LUKE AWAY
Luke Littler says ‘it’s the biggest dart I’ve missed’ as he recalls £300k going up in smoke ahead of World Championship
Littler still thinks about the agonising moment to this day
LUKE LITTLER has reflected on the “biggest dart I’ve missed” in his career – which essentially cost him a whopping £300,000.
In the 2024 World Darts Championship final, Littler battled rival Luke Humphries for the Sid Waddell Trophy and £500,000 first prize.
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A record audience of 4.8million on Sky Sports watched Cool Hand Luke win 7-4 to end the fairytale run of the then 16-year-old Littler.
The Warrington lad, who was making his debut appearance in the tournament, led 4-2 and had a chance to win set seven to go 5-2 up.
Yet on a score of 112, he threw a second treble 18 in a row by mistake – instead of a single 18 – and that stumped his flow and mental arthimetic.
He had to pause and ask referee Russ Bray what score was left – it was a tricky double two not the double top if he had thrown single 18.
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That dart he wired on the double two essentially cost him £300,000 because Humphries, cool as you like, claimed the set and then became champion of the world for the first time.
That incident still rankles nearly 12 months on with Littler, who earned £200,000 for being the runner-up.
It is something he reflected upon as his family escaped all the worldwide media and madness, fleeing to “the middle of nowhere” for some downtime.
Asked if there was one thing he would change if he could turn the clocks back 12 months, Littler, now 17, replied: “It’s probably that double two to go 5-2 up. That just took a sting out of the game.
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“That’s the question, if I hit that, do I go on and win it?
“That was all down to me, not thinking about it, not sure what I had left.
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“Because of the crowds, I was asking Russ. He said, three or four times. I still didn’t know. I had to have a look at what was left.
“That’s what happens, if you don’t take your shot, the best player in the world sat on 28 will ping it like he did.
“That is one different I would make because I’m two sets away rather than set away. I didn’t win another set.
“I’d say it is probably the biggest dart I’ve missed. It wasn’t meant to be. There will be plenty of opportunities in the Worlds for the next 20-30 years.”
His return to Ally Pally will be on the night of Saturday December 21 – before Tyson Fury’s heavyweight bout with Oleksandr Usyk – in the second round against either Ryan Meikle or Fallon Sherrock.
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He is the bookies favourite, not the unknown quantity, and everyone will be expecting him to go all the way – and maybe become the youngest world champion in history.
The Nuke said: “No-one knew anything about me last time and yeah, it was a free hit.
“Whatever I did, whether I lost first round or got to the final, it was a free hit and a bit of prize money.
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“This year, I know there’s a lot of expectation leading into this. Obviously the only thing I can do is win that last game in the final.
“But there’s a lot way to go. I am not defending anything because it is only my second time.”
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