Luke Littler

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Luke Littler
Littler in December 2022
Personal information
Nickname"The Nuke"
Born (2007-01-21) 21 January 2007 (age 17)
Runcorn, England
Home townWarrington, England
Darts information
Playing darts since2017
Darts23g Target
LateralityRight-handed
Walk-on music"Greenlight" by Pitbull
Organisation (see split in darts)
BDO2019–2020
PDC2023–
WDF2019–2023
Current world ranking31 Increase 133 (3 January 2024)[1]
WDF major events – best performances
World Ch'shipLast 16: 2022
World MastersLast 64: 2022
PDC premier events – best performances
World Ch'shipRunner Up: 2024
UK OpenLast 64: 2023
Premier League2024
Other tournament wins
British Classic 2023
British Open 2023
British Internationals 2022
Gibraltar Open 2023
Irish Open 2021
Isle of Man Classic 2023
Romanian Classic 2022
Welsh Open 2022
MODUS Super Series 2023 (x4)

World Series of Darts

Bahrain Darts Masters 2024

Youth events

PDC World Youth Ch'ship 2023
JDC World Ch'ship 2022, 2023
PDC Development Tour 2023 (x5)
World Youth Masters 2022
British Classic 2021
British Internationals 2022
England Open 2021, 2022
Gibraltar Open 2023
Irish Open 2021
Isle of Man Open 2019, 2020,
2022, 2023
Welsh Classic 2021, 2022
Welsh Open 2021, 2022
JDC Tour 2020 (x2)
JDC Super 16 2021, 2022
Medal record
Men's Darts
Representing  England
WDF Europe Cup
Gold medal – first place 2022 Gandía Men's team
Gold medal – first place 2022 Gandía Men's overall
WDF Europe Cup Youth
Gold medal – first place 2022 Budapest Boys singles
Gold medal – first place 2022 Budapest Boys team
Gold medal – first place 2022 Budapest Boys overall
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Budapest Boys pairs

Luke Littler (born 21 January 2007) is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He is the current PDC World Youth Champion, and the current Bahrain Masters Champion, and is the youngest player to have won a match in the WDF World Darts Championship, and PDC World Darts Championship. He is also the youngest player to reach the PDC World Darts Championship final, aged 16 years, and the youngest ever player to hit a televised nine darter at the 2024 Bahrain Darts Masters aged 16.

Early life

Littler was born on 21 January 2007 in Runcorn[2] and grew up in nearby Warrington.[3] He began playing darts when he was 18 months old, after his father bought him a magnetic dart board from a pound shop. He scored his first 180 at the age of six and a nine-dart finish at the age of 13.[4] When he was 10, he joined the St Helens Darts Academy and began playing in under-21 leagues.[5]

Career

Early career

In 2019, Littler won the England Youth Grand Prix and the Isle of Man Masters youth competition, where he was able to defend his title in 2020. The 2020 JDC tour featured two titles from Littler, who is also signed to partners program "Elite1" organised by Target. Littler won the youth title at the England Open in September 2021 and finished second in the British Pentathlon.

In November 2021, Littler won his first seniors title at the Irish Open defeating Barry Copeland by 6–2 in legs, and thus qualified for the 2022 WDF World Darts Championship at the age of 14.[6] At the end of November, during the JDC MVG Masters tournament, he hit a nine-dart finish.[7]

2022

Littler won the JDC Super 16 in Milton Keynes at the end of January 2022, beating Eleanor Cairns in the final.[8] In March 2022, he won the youth competition at the Isle Of Man Open and advanced to the finals of the Isle of Man Classic.[9] At the 2022 WDF World Darts Championship, Littler started as a seeded player from second round and won his first match against Ben Hazel 3–2 in sets.[10] He was then beaten 0–3 in sets by Richard Veenstra.[11]

During the Welsh Open warm-up tournament, Littler hit a 121.86 average in one of his matches.[12] A day later, he won another adult tournament in his career. In June 2022, he also won the Romanian Classic, beating Jelle Klaasen in the final by 5–1 in legs. At the 2022 WDF Europe Cup Youth, he won the gold medal in three men's competitions (singles, team and overall). His outstanding achievement was defeating Archie Self in the finals of the singles competition by 6–1 in legs. In the pair competition, together with Archie Self, lost in the semi-finals by 1–4 in legs to Thomas Banks, and Charlie Manby.[13]

At the end of September 2022, Littler was selected by the national federation to participate in the 2022 WDF Europe Cup. On the second day of the tournament, he advanced to the quarter-finals of the pairs competition where he played together with James Hurrell. They lost to Sam Canket and Nick Kenny from Wales by 1–4 in legs.[14] On the third day of the tournament, he advanced to the quarter-finals of the singles competition, lost to Andy Baetens by 4–5 in legs.[15] In the team competition, he won the gold medal.[16] In the points classification, as a representative of England, he also contributed to won a gold medal.

Littler won the JDC World Darts Championship in London at the end of December 2022, beating Harry Gregory by 5–0 in legs.

2023

In May 2023, Littler won the third series of the MODUS Super Series, defeating Jacob Taylor 4–1 in the final.[17] In August 2023, he won the title for the second time by defeating Colin Osborne by 4 legs to 2 in the final.[18]

In November 2023, Littler beat Gian van Veen in the 2023 PDC World Youth Championship final. The game ended 6–4.

2024

Littler made his debut at the 2024 PDC World Darts Championship qualifying as a result of his placement in the PDC Development Tour, where he whitewashed former world champion Christian Kist in the first round.[19] He also broke two records, one for the highest average for a debutant at the World Darts Championship with a 106.12 and the other for being the youngest winner.[20] In the second round, he defeated 2023 UK Open champion Andrew Gilding 3–1;[21][22][23] in the third round, he defeated Matt Campbell 4–1.[24][25][26] In the fourth round, he beat five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld 4–1 to enter his first PDC major quarter-final.[27][28] Littler went on to beat Brendan Dolan 5–1 in the quarter-final before beating former world champion and 8th seed Rob Cross 6–2 in the semi-final.[29][30] Littler lost 7–4 in the final against newly crowned world number one Luke Humphries.[31] He is the youngest player to reach the PDC World Darts Championship final, aged 16 years and 347 days.[32] Following the tournament, Littler was announced to be part of the 2024 Premier League Darts as one of the four chosen wildcards by the PDC.[33][34][35]

Littler made his World Series of Darts debut at the second staging of the Bahrain Darts Masters, where he defeated Man Lok Leung 6–3 in the first round.[36][37] In the quarter-finals of the event, he beat Nathan Aspinall 6–3,[38] hitting his first televised nine-dart finish en route, becoming the youngest player to ever do so.[39][40] In the semi-finals, Littler defeated Gerwyn Price 7–3 to be in his first World Series of Darts final on debut,[41] which he won 8–5 against Michael van Gerwen.[42]

Personal life

Littler and his girlfriend Eloise Milburn received backlash for their age difference in January 2024, as he was 16 and she was 21.[43] Milburn's mother defended her after she received abuse online and was called a "gold digger".[44][45][46] Littler told The Daily Telegraph that he would "stick with [Milburn] whether people like it or not".[47]

Littler is a supporter of Manchester United FC and the Warrington Wolves.[48]

Prior to the 2024 PDC World Darts Championship, Littler had won a total of £2,500 in prize money at ranking tournaments and was ranked 164th in the world. As runner-up in the 2024 Championship, he won £200,000. With his winnings he planned to pay for his friends to go with him to Blackpool or Alton Towers.[49]

Littler announced on BBC Radio 1 that he gained inspiration for his walk-on song from his time with his dad at Wrestlemania 33.[50] WWE later reached out on social media platform X, inviting him to a non-televised live event at the O2 Arena in April, where Littler accepted the invitation, saying "sounds good with me".[51] Multi-time world champion John Cena posted a cryptic picture of Littler on his Instagram, honouring him after Littler admitted to being a fan.[52][53]

World Championship results

WDF

PDC

Career finals

PDC major finals: 1 (1 runner–up)

Legend
World Championship (0–1)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score[N 1] Ref.
Runner-up 1. 2024 World Darts Championship England Luke Humphries 4–7 (s) [54][55]

PDC world series finals: 1 (1 title)

Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score[N 1] Ref.
Winner 1. 2024 Bahrain Darts Masters  Michael van Gerwen 8–5 (l) [56][57]

Nine-dart finishes

See also: Nine-dart finish
Luke Littler's televised nine-dart finishes
Date Opponent Tournament Method
19 January 2024  Nathan Aspinall 2024 Bahrain Darts Masters 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12

Performance timeline

Tournament 2022 2023 2024
PDC Ranked televised events
World Championship DNQ F
UK Open DNQ 4R
PDC Non-major televised events
World Youth Championship DNQ W
WDF Ranked televised events
World Championship 3R WD[N 2] PDC
World Masters 3R NH PDC
Career statistics
Year-end ranking – 164

Notes

  1. ^ a b (l) = score in legs, (s) = score in sets.
  2. ^ Before the start of the 2023 WDF World Darts Championship Littler had to choose between playing in the 2023 WDF World Darts Championship or the 2024 PDC World Darts Championship. He choose the latter.

References

  1. ^ "PDC Order of Merit". PDPA. 3 January 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Meet Luke Littler: The teen sensation dominating the World Darts Championship". The Economic Times. 22 December 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  3. ^ Colman, Jonty (2 January 2024). "Luke Littler – the 16-year-old who is changing darts at PDC World Championship". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  4. ^ Woodage, Paul (24 November 2021). "Little by Littler". Darts World. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Luke Littler playing from the age of 10 at St Helens Darts Academy". St Helens Star. 2 January 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Littler, 15, becomes youngest player to win senior game at WDF World Darts Championship". insidethegames.biz. 4 April 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  7. ^ "14-year-old Luke Littler produces stunning nine-dart finish at JDC MVG Masters". dartsnews.com. 26 November 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  8. ^ "Teenage star Littler wins JDC Super 16 final". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  9. ^ "Hurrell, Littler, Hedman and Greaves move into finals at Isle of Man Classic". dartsnews.com. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  10. ^ "14-year-old Luke Littler qualifies for Lakeside after WDF Irish Open win". dartsnews.com. 14 November 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  11. ^ "Richard Veenstra sets new record Lakeside average at the WDF World Championship". live-darts.com. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  12. ^ "Littler hits incredible 121.86 average during WDF Welsh Open weekend". dartsnews.com. 7 May 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  13. ^ "WDF Europe Cup Youth Results". World Darts Federation. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  14. ^ "WDF Europe Cup Men Pairs". World Darts Federation. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  15. ^ "WDF Europe Cup Men Singles". World Darts Federation. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  16. ^ "WDF Europe Cup Men Teams". World Darts Federation. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  17. ^ Parsons, Mike (8 May 2023). "Luke Littler wins Modus Super Series Champion of Champions series 3". Warrington Guardian. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  18. ^ "16-year-old Littler retains title and wins fourth season of MODUS Super Series". Dartsnews.com. 6 August 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  19. ^ "16-year-old Luke Littler destroys former darts world champion Christian Kist 3–0 on Ally Pally debut". SPORTbible. 20 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  20. ^ "Sensational 16-year-old Luke Littler averages 106.12 with seven 180s in astonishing victory". Dartsnews.com. 20 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  21. ^ "Darts results: Luke Littler beats Andrew Gilding to reach round three of the PDC World Darts Championship". www.sportinglife.com. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  22. ^ Gill, Samuel (21 December 2023). "16-year-old sensation Luke Littler into third round of PDC World Darts Championship, downs UK Open champion Andrew Gilding". Dartsnews.com. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  23. ^ "PDC World Championship 2024: Teenager Luke Littler continues his dream debut with win over Andrew Gilding". BBC Sport. 22 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  24. ^ Crichard, Kieran (27 December 2023). "Luke Littler, 16, continues £35,000 dream run at Darts World Championship". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  25. ^ "PDC World Championship 2024: Teenager Luke Littler beats Matt Campbell to reach last 16". BBC Sport. 27 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  26. ^ Wood, Kieran (27 December 2023). "Supreme Luke Littler eases past Matt Campbell and into last 16 at World Darts Championship and possibly meets Raymond van Barneveld in next round". Dartsnews.com. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  27. ^ Smyth, Rob (30 December 2023). "Luke Littler beats Raymond van Barneveld: PDC World Darts Championship – as it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  28. ^ Liew, Jonathan (31 December 2023). "Luke Littler demolishes Raymond van Barneveld to keep adventure going". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  29. ^ "Luke Littler beats Brendan Dolan to reach semi-finals of PDC World Championship 2024". BBC Sport. 1 January 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  30. ^ "Luke Littler beats Rob Cross to reach World Darts Championship final". BBC Sport. 2 January 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  31. ^ Smyth, Rob (3 January 2024). "Luke Humphries beats Luke Littler to glory: PDC world darts final 2024". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  32. ^ "Luke Littler tipped for the top by NI darts hero Brendan Dolan after World Championship defeat". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 7 January 2024. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  33. ^ "Luke Littler to make Premier League Darts debut after run to World Championship final". Sky Sports. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  34. ^ "Luke Littler selected for Premier League Darts after run to PDC World Championship final". BBC Sport. 4 January 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  35. ^ Wood, Kieran (4 January 2024). "Luke Littler headlines Premier League Darts class of 2024 as lineup is revealed". Darts News. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  36. ^ Wood, Kieran (18 January 2024). "Luke Littler impresses on World Series debut". Darts News. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  37. ^ "Luke Littler makes winning return in first match since World Darts Championship at Bahrain Masters". Sky Sports. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  38. ^ Wood, Kieran (19 January 2024). "Nine-dart Luke Littler flies into Bahrain Darts Masters semi-finals as Michael van Gerwen sets up showdown with Michael Smith". Darts News. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  39. ^ "Luke Littler hits incredible nine-darter in Bahrain Darts Masters quarter-finals opening leg". Sky Sports. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  40. ^ Wilson, Jeremy (19 January 2024). "Watch: Luke Littler opens up with stunning nine-darter in World Series event". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  41. ^ "Bahrain Masters: Luke Littler beats Gerwyn Price to reach final". BBC Sport. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  42. ^ "Bahrain Masters: Luke Littler beats Van Gerwen in final". BBC. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  43. ^ Smith, Charlotte (2 January 2024). "Who is Luke Littler's girlfriend, 21, as 16-year-old champ in semi-final". Nottinghamshire Live. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  44. ^ Corless, Blathnaid (3 January 2024). "Luke Littler's girlfriend isn't a gold-digger, insists her mother". The Telegraph – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  45. ^ Coleman, Tom (3 January 2024). "Luke Littler's girlfriend gets vile abuse over age gap as mum furious". Wales Online.
  46. ^ "Mum of Luke Littler's girlfriend defends age gap and slams 'money grabber' trolls". SPORTbible. 3 January 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  47. ^ Wilson, Jeremy; Corless, Blathnaid (4 January 2024). "Luke Littler: I am going to stick with my girlfriend whether people like it or not". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  48. ^ Chicken, Steven (3 January 2024). "Which football team does darts prodigy Luke Littler really support after Arsenal and Tottenham visits". fourfourtwo.com.
  49. ^ James, Dylan (2 January 2024). "Luke Littler's net worth at 16 as life-changing prize money emerges". Wales Online.
  50. ^ Gill, Samuel (12 January 2024). "Luke Littler receives recognition from WWE and legendary wrestler John Cena after World Darts Championship run". Darts News. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  51. ^ Howse, Lewis (8 January 2024). "Luke Littler Accepts Invitation To WWE House Show". Cultaholic Wrestling. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  52. ^ Jenkins, Tom (10 January 2024). "John Cena has baffled people with his Luke Littler post on social media". SPORTbible. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  53. ^ Calcutt, Robert (10 January 2024). "John Cena posts Luke Littler tribute after darts sensation's throwback post". talkSPORT. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  54. ^ "Luke Humphries beats Luke Littler to win PDC World Darts Championship". BBC Sport. 3 January 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  55. ^ "Luke Humphries crowned champion of the world after pulsating final against Luke Littler". Dartsnews.com. 3 January 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  56. ^ "Luke Littler: Teenage darts sensation hits nine-darter on way to beating Michael van Gerwen to win Bahrain Masters". Sky Sports. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  57. ^ Smart, Ryan (19 January 2024). "Luke Littler wins the Bahrain Darts Masters with 8-5 victory over Michael van Gerwen". SPORTbible. Retrieved 19 January 2024.

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