‘I used to be on a cruise throughout the Worlds – all individuals talked about was Luke Littler’

There was no escape from Luke Littler mania throughout his unimaginable run to the World Championship last – even on Caribbean cruise ships.

When Peter Manley, chairman of the Professional Darts Players Association (PDPA) and former PDC World finalist, booked a luxurious vacation 18 months in the past, he didn’t envisage he’d spend it speaking concerning the day job. But the then 16-year-old’s impression didn’t simply sweep the nation, it spanned seas and continents.

As he loved his long-awaited festive break, Manley discovered himself collared by darts followers keen to speak concerning the Nuke. He even noticed friends tuning into matches whereas on deck.

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“Every year, the World Championship produces something special,” Manley, 61, tells Daily Star Sport. “Unfortunately and regrettably, I booked a Caribbean cruise 18 months in the past.

“I’m on the cruise and the individuals who recognised me, all they might discuss was Luke Littler. Obviously, Fallon [Sherrock, who famously won two Ally Pally matches in 2019] was an enormous factor. But this has blown the whole lot out of the water, seeing a 16-year-old child on the entrance of each newspaper by means of darts.

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“Hasn’t he got a million followers on Instagram now? I thought I was good with 30-odd thousand! But a million, it’s unbelievable.”

Littler’s emergence is undoubtedly excellent news for the game, which is shredding its pub sport picture.

“I’m hoping the lad has a fantastic future because it’s great for the game,” stated Manley. “Listening to him, he’s bought a great mind on him. He didn’t actually say something misplaced which you would anticipate him to do at that age. He’s very mature and a great loser.

“What he did wasn’t totally unexpected. A lot of people had seen what he’d done as a youth player and he’d won WDF events against grown men. So he’d already had a bit of stage experience.

“It was just a case of how he handled the crowd, and he passed with flying colours. He’s just a class act.”

Following his run to the ultimate, the place he pushed the world’s finest participant Luke Humphries all the best way, choosing the teenager, now 17, for the Premier League was a no brainer.

“The PDC do most things right and he had to go in the Premier League, he’s that big,” added ‘One Dart’.

Comparisons have already been made between Littler and the sport’s GOAT, Phil Taylor, who didn’t win the primary of his 16 world titles till the age of 30. Manley, whose three World last defeats all got here in opposition to the Power, has seen similarities between the pair – and it’s not simply their shared behavior of profitable.

One specific technical side of Littler’s sport has blown Manley away. He defined: “If he desires a 60 end, lots of people can throw a excessive dart which blocks the double.

“But he can actually throw a [flat] dart like Taylor, where it’s like a stacking system. So he’ll throw the big 20, but you can still see the whole double.

“Taylor was on a different level which the rest of us could rarely reach. Then along came [Michael] Van Gerwen and a number of players who could reach Taylor’s level and he started to lose a few.

“Now we’ve got Luke who can hit 100-plus averages at his age, and he’s doing it so naturally. The kid’s marvellous, the counting, the board management, there isn’t anything you can say [that he’s doing wrong]. You’re just in awe of him.”