LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 02: Luke Littler of England smiles during his semi final match against Rob Cross of England on day 15 of the 2023/24 Paddy Power World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace on January 02, 2024 in London, England.
Luke Littler reached the final of the World Darts Championship at the age of 16 on Tuesday, extending one of the most unlikely stories in the history of the sport.
Littler, an unseeded player from Runcorn in northwest England who started throwing darts as a toddler, beat 2018 champion Rob Cross 6-2 to get into Wednesday’s title match against Luke Humphries.
“I was happy winning one game but I could go all the way,” said Littler, a tournament debutant. “My target was to still be here after Christmas and now here I am in the final.”
The winner of the final will earn 500,000 pounds ($630,000) and Littler, who has already guaranteed himself 200,000 pounds ($250,000), said he’ll stick to his daily routine before the match.
“In the morning I’ll go for my ham and cheese omelette, then later a pizza and then practice on the board,” the teenager said.
Littler, the world youth champion, has made front-page headlines with his amazing run at Alexandra Palace that also included eliminating multiple former world champion Raymond van Barneveld, his idol. It started on Dec. 20, when he beat Christian Kist in the first round to be the youngest player to win a match at the tournament and got serenaded with chants of “You’ve got school in the morning” by the boisterous fans.
Littler’s new-found celebrity status has led to him and his family receiving complimentary tickets to watch Premier League matches at Arsenal and Tottenham.
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Against Cross, he lost the first set for the first time this tournament but finished with an average of more than 106.
Humphries, the No. 3 seed, beat Scott Williams 6-0 in the second semifinal match and will be competing in his first world final.
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“I’m probably going to have to play the game of my life … to stand a chance tomorrow,” Humphries said of the match against Littler.
