06 February 2024 , 15:04
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Darts sensation Luke Littler is ready to “kick on” in the Premier League after taking the sporting world by storm.
The teenager has enjoyed a whirlwind few weeks since his remarkable, headline-grabbing run to the final of the World Championship last month. Littler followed up his Alexandra Palace heroics by winning the Bahrain Masters and reaching the final of the Dutch Masters.
The Warrington-based youngster now wants to make his mark in the Premier League, having reached the semi-finals on his debut in the elite tournament in Cardiff last week. His next opportunity comes in Berlin on the the second night of the competition on Thursday.
“I am just happy with how I have been playing,” Littler, who also turned 17 last month, told the PA news agency. “The Worlds was a big step up but I have proved I can play with the best and that is why I have got my shot in the Premier League. It was good to win on my debut (in Bahrain) and obviously be the youngest person to hit a nine-darter as well.
“But overall it was just match practice for the Premier League, as was Holland. Now we are kicking on with the Premier League. I know I have got the ability to beat the best.”
Littler has so far taken his sudden fame in his stride. The player nicknamed ‘The Nuke’ was a relative unknown in December but his performances at such a young age have earned him recognition beyond darts.
Luke Littler with Peter Wright, Rob Cross, Nathan Aspinal, Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, Michael Smith, Gerwyn Price and Luke Littler at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff (AFP via Getty Images)Do you think Luke Littler will win the Premier League? Let us know in the comments section.
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He said: “It’s just been crazy but I’ve just been living how I have been doing – chilling when I have time off but when I’m at my darts events, being fully focused. That’s what I have always done. I have always been myself and keep myself to myself.”
Littler admits he has mixed feelings about all the attention, particularly the media interest in his life on and off the oche. Asked if he has enjoyed being interviewed so often, he said: “I have and I haven’t. It does get very boring!”
Target Darts are launching a new range of Luke Littler products on February 21. They are available now to pre-order at: https://www.target-darts.co.uk/luke-littler-range