Luke Littler, 16, hugs girlfriend, 21, after reaching World Championship final
Luke Littler knew who he wanted to share the moment with after he made history by reaching the final of the World Championship on Tuesday night.
Littler had just seen off former champion Rob Cross 6-2 in front of a boisterous crowd at Alexandra Palace when he headed into the audience to see his family and girlfriend. The 16-year-old darts sensation shared a hug with Eloise Milburn, his 21-year-old partner., after netting himself a guaranteed £200,000 by becoming the youngster ever finalist.
Littler only met Eloise a matter of months ago, having reportedly been introduced by mutual friends while playing FIFA on Xbox. But she loves darts, playing at the Walton Working Men's Club and representing the Surrey Women's darts side, and has been there alongside his family in north London to enjoy his meteoric rise at the World Championship.
The couple are usually forced to continue their relationship long distance, given Littler lives in Warrington and Eloise is from Hersham, Surrey. They also have differences in another sense, with Littler supporting Manchester United and her favourite team being Crystal Palace.
Football is far from their minds now, however, with Littler standing on the brink of darting immortality. He has already eclipsed Kirk Shepherd, who was 21 years and 88 days old when he lost to John Part in the 2008 final, and can smash Michael van Gerwen’s record as the youngest winner on Wednesday night.
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The legendary Dutchman was 24 years and nine months old when he won his first title in 2014. Littler only turns 17 on January 21 but has already beaten Christian Kist, Andrew Gilding, Matt Campbell, Raymond van Barneveld, Brendan Dolan and Cross at Ally Pally. And he has done so in supreme style, outplaying each and every opponent he has come across.
Luke Littler's girlfriend Eloise Milburn was there to cheer him on (PA)
They reportedly met on Xbox (Instagram)Despite starting the tournament outside the top 150 players in the world rankings, he has not looked overawed and is now guaranteed to move inside the top 32. If he wins the final on Wednesday night he will rocket up to No9 in the world.
He may not look 16 years old, thanks to the beard and his unflinching stature on the biggest stage, but his interview with Sky Sports after his win gave a hint of his youth. Asked about his routine on Wednesday, he replied: “I'll keep what I've been doing – in the morning I will have a ham and cheese omelette, then a pizza for lunch. That is what I have done every day.
The couple shared a kiss after he beat Brendan Dolan in the quarter-final (AP)“It's crazy to think I am in a world championship final on my debut. I was happy to win one game – now I can go all the way. It has been a crazy ride, I'm still standing and now I'm playing in one of the biggest finals in the world. I was good on everything tonight.”
He added: “It's not easy up there. You are playing Rob, who won on his world championship debut [in 2018]. But at the end he told me, 'God bless, respect to you, do it.' If my game is there, it's there. And if I average 106 in the final, I'm sure it will be another cracking game.
Asked about the possibility of winning the tournament, he said: “If I'm a set away it might enter my thinking, but it's just one set more. I wasn't the best at maths at school but when you practise that much you just get to know your way around the board and what to go for.”
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