Everything has Luke Littler received this 12 months in his first 12 months on professional darts tour
Darting sensation Luke Littler is the Paddy Power PDC World Darts Champion – and it’s just the latest trophy he’s picked up over the last 12 months
It’s been a year from Luke Littler’s darting dreams.
And so let’s rewind 365 days, Littler is coming off the back of a heartbreaking loss to Luke Humphries in the final of the Paddy Power PDC World Darts Championship – but the then 16-year-old is keen to prove he’s not a flash in the pan and has been named in the Premier League line-up.
Littler is already a bonafide superstar, and his inclusion in the Premier League guaranteed darting drama throughout the spring.
However, his first success would come in the Middle East in the Bahrain Darts Masters. Littler would nail a nine-darter against Nathan Aspinall before besting Michael van Gerwen in the final.
His first success on the floor would soon follow, winning Players Championship 1 – nailing a nine-darter en route to the final where he averaged 109.64 to defeat Ryan Searle 8–7.
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In Belgium he was back on the stage and back to winning ways as he won his first European Tour event, narrowly defeated Rob Cross 8-7 in the final, hitting his third nine-dart finish of the year en route to his victory.
He wouldn’t have it all his own way in the Premier League, and Littler had to wait for Week 9 in Belfast to win his first week. He would win the following week in Manchester before repeating the feat in Liverpool and Aberdeen.
The Premier League league would mark his first major success, beating old foe Humphries in the final – with a nine-darter, of course.
By the time Littler had wrapped up the Premier League he’d won his second European Tour event, wrapping up the Austrian Darts Open; the Poland Darts Masters would soon be his too.
Littler would also claim the World Series of Darts before he got his hands on the second major of the season – the Grand Slam of Darts.
It was almost World Championship season, but Littler had a trip to the Players Championship final in November. The Nuke had also wrapped up PC15 and PC20 on the floor, and he would only fall short in the final to an inspired Humphries.
Now gilded in gold, Littler returned to the Ally Pally for his second round match with Ryan Meikle – it was far from vintage from the Nuke, despite registered the highest set average in the history of the tournament.
Ian White fell, so too did Ryan Joyce, before Littler truly started to find form against Nathan Aspinall. Stephen Bunting had no answer in the semi-final and so Michael van Gerwen was the only man to stand between Littler and his darting destiny.
Littler mauled Might Mike the most one-sided World Darts Championship final in recent memory as Littler completed his trophy haul.
