UK

Luke Littler: 16-year-old darts sensation books place in quarter-finals of World Darts Championship


Sky News
Updated Sat, 30 December 2023 


Teenage darts sensation Luke Littler has booked his place in the quarter-finals of the World Darts Championship.

The 16-year-old star beat darts legend and five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld - a player 40 years his senior - four sets to one in their last 16 match at Alexandra Palace in London.

Littler - the youngest player ever to reach the last 16 of the tournament - will now face Northern Ireland's Brendan Dolan in the quarter-finals on New Year's Day.


Who is Luke 'The Nuke' Littler?

He may only be a teenager but Littler, from Warrington, Cheshire, has been practising his throwing for some time.

He told Sky News: "There's a video on YouTube of me when I was 18 months in a nappy listening to Raymond van Barneveld's music, listening to Phil Taylor's music, doing their celebrations.

"That's when it started - 18 months and in a nappy on a magnetic board.

"[Aged] four or five I was on a proper board but it was a bit low and then about seven to eight [years old], that's when I started playing [at] the proper height and the proper length. So it's just been all darts in my life so far."

Littler won his first match at the PDC World Championship on Wednesday, averaging an astonishing 106.12 in his demolition of former Lakeside champion Christian Kist in the first round.

He held off a mid-match charge from the experienced Andrew Gilding to knock out the 20th seed with a 3-1 win in the second round.

In the third round, Littler beat Canadian Matt Campbell four sets to one to make history as the youngest player to ever reach the last 16 of the tournament.

His form means he's suddenly on his way to being a household name, but his talent has been evident for some time.

He won the England Youth Grand Prix in 2019, became England Youth Open champion in 2021 and won his first senior title at the Irish Open later that year.

He won the Welsh Open in 2022 and this year notched further senior titles at the Isle of Man Classic, Gibraltar Open, British Open and British Classic.

The 16-year-old is also a back-to-back JDC World Champion and reigning World Youth Champion.

Fans and fame

Littler's matches have seen the famously rowdy crowd at London's Alexandra Palace - also known as Ally Pally - chanting: "You've got school in the morning."

His celebrity status is rising with every dart he throws. His Instagram account has gone from 4,000 followers at the start of this tournament to 23,500 and counting.

Read more from Sky News:
Who is the 16-year-old taking darts by storm
Footballers' union threatens action over number of games

Littler told Sky News he could feel the nation's support while on the big stage.

"Everyone's cheering, wanting my autograph and everything," he said.

"Even young kids having my darts shirt on… it was good to see when I stepped on the stage."

He also talked about the popularity of his personalised "The Nuke" darts sets.

"After my first two games in Ally Pally, 900 sets sold," he said. "People all over the world… [I] couldn't believe it. 900 sets, for winning two games at the Ally Pally!"