14 February 2024 , 20:59
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Darts wonderkid Luke Littler has qualified for his first European Tour event - but his laid back attitude is 'annoying' rivals.
Littler, who only turned 17 a few weeks ago, booked his ticket for next month's Belgian Open after successfully navigating qualifying in Wigan on Wednesday. Only 10 spots were available from the 88 players taking part, but Littler made it through by beating Radek Szaganski - who he'd lost against on Tuesday - fellow Brit Mervyn King and then Maik Kuivenhoven.
Littler returned to the board later on Wednesday afternoon, this time hoping to reach the German Grand Prix. However, Welsh opponent Jim Williams got the better of him.
And according to two-time world champion Peter Wright, the teenage sensation is "great for darts," although his relaxed demeanour between matches irks the 53-year-old 'Snakebite'. "We need that spark. It's great for all the youngsters what he's doing against the big boys," Wright explained, speaking ahead of his clash with Michael van Gerwen in Glasgow on Thursday.
"As for him not practising, it does annoy you when he's just sitting on his phone and then is like, 'Oh, do I have to play darts now!' It reminds me of Dennis Priestley.
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"He used to sit and do crosswords and then it was, 'Oh it's time to play, is it?' Then he'd get up and play and smash you. Lucky enough, I haven't met Luke yet on the dartboard. That's next week in Newcastle. So I'm looking forward to that one."
Your turn! Will Luke Littler keep on winning? Let us know your prediction in the comments section.
Peter Wright admits that Luke Littler has become 'annoying' for his rivals (Alex Pantling/Getty Images)Littler tasted victory at the Players Championship on Monday, banking £15,000 worth of prize money in the process, and the 17-year-old knows exactly what his next aim is. "Me and my manager know what I have to do to qualify for the World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix so, after [winning] the first event, I'm not far off," Littler said.
"I know I've got about 13 or 14 ProTour [events] before the Matchplay, but it's always good to get off to a good start. I want to try and qualify for everything. I know my game is there and I can beat anyone.
"I know I can win one of these, which I have done at my first event. It takes huge pressure off because I don't want to be going into the last few [events] before the Matchplay having to win one or two of them. This has helped me even more now."
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