14 March 2024 , 09:10
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James Wade believes teenage sensation Luke Littler is "extremely good" for darts, despite the 17-year-old "ruffling a few feathers" as he continues his rise.
Littler recently won the Belgian Open on his European Tour debut, beating Rob Cross 8-7 in the final. He was also involved in a tense exchange with Ricardo Pietreczko in the semi-finals, with Littler winning their match 7-3.
Following his defeat, Pietreczko had some words with Littler and the German later accused him of "arrogance" on social media. He wrote: "I really appreciate the fact that he can play a game like that at such an age. But I hope his arrogance punishes him."
Littler, however, was baffled by Pietreczko's comments as he insisted: "No idea what I did wrong, no idea what he said. He said something then don't do it again."
And in his column for the Daily Star, Wade hailed Littler's latest tournament win while also referencing the clash with Pietreczko. "Littler continues to make the game look extremely easy," Wade wrote.
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"He's hitting nine-darters, winning tournaments and ruffling a few feathers in the process. He is extremely good for our sport and everyone will reap the rewards from high viewing figures, wider interest and a new audience."
And former darts star Wayne Mardle believes Littler's reaction to the Pietreczko drama was very impressive. "Pietreczko has done this four or five times when he gets beat, he doesn't like it," Mardle told Sky Sports.
Ricardo Pietreczko had a tense exchange with Littler at the Belgian Open"But he normally acts in a pretty petulant way. And to be honest, this is kind of expected but what wasn't expected was the reaction from Luke - he couldn't care less. Honestly, look, Littler has got this constitution that is relaxed, he is focused when he has to be, he enjoys the crowd interaction with them and enjoys the game.
"He enjoys the pressure, all of this and he's just 17. There's going to be jealousy, they're going to be jealous for the things that come his way with sponsorships, the endorsements, the money, the fame, the media attention, where some think that they deserve it more than Luke, whether they do or not is absolutely irrelevant.
"But the likes of Pietreczko couldn't rattle him. You can't rattle Littler. That in itself is rattling. I think a lot of players think they can intimidate a 17-year-old."
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