TEENAGE darts sensation Luke Littler’s fairytale Darts World Championship final ended in defeat as he went down fighting 7-4 to world number one Luke Humphries in a gripping contest at Alexandra Palace.
Warrington-based Littler, 16, who re-wrote the record books on his way to the final was aiming to become darts’ youngest-ever world champion after a remarkable run to the final.
He has earned £200,000 for his efforts at Alexandra Palace – a sensational financial return for a teenager who only finished his GCSE exams at Padgate Academy a few months ago.
His run to the final was even more remarkable given Littler, the PDC world youth champion who threw his first darts when he was 18 months old, had only played four senior matches at PDC premier events before the start of the tournament.
His ambition entering the competition had been to win just one match as he became the youngest player to do so at a World Championship when he beat Christian Kist in the first round.
He went on to defeat two former world champions, Raymond van Barneveld and Rob Cross, and won 25 of the 31 sets he played on his way to becoming the youngest-ever world darts finalist.
Unknown outside darts when the World Championship began on 15 December, Littler has been catapulted into stardom; trending on social media, attracting a huge fanbase and dominating the news agenda for broadcasters, written and online media.
Sky Sports reported a peak viewing figure in excess of 2.3m for Littler’s semi-final win over Rob Cross, a record for Sky’s World Championship coverage, and it seems unthinkable that number would not have been surpassed on Wednesday.
But Humphries, the pre-event favourite who became world number one on Tuesday, kept his cool and saw off his young challenger to claim the £500,000 first prize.
Trailing 4-2, the 28-year-old won five consecutive sets to close out victory.
Humphries has now won four of the past five major televised tournaments in the PDC (Professional Darts Corporation).
Littler’s progress on his World Championship debut captured the public’s imagination as he produced another exceptional, composed performance in the final. However, Humphries’ brilliance and experience ensured the youngster fell just short of completing what would have been an amazing sporting fairytale.
Humphries seemed to settle the quicker of the two finalists as the first four sets were shared, with Littler finding his range by landing finishes of 142 and 120 in the second.
But the teenager took the 5th to lead for the first time and appeared to have his more experienced opponent on the ropes when he raced through the sixth set.
But Humphries gained impetus from a 170 finish at the start of the seventh and never looked back, levelling the match with a 121 checkout on the bull and taking a 5-4 lead with a 12-dart leg against the throw.
Littler hit a 170 checkout of his own in the 10th set, but Humphries held his nerve, sinking to his knees after landing a shot at double eight to clinch the biggest win of his career.
Humphries hit 23 maximums and averaged 103.67 in the final, compared with Littler’s 13 180s and 101.13 average.
“It’s been unbelievable!” 🥰
What a journey it’s been ‘walking in a Luke Littler Wonderland’ 🎶 pic.twitter.com/87XvxRFI8n
— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) January 3, 2024
@LukeTheNuke180 Take a bow young man, you rocked the world of darts. 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/tFGFacxKW7
— Dave Thompson MBE DL (@Davet21) January 3, 2024
🎯 @LukeTheNuke180 has done Warrington proud – a future champion whose time will come! https://t.co/bAF9LsZLfX
— Andy Carter MP (@MrAndy_Carter) January 3, 2024
We’re incredibly proud of you Luke 👏 A huge future ahead https://t.co/xBrE69qLE1
— Warrington Wolves (@WarringtonRLFC) January 3, 2024
