Darts legend Phil “The Power” Taylor says he would be open to a spectacular duel with “prodigy” Luke Littler – if the conditions are right.
“I actually don’t want to play against him, to be completely honest,” Taylor told Talksport. But he added: “I would play against him in an exhibition. One leg, 301, and I’ll start.”
Littler’s star rose at the previous World Darts Championship when he was only stopped in the final by new champion Luke Humphries. Since then, the 17-year-old has confirmed that he is now one of the best actors in the scene.
“He’s absolutely fantastic,” Taylor praised the shooting star, who is already seen by many as his legitimate successor. “I didn’t watch darts anymore, I wasn’t really interested in it. But he got me interested in watching it again.”
Littler is “a great player, he has a great personality,” said the 16-time world champion. The rapid fame has “not affected the youngster so far and I don’t think it will.”
Taylor predicted: “I think he’ll keep his feet on the ground no matter how many tournaments he wins. I think he’ll remain a nice young lad.”
Darts: Peter Wright also raves about Luke Littler
Recently, superstar Peter Wright also found words of praise for Littler.
“Luke is great for the sport. We need that spark. What he does against the big boys is also great for all the young players,” he said at a press conference before his Premier League home game in Glasgow.
The fact that the natural talent obviously achieves his outstanding achievements without much effort also makes “Snakebite” jealous, as he admitted with a wink: “It’s annoying when he sits there playing with his cell phone, then gets up and says: ‘Oh, Now I have to play darts!'”