
Both Brown and Holden believe Littler can become world champion next week, but even if he doesn’t become world champion this year, they’re sure it will happen in the coming years – and the Luke Littler effect is already here at St Helens Si felt it. “This week alone, I estimate we have 20 teenagers here who want to sign up to compete,” Holden said. “All they talk about is being the next Luke Littler.
“Michael van Gerwen won the World Masters when he was 17 and no one thought he could be beaten,” Brown added. “But Luke was here, one of the best, and beat them. He’s a generational talent. I’ve never seen anyone like him, and I’m not sure I’ll ever see him again.”
