Luke Littler has been shaking up the international darts scene for almost three months. Even after his World Cup coup, the 17-year-old is storming from victory to victory and is getting on at least one “old hand’s” last nerve.
Youngster Luke Littler has gone from a teenager good at darts to a “top shelf” superstar in recent months. Even after his sensational finale at the World Cup, the 17-year-old continued to win after win and quickly established himself among the world’s best.
The young Englishman is nothing less than a gift for the sport. Thanks to him, the audience ratings have skyrocketed, and various ticket platforms are also reporting record sales figures whenever a Littler appearance is on the horizon. All of this brings money and attention.
“It’s annoying when he sits there and…”
One of the beneficiaries is former world champion Peter Wright. The Scot also expressly welcomes the rise of the prodigy. But one thing bothers “Snakebite”, as he revealed with a wink in the press interview before his Premier League home game in Glasgow.
“Luke is great for the sport. We need that spark. What he does against the big boys is great for all the young players too,” said Wright. However, the fact that Littler has achieved all this without enormous effort, as he is clearly a natural, makes the Scot jealous.
“It’s annoying when he’s sitting there playing with his cell phone and then gets up and says, ‘Oh, now I have to play darts!'” Wright said with a smile of the scenes in the warm-up area where the other professionals were doing their last Throw darts, but Littler has other things on his mind. When it comes to that, the 17-year-old says “Snakebite” reminds him of Dennis Priestley: “He used to sit around and do crossword puzzles and then say, ‘Oh, is it time to play?'”
Given Littler’s class, he is glad that he hasn’t competed against him in a direct duel yet. “But I’m looking forward to it,” Wright said.