23 February 2024 , 12:51
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Luke Littler is already thinking about his exit strategy from professional darts, just a month after his 17th birthday.
Littler has taken the darts world by storm, with his run to the World Darts Championship final inspiring thousands to go out and buy a board. He pocketed £200,000 from his staggering purple patch at Ally Pally and is now busy playing week-in, week-out in Premier League Darts.
He has stunned fans – and rival players – but admitting he barely practises, preferring to spend time on his Xbox. But he proved his performance at Ally Pally was not a one-off and that he’s here to stay by beating some of the world’s best players in the Premier League.
Littler only turned 17 on January 21 and, unlike other sports, darts players don’t tend to regress much with age, meaning he could become a fixture in the decades to come. That is only if he wants to though.
When it was put to him that he would have to play until 2065 to match Phil Taylor ’s longevity in the sport, Littler told The Times : “I’ve been playing a long time in the juniors, in the old British Darts Federation. I might just do 10 or 15 years and retire, if I’ve had enough.”
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Littler was playing in the Premier League in Newcastle on Thursday night, where he beat Peter Wright 6-5 in a brilliant match before going down by the same scoreline in the semi-finals to Michael van Gerwen. He now sits joint-second in the Premier League Darts on seven points, behind only Van Gerwen on 15 points.
The teenager has shown, despite his inexperience, that he is among the very best in the business, but he admits he is still learning the ropes. “All these players have been on top for many years – this is my first,” he told The Times. “In years to come I’ll be used to the circuit, used to going to this place, that place.
Michael van Gerwen is the only player above Luke Littler in the Premier League Darts (Stu Forster/Getty Images)HAVE YOUR SAY! How far can Luke Littler go in darts? Comment below.
“People say you learn from your losses, so this is what I’m going to be doing now. Playing against these guys every week. People are going to think I’m the guy to beat but, to me, that was only what it was like on the junior darts circuit. Whenever I did lose, it was a big shock.
“Probably all of them have been saying to themselves, ‘I’m not getting beat by a kid here.’ But they have been. These players have been on top for many years. Going into this season, there’s a lot of them defending prize money, so they’ve got to get so far in a tournament just to keep their world ranking up. Whereas if they go out first round, they’ll drop down, and that’s how I shoot up.”