History will be made at the PDC World Darts Championship later tonight as referee Huw Ware is set to become the first openly gay referee to take charge of the final
Whatever happens in the PDC World Darts Championship final tonight, history will be made.
It is true that Luke Littler could become the youngest ever winner of the tournament tonight, but the final will also see the first openly gay referee officiating. Huw Ware will take charge in the second half of the final between Littler and three-time winner Michael van Gerwen.
The 31-year-old ref will take over from referee Kirk Bevins and will be the man to announce the winner of tonight’s final. In his blog on Thursday, Huw said that his big moment on the Ally Pally stage will be the “biggest day of my life”.
He said: “I’ve been with the PDC for eight years now and it will be one of the biggest honours of my life to take charge of the second half and call in the champion.”
He added: “If I was to say anything to that, it would be that if there are gay boys or gay girls out there who are worried that their sexuality could close doors to worlds they would like to be in but no longer feel that they can, then that is not the case.
“These worlds, like the sports world, are open to everybody both gay and straight, and even if the journey can be hard sometimes, days like tomorrow make it so worth it.
“No matter who you are you can achieve in any world you want to, and most importantly, you can belong.”
Huw will officiate as bookies’ favourite Littler attempts to become the tournaments youngest winner. That record is held by van Gerwen, who won his first PDC World Championship title aged 24 in 2014.
The calibre of the two players means tonight’s event could make blockbuster viewing.
Van Gerwen has spent a lot of 2024 telling his fellow players on the PDC Tour that there is no reason to be scared of Littler, despite his unprecedented success. And the pair have developed a great rivalry during the teenager’s first 12 months on the scene with their 12-match contest tied at 6-6.
Littler’s power scoring has helped him through to the final. The 64 180s he has thrown is a tournament high, while also boasting the highest three-dart average with 102.13.
Life might have been even more comfortable for him had he been clinical on the doubles, as he currently has a 41% checkout rate, though he has taken out the ‘big fish’ 170.
Van Gerwen is second in the race for the Ballon d’Art, having thrown 43 maximums so far. His average is slightly below Littler’s on 99.75 but he has a better checkout rate at 44 per cent. In any other year, these numbers would make him the standout player in the tournament, but not now Littler is in town.
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