Luke Littler braced for Dutch Masters revenge mission before Premier League test
Luke Littler expects a posse of Dutch rivals to be plotting revenge when he puts his Midas touch to the test in Den Bosch this weekend.
The 17-year-old boy wonder of darts goes into the two-day Dutch Masters after claiming the scalps of five former world champions in his last 11 matches at the PDC World Championship and in Bahrain last week. But in Holland, he will find Michael van Gerwen, Raymond van Barneveld and Gian van Veen all lying in wait for him.
Littler beat MVG in the Bahrain Darts Masters final, while Barney was among his victims on a fairytale run at Ally Pally and he saw off Van Veen to claim the PDC Youth world title in November. Following the draw, Littler will face Dirk Van Duijvenbode of the Netherlands in the first round on Saturday night.
The Warrington whizkid said: “The standard is going to be good once again. Maybe Gian wants revenge, maybe Raymond wants revenge. But whoever we play, every first-round game is going to be tough for the eight of us who are in the Premier League next week.”
Littler, who hit a dream nine-darter against practice partner Nathan Aspinall in Bahrain, claims he does not expect to win a second successive tournament. He said: “It would be a massive bonus to win again, but if I do lose, then it’s back home and focus on Cardiff for the Premier League.
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“I said I’d take a slow start and then I hit a nine-darter in my first leg. It is always a bonus. I was just glad to get over the line against Nathan, Gezzy (Price) and Michael to get the gold palm tree (the Bahrain Palm D’Or).
“Honestly, I didn’t expect to beat them, but I believe in my own ability and that’s what gets me over the line each time. It was a good experience in Bahrain. It was totally different to Ally Pally. I said you can hear everything in the crowd but I blocked it off as best as I could. Eight of us went to the pictures and signed autographs. The world’s gone mad!”
What is Luke Littler capable of this year? Have your say in the comments section
Luke Littler beat Michael van Gerwen at the Bahrain Masters final (PA)After his trip to Den Bosch, Littler has a busy Premier League schedule. It is the teenager's first appearance in the tournament, giving him the chance to add to his World Championship winnings in a big way.
The competition gets up and running in Cardiff on February 1, with Littler handed a rematch against world champion Luke Humphries first up. It will also see the world's best talents return to the Netherlands in April, with night 12 being held in Rotterdam.
Each of the 16 weekly winners will receive a £10,000 bonus, while there's even bigger money available in the end-of-season play-offs. The top prize, for whoever wins at the O2 in London in May, sits at £275,000.
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