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.
Raymond van Barneveld embraces Luke Littler
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.”
Luke Littler walks out to play Raymond van Barneveld
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…
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2023-12-30 22:02:00
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