LUKE NUKED
Luke Littler blows chance to reach New Zealand Masters final after thrilling comeback by huge rival Luke Humphries
The Nuke blew a huge lead
LUKE LITTLER has been DUMPED OUT of the New Zealand Darts Masters.
The teenage darts sensation booked his place in the quarters with a narrow win over truck driver Jonny Tata on Friday.
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He followed that up with a second successive straight win over Belgium's Dimitri van den Bergh, who he beat 6-4, in Saturday morning's semis.
That teed up a clash with Luke Humphries, who cruelly ended his fairytale World Championships.
Littler looked on course to cruise through to the final when he raced into a 6-2 lead.
But he let his lead get to his head and lost FIVE STRAIGHT legs on his way to suffering a 7-6 defeat.
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Littler burst on to the scene earlier this year with a remarkable run to the PDC Worlds Darts final.
He's since gone on to win World Series titles in Bahrain and Poland, in addition to European Tour events in Austria and Belgium.
And Matchroom supremo Barry Hearn reckons he has the makings of a future multiple-time world champion who can help the sport reach a new demographic.
He told "This young man has got his feet on the ground.
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Inside Littler's massive rise
LUKE LITTLER has taken the darts world by storm since exploding onto the scene at the PDC World Championship.
The Nuke reached the final on his Ally Pally debut at just 16 years of age - smashing records along the way.
He has since joined Jude Bellingham on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list.
And the teenage titan even had to snub an invite from the WWE.
The Sun exclusively revealed that Littler is plotting to create a fitness empire.
He is also cashing in away from the Oche thanks to an Instagram side hustle.
And he's even the face of a brand new cereal.
The wonderkid has now cemented his place among the tungsten elite by winning the Premier League Darts final - and the £275k top prize.
Check out all of our latest Luke Littler stories.
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"He's got the right attitude and behind Luke Littler are dozens of other Luke Littlers coming from all over the world and that's the excitement.
"This game of darts hasn't really started. Everyone thinks it's massive and it is but there's a long, long way to go.
"Littler took us from a sport to mainstream.
"All of a sudden kids were watching, nans and grandads, parents were watching.
"It became what we always look for in sport - a narrative.
"It's about the personality and the stories behind the personality, getting people involved so they can enjoy the sport from several different angles."
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