It looked easy, and it was, as the world’s newest sports star later admitted. “I don’t think I’ve had any difficulties,” Luke Littler said after beating Rob Cross 6-2 to reach his first world championship final.
“I don’t think anything has been difficult for me, and I don’t mean to be disrespectful to anyone I’ve met. It’s 3-2 in a few sets. But I just believe in myself and my abilities.” No matter today What happened in the late final against new world number one Luke Humphreys, Littler’s life and the game of darts had changed forever.
Reaching the world finals in only his second major, beating three former champions along the way and posting three averages over 105, even at the age you found him (widely reported to be 16 years) was already impressive enough.
“It’s unbelievable and people don’t really understand it yet,” Littler said, blinking through the haze of cameras and microphones arrayed in front of him.
“Rob missed 86 and won the second set, which might have changed everything. But I just tried to stay focused. I only set one goal for myself this tournament, which was to win a match and finish after Christmas. Come back. I couldn’t imagine myself making it to the finals.”
Of course, everyone wants to know his secret. But really, there isn’t one: just vats of industrial talent, industrial time on practice boards while the world is on lockdown during the pandemic, and a routine that’s barely changed from his junior tour days in recent days.
“I’m going to do what I’ve always done,” he said of his preparations for the final.
“In the morning I’ll go have a ham and cheese omelette, then come here and have pizza and prep on the board. That’s what I do every day.”
Humphries’ 6-0 victory over outsider Scott Williams was his best ever, for Humphries who was upstaged in his big moment and There is no resentment or bitterness.
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“He deserves all the attention, all the media praise and everyone who stands by him,” Humphreys said.
“It might come as a shock to one of us that tomorrow our lives are going to change forever, but I don’t think it will. He had a lot to drink and I had to play the best game of my life to beat him. . ”
