Reigning World Champion Luke Littler added the Grand Prix trophy to his ever-growing haul of silverware with an emphatic 6–1 victory over Luke Humphries.
It’s been a rollercoaster ride, travelling at near light speed for the teenage phenomenon ever since he burst onto the scene, and now, in only his second year as a professional, he’s already won almost everything the PDC has to offer.
This was one he needed for his collection and now, there’s a massive tick beside it.The scene was set in Leicester – the two best players on the planet going head-to-head in a mouth-watering final. It wasn’t the first time the pair had met, and darts fans around the globe settled in for what they hoped would be a titanic tungsten tussle.Instead, what they witnessed was a one-sided affair, as The Nuke raced to a 6–1 victory.
A glance at the post-match stats might suggest a tighter contest, but in darts, timing is everything – and on this night, Littler’s was Swiss-watch perfect.The opening two sets both went the teenager’s way via last-leg deciders. In the third, the 18-year-old stormed clear to establish a commanding lead at the halfway mark.
There aren’t many players on the planet you’d back to recover from 3–0 down against a rampant Littler – but Humphries is one of the few you’d even consider.Cool Hand battled bravely, but when he failed to take his chances in set four, the writing was on the wall. Still, the world number one dug in, producing his best darts of the night to claim the fifth set in style and reduce the deficit to 4–1. That, however, seemed to spark Littler back into life.
Before his World Cup teammate could even think about a comeback, the Warrington wonderkid hit the accelerator and reeled off the final two sets needed to seal another major title.
With only the European Championship and Players Championship Finals left to complete the full PDC set, few would bet against Littler adding both to his glittering collection before the year is out.
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Images: PDC / Simon O’Connor
