23 December 2023 , 17:58
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Former world champion Rob Cross has warned fans not to put too much pressure on wonderkid Luke Littler.
The 16-year-old has lit up this year's PDC World Championship, beating Christian Kist and Andrew Gilding to reach the third round in his debut season. Littler will take on Matt Campbell after the tournament's Christmas break.
He is already being touted as a potential world champion contender, having lost just one set across his two games so far. But Cross, who won the tournament on his debut six years ago, has warned against putting Littler under pressure to claim a famous win.
“Make no mistake, Luke is going to be superb. I wouldn’t like to put too much pressure on him. He will have the weight on him – but if he doesn’t look, he won’t feel it like me in my first year here," Cross said.
“That boy doesn’t need any advice – but what I would say is that you must follow your path, wherever that leads you. You cannot fight fate. It will happen, it’s written in the stars. Look at him, 16 years old... wow.
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“He's a breath of fresh air and he takes it all in his stride. The way he came out and did a job on Christian, and then found a way to beat Andrew when the going got tough, was fantastic. I think he is going to be great for the game.
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Luke Littler has been a sensation at this year's World Championship (PA)"Maybe it will happen for him this year, maybe next year, I don’t know. But he definitely has the minerals for it. How can you can doubt him? He makes his Ally Pally debut and he averages 106. He’s so calm, he does what he needs to do - and that, on its own, is special."
Big names Peter Wright, James Wade and Jose de Sousa have already been knocked out in Littler's half of the draw. Cross could stand in his way in the semi-finals, with 'Voltage' insisting the competition will only get tougher for Littler.
“They won't be frightened of him. I don’t want to run the boy down, but darts is a pressure game, it’s about hitting your shots, your doubles and big finishes. The top boys are still supreme at doing that," he added.
“But he has no fear, he has no sort of filter. He ploughs forward and that is what I love about him. He is the best I've seen at 16 years old and he was the best 13-year-old I have ever seen.
"But, realistically, he will still need to do his learning. He still needs to learn. There will be questions for Luke to answer as he goes. When I won my world title, they were asking, 'Can he do it over 11 sets?'
"My semi-final against Michael van Gerwen went 42 legs when I beat him here on debut. Only one young boy can answer those questions about Luke – and that's the boy himself. He is amazing.”