World No.1 Luke Littler suffered a surprise semi-final defeat as he saw his dream of landing another world title and £12,000 go up in smoke
Luke Littler suffered a shock semi-final defeat as the world No.1 saw his pursuit of another world title go up in smoke.
The reigning back-to-back world champion attempted to add a second World Youth Championship crown to his ever-growing trophy cabinet but he was beaten in the final four for the second year in a row, this time by Cam Crabtree in a last-leg shootout.
Littler came from 2-0 down to level the game against the 23-year-old, but went on to lose the game 6-5 as Crabtree set up a final against Jan Schmidt at Minehead, with the £12,000 prize money for the champion up for grabs.
JOIN US ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page
‘The Nuke’ looked to have turned the game around when he reeled off three legs on the bounce, including a brilliant 164 checkout and two 14-darters.
But Crabtree hit back with a 92 and ton out to turn the game back in his favour and lead 5-4. Littler took out 117 to force a final-leg decider, but Crabtree’s 16-darter hold saw him over the finish line with a 97.91 average.
Littler will feel the disappointment after easing through his group with three wins before staging a comeback from 3-0 down to beat 16-year-old Lewis Cook in the first knockout round.
Victories against David Fidler, 6-1, and a 6-4 quarter-final win over Archie Self in the quarter-final set up the semi-final clash with world No.68 Crabtree.
‘Shazam’ qualified for the World Championship last year and also featured in the UK Open, Grand Slam and Players Championship Finals.
Littler’s quest for a second youth title came after he beat Gian van Veen 6-4 in the 2023 World Youth Championship final to book his place at Ally Pally, where he enjoyed a breakout run to the final, only to be defeated by the all-conquering Luke Humphries.
‘The Nuke’ didn’t enter the 2024 edition before returning to the youth scene the following year, but he was beaten by Beau Greaves in the semi-final, who eventually lost to Van Veen in the final. At just 19, Littler will still be eligible to play in the next four editions of the tournament.
It was Littler’s first return to action since his shock defeat to Luke Woodhouse in the opening round of the World Grand Prix last week.
The Warrington sensation’s dream of clean sweeping the major titles this year was ended by Jonny Clayton in the quarter-final of the World Series Finals last month.