5:17 p.m
Conclusion
There was a class difference between Littler and Dolan. The 16-year-old played outstanding darts at times. Dolan didn’t pose a threat to him at all in the first four sets. The Northern Irishman was able to win the fifth set because Littler made a few mistakes on doubles. But that didn’t change The Nuke’s dominant performance. In the sixth set he was there again on the doubles. He finished the game with the first match dart on double 4. In the end, Littler averaged 102 points and had a double rate of 47 percent. That was strong. He will face Rob Cross in the semi-finals.
5:13 p.m
Littler hits the first match dart
The boy is incredible. He actually doesn’t play that well in Dolan’s throwing leg, but then the 162 for 140 rest comes again. It’s not the high finish this time, but it creates 8 rest, so Dolan is forced to check 72. The Northern Irishman throws 16 and 16 for double 20. One dart goes just over. So Littler has three chances. He hits the double 4 with the first arrow. This is victory for The Nuke!
5:12 p.m
It could happen very quickly
On his own throw, Littler sets the 80 rest over a 140. Dolan is once again not in the singles area. Littler wants to put the double 16 above the triple 16. But he accidentally hits the triple 8. Then he hits 16 and has a chance of tops. The arrow is in place. Now Littler is just one leg away from victory.
5:09 p.m
Directly the break
Littler plays the perfect transition with a 162 on Dolan’s throw. He puts 140. Dolan doesn’t get into the finish area. Littler therefore has no pressure and still plays it perfectly. He checks over triple-18, triple-18 and double-16. This is a strong high finish to the break.
5:04 p.m
Conclusion fifth sentence
In the fifth set the players converged in their performances. Dolan got a little better. But Littler also made some errors on doubles. In the end, Dolan needed another high finish to close the set. Littler doesn’t have to worry about the next comeback here, but he should become more consistent on the doubles again.
5:03 p.m
Strong by Dolan
If Dolan wants to hold his throw and win this set, he has to check 118 points because Littler is ready at 40 points. The History Maker shows good timing in this situation. He coolly checks triple-20, 18 and tops. That’s the first sentence for the Northern Irishman.
5:00 p.m
A crucial bouncer
Dolan has the chance to break at 108 points. He wants to play it over the 18 Shanghai finish. That would be triple 18, 18 and double 18. The first dart lands in the large segment. So the next one has to go into the triple. But the arrow flies out of the board. So there is no chance to check. Dolan acknowledges this with slight annoyance. Littler then checks 32 points over 16 and double 8. That’s 1:2 in the fifth set.
16:58
The next mistakes
Littler wants to get the re-break straight away. He has 56 standing. He gets two chances over the 16th. The first lands in the 20 and the second in the 10. These are the next mistakes from The Nuke. Dolan punished this immediately this time. He checks for double 16 with the second dart. That’s 2-0 for Dolan in the fifth set.
16:56
A little double trouble
Dolan plays six perfect darts on Littler’s throw. Then with 144 remaining he only manages 60 points and Littler faces Tops. Dolan has 84. He accidentally hits triple-5 and then puts the bullseye on 19. But History Maker doesn’t do that. This means Littler has three darts on double 20. Now the boy is making mistakes. He doesn’t check. But Dolan doesn’t punish this because he accidentally hits double 11 after the 9 at 25. But Littler makes three more mistakes. Then Dolan is there. He checks for double 8 with the first dart.
16:51
Conclusion fourth sentence
There is a class difference between Littler and Dolan. Doland was able to get a leg in this set, but that was only possible because he took out 142 points. The difference in scoring is simply too big. Littler plays a really strong match with an average of 102 points. With just under 85 points, Dolan remains well below his potential. There is no tension yet.
16:48
Will this be 5-0?
There is no tension. This time Littler has 164 points remaining and six darts to spare. He hits the 19 and then the single bull. The last arrow of course lands in the triple 20, leaving 60 points remaining. Dolan plays no role in this leg. Littler checks incredibly confidently over 20 and double 20 again. He then takes a sip from the bottle and celebrates briefly with the fans. That’s 4-0 in sets.
16:46
The next break
Littler again plays a strong transition on Dolan’s throw. He faces 60 remaining while Dolan is still at 200 points. The History Maker also takes on 60, but he can’t get to it anymore. Littler throws 20, 20 and then checks on double 10. That’s 2:1 in the fourth set.
16:44
The throw is not a problem
When he throws his own ball, Littler plays from the front again without any problems. He sets himself 36 points remaining and checks for double 18 with the second dart. That’s just strong from Littler and he doesn’t let up.
16:43
A highlight for Dolan
Dolan puts an exclamation point at the start of the fourth sentence. But this is also sorely necessary because he can’t keep up with his own throw. He has 142 remaining and hits triple-20 twice. That leaves him with 22 remaining. The last arrow lands in the narrow double field of 11. Strong high finish.
4:40 p.m
Strong decider
Littler goes into the decider with a 180. Then he plays some more good darts. Dolan can’t keep up at all. In the end he wants to check over double 18 and double 18. That doesn’t work. But he has no pressure. With the next shot he makes 58 points over 18 and tops. That’s 3-0 in the sets.
16:38
Break chance for Littler
Littler gets the chance for the big fish when Dolan throws, but only throws 59 points. Dolan is at 104. He hits triple 18 and then big 18. That gives him a dart for double 16. The History Maker misses. Littler is at 111. He goes at it via the single bull. Then he hits triple 18, so he also has a chance at double 16. The youngster does it better. He hits the double and then he goes out on his own. That was a strong high finish!
16:36
Dolan is getting better
Does Dolan come into play better now? In this throw leg from Littler, the Northern Irishman faces 32 rest while Littler is not yet in the finish area and Dolan hits double 16 with the first dart. That’s 2:1 in the third set. He throws to win the set.
16:34
A surprising hit
The game goes on like this and Dolan has no influence at all. This time Littler has 48 remaining when Dolan throws. He throws 8 for tops and misses. The second dart passes the double 10. That gives Dolan another chance. He has 88 remaining. He throws 20 and 18, so he gets a dart at Bullseye and he actually hits. This is unexpected. Even Russ Bray didn’t expect it and called it wrong. But he corrects himself immediately. This is the first leg for Dolan after losing seven legs in a row.
16:31
Dolan won’t come in
Dolan doesn’t hit the triple. So he can’t keep up with Littler’s throw, even though The Nuke didn’t score that well in this leg. The 16-year-old faces 20 remaining and checks for double 10 with the third dart. That’s 1-0 in the third set.
16:26
Conclusion second sentence
At no point did Dolan have a serious chance of winning this set. Littler plays at a completely different level. His average is 106 points. Dolan is almost 80. Littler also has a 67 percent double rate. It’s been an extremely one-sided game so far.
4:25 p.m
A class difference
Dolan now seems annoyed because he has no access at all. This time he could check on his own throw, but he hits the 1 with 120 remaining. So it won’t work. Littler is at 56 and takes the second set on 16 and tops. This is the sixth straight leg for The Nuke.
16:23
Dolan isn’t coming
Littler is playing almost perfectly again. He has another chance for an eleven-darter because he is on 47 after nine darts. Then he makes a careless mistake. He hits 16 instead of 7. But in the end it doesn’t matter because Littler simply checks over 11 and double 10. Then just a twelve-darter.
16:21
Littler is ice cold
Littler plays the perfect transition on Dolan’s throw. With a 171 he leaves himself 100 points remaining. It doesn’t help Dolan that he counters that with a 180. Because Littler checks triple-20 and double-20 with incredible confidence. This is The Nuke’s next eleven darter. How good is this boy?
16:17
Conclusion first sentence
Littler didn’t come in well. He looked tense and lost the first two legs. But then he found his touch. Suddenly the triples started falling and The Nuke took three legs in a row. If he keeps playing like this, Dolan won’t be able to keep up.
4:15 p.m
What a guy
Littler plays with the audience. He’s at 170 remaining while Dolan is still over 350. The Nuke hits triple-20 twice. The audience is happy about that. He stops briefly and makes a gesture that asks the audience whether he should throw at Bull. The Ally Pally only knows one answer to this. Littler doesn’t score, but the fans love that. He then checks 39 points over 19 and double 10. That’s 1-0 in the sets for Littler, who won three legs in a row here.
16:13
Littler is getting better
Now Littler attacks Dolan’s throw because he reliably hits the triple. He’s at 70 remaining and throwing triple-18s and double-8s like it’s the easiest thing in the world. It’s going into the dike.
16:11
Robin Hood
Dolan now throws a little too accurately and hits a Robin Hood. But he can’t keep up in this leg. Littler has plenty of time for 24 remaining on his own throw. The first arrow is in place. This is the first leg for Littler.
16:09
Directly the re-break?
Both players are still struggling. Dolan is allowed to throw doubles first again. This time he misses an arrow on double 16 and one on double 8. Littler is at 56. He throws 16 and then also misses two darts on doubles. Dolan is at 16. He hits the big 8 and the big 4. So he has to make double 2 to confirm the break. And that works. That’s 2-0 for Dolan.
16:06
Good start for Dolan
Dolan attacks Littler’s throw directly. He has 101 points and immediately hits triple-19. He sets double 16 over the 12 and hits with the first arrow. This is directly the high finish and the break. Strong by Dolan.
16:01
It’s about to start
The players come on stage and interject. The Ally Pally is ready. Everything is set for an exciting quarter-final!
15:52
Dolan won with average performances
The History Maker didn’t play outstanding averages in either game. He was around 95 points each time. But he had 43 and 50 percent on the doubles and repeatedly showed good timing. And he managed to get the opponents, who were actually superior, to act at his level.
15:51
The inconspicuous Northern Irishman
Brendan Dolan surprisingly won 4-3 against Gary Anderson in the round of 16. Anderson was actually in good shape, but Dolan is not easy to beat at this World Cup. Gerwyn Price also had this experience.
3:50 p.m
A 16-year-old as the favorite?
Ever since this performance it has been clear that The Nuke can also perform on the big stage. If he continues to play like this, he will be one of the favorites for the World Cup title. The big question: Will Littler show nerves at some point?
3:49 p.m
Littler incredibly strong in the round of 16
Luke Littler is a phenomenon. The 16-year-old played against Raymond van Barneveld in the round of 16 and he didn’t give his idol a chance. With an average of 105 points and a double rate of 50 percent, Barney couldn’t keep up. In the end it was 4:1 for Littler.
3:48 p.m
Welcome
Happy New Year and welcome to the quarter-finals of the 2024 World Darts Championship. In the second game of the afternoon session, Luke Littler meets Brendan Dolan.