Luke Littler, 16, storms into World Darts Championship semi-final and lands £100,000 jackpot as fairytale run continues
HAPPY NUKE YEAR – Luke Littler has done it again as he strolled into the PDC World Darts Championship semi-finals and banked a whopping £100,000 in prize money.
What a dream start this has been to the New Year for unstoppable Luke the Nuke, whose fairytale story continues on the Ally Pally stage.
PALuke Littler booked his spot in the PDC World Darts Championship[/caption]
GettyThe teenager thrashed Brendan Dolan[/caption]
Sky SportsThe teenager put on another stunning performance at Ally Pally[/caption]
Six months after leaving secondary school, the 16-year-old has captured the imagination of the sporting public and now he is only ONE WIN away from booking his spot in the final on Wednesday.
This time, the veteran Brendan Dolan was the sacrificial lamb on the oche, walking away from this tournament having been so comprehensively outscored and battered into submission.
Littler’s 5-1 drubbing secures a semi-final spot tomorrow evening against former world champion Rob Cross, who came from 4-0 down to shock Chris Dobey 5-4 in the opening quarter-final.
Nobody is getting close to the Kebab Kid, in terms of averages, finishing and pure relentlessness on the board.
Whatever happens from now on, Littler will have earned a minimum of six figures for his incredible run and he will be parachuted into the top 60 on the Order of Merit.
Two wins in the coming days and against pre-event odds of 150-1, he will become the youngest darts world champion in history.
Littler, who averaged 101.93, celebrated by taking selfies on stage and then he said: “Wow. I am in the semi-finals on my debut. I am glad to get here. My performances have been good. It went well up there.
“If I keep it up, I have a good chance of winning. Now I am dreaming, I am only two games away. I am definitely thinking about the title.
“I just wanted to get over the line. I am gutted for Chris Dobey, who lost to Rob Cross.
“My board management is probably one of the best. I know what to go for and what to settle on.
“Rob was unbelievable on debut, so am I, I am looking forward to playing him.
“I can now wake up at 9am and chill and come back in the evening.
“Was I stung by a wasp? I don’t know. I saw it flying around. I had to focus and get over the line.”
Most normal teenagers struggle to get out of bed in the mornings, especially when they are on a day off from school.
Littler, known for his explosive starts, played in the evenings in his previous four games on the stage but for the first time he had to be ready for a mid-afternoon slot.
More importantly, he was going to have to judge his rhythm and keep his patience throughout against Dolan, aka the History Maker, who is notorious for being a slow, methodical player.
Sky SportsThis Star Wars sign gave Littler extra encouragement[/caption]
Sky SportsHe conducted the crowd after taking a 4-0 lead[/caption]
GettyDolan could barely believe what was happening at the oche[/caption]
PALittler raced away to a 5-1 victory[/caption]
Sky SportsLittler used fans’ phones to pose for selfies[/caption]
The Northern Ireland thrower – the senior man by 34 years – opened brilliantly by taking out 101 on double 16 in the first leg.
But the rest of the set went downhill for Dolan, who averaged only 75.88 compared to Littler’s solid 98.47.
Littler sealed the first set in leg five on a double 10 but not before a moment of cheeky showmanship that is rarely seen at this level.
Presented with the 170 Big Fish checkout, the qualifier hit two treble 20s and then stopped, turned round to the crowd and asked: ‘Shall I go for it?’
Though he eventually missed the Bullseye, it demonstrated wonderfully the confidence that has surged through his body after his magical adventure in North London.
Littler, certainly in comparison to his opening appearance against Christian Kist, had his game face on and was not in the mood to muck around.
The second set was won 3-0 easily on legs thanks to finishes of 100, 57 and 56.
And for the fifth game running in this tournament, he had won at least the opening two sets against his opponent.
Sometimes he can lose his concentration and focus in set three – notably he did that against UK Open champion Andrew Gilding in round two – but that was not the case this time, celebrating a magnificent 111 break against the throw.
At 4-0 up, Littler was cruising, averaging 18 more points than the No28 seed, and with two more maximums on his scoresheet.
Between the breaks, he was interacting with the fans, giving the thumbs up and loving the fact they were singing ‘Walking in a Littler Wonderland’, which is a rehash of an old Phil Taylor ditty.
Dolan, 50, showed pride to avoid the whitewash and his 118 checkout – his second highest after a 142 at the start of set four – gave him control of the fifth set.
But that was not going to stop the inevitable Littler runaway train and the Warrington teen, boosted by a 140 checkout at the start of set six, moved into the last four on double four.
Happy Nuke Year indeed.
PALittler was given a hero’s welcome at Ally Pally[/caption]
PAFriends and family gave the youngster a final hug of encouragement beforehand[/caption]
PAHe refused to be shaken by his slow start[/caption]
APThe crowd, decked out in fancy dress, were loving the entertainment[/caption]
Sky SportsThere was a classy embrace between the pair at the end[/caption]
