As Luke Littler made his way to the stage at the start of the biggest evening of his life (until the next one) he shared hugs with those closest to him: his mum, his dad, and, in an unexpected twist, Wolfie, the Warrington Wolves mascot.
Wolfie had turned up in mid-afternoon with a couple of the team’s players to offer Littler some pre-match encouragement and had then stuck around, perhaps enjoying the anonymity: Alexandra Palace in darts season is one of the few places someone in full wolf costume barely attracts a second glance. Besides, all eyes were on one man. Well, child.
