Luke Littler produced the second-best average the World Matchplay has ever seen on Tuesday night, posting an eye-watering 113.68, in a performance that was nothing short of exceptional as he beat Nathan Aspinall 11-8 to reach the quarter-finals.
Only Phil Taylor’s 114.99 against Barry Bates in 2010 stands above it in the tournament’s history. Aspinall produced everything he could to try to stop the rout, but the defending champion simply had too much in a match that featured no less than 22 maximums.
The third match of the second-round produced one of the most remarkable mini-sessions Blackpool has ever seen. Littler achieved perfection in the very first leg, pinning a nine-dart finish via the treble 20, treble 17, double 15 route, despite not starting the leg on throw.
From there it should have been one-way traffic, with Littler’s winning legs in the opening exchanges taking just 9, 14 and 10 darts. The final of those being another attempt at a perfect leg that ended when he just missed double 15.
But it was Aspinal’s grit and determination that kept him in the match. And from there, the script continued. As Littler kept the maximums flowing, Aspinall matched him leg for leg, never letting the deficit stretch beyond two legs.
In the fourteenth leg, Aspinall’s hard work looked to have paid off as he found the break he’d been chasing to level the scores, only for Littler to hit straight back and break Aspinall’s throw again immediately after.
From that point Littler went on the kind of sprint he has become synonymous with, reeling off three legs on the spin from 7-7 to look to have the tie wrapped up. Aspinall had other ideas though, producing an inspired 170 finish that whipped the Winter Gardens crowd into a frenzy and offered a glimpse of a remarkable comeback.
It was to be a false dawn, as Littler shut the door soon after, closing out a 11-8 win to book his place in the last eight as he continues the defence of the Phil Taylor Trophy.
Images: Taylor Lanning / PDC
