It was, in truth, everywhere you looked. The Luke Littler merchandise was vast and plentiful but it was topped by the rather peculiar sight of a custom-made shirt with his face adorned all over on it. You can now, somewhat unnervingly, even purchase a Littler-themed Valentine’s Day card. Make no mistake about it, Littlermania has taken over darts and the sport has enjoyed an incredible momentum shift in the past few weeks thanks to the performances of one fearless teenager. This Thursday evening in Cardiff helped reinforce that even further.
The sport’s most prestigious invitational event, the Premier League, has long been one of the highlights of the darting calendar and is often played in front of sell-out crowds all over Europe. But this, the opening night of the 2024 edition, felt different for one very obvious reason. Some things never change, of course, such as the vociferous roar for the hometown hero, in this case Gerwyn Price, as the darting roadshow descended on the Welsh capital.
But perhaps the biggest indicator of how one teenager has shifted the tungsten tectonic plates came in the hours leading up to his Premier League debut when he unveiled a sponsorship deal with a men’s clothing company. This is not the darts we knew just a few months ago; with complete respect, it’s hard to remember Phil Taylor or any of darts’ stars of yesteryear puncturing the mainstream quite like that. But for all the headlines away from the oche – the millions of social media followers, the VIP appearances at Old Trafford and the endless publicity – it is what happens on it that matters now.
Having scripted an incredible story in reaching the PDC World Darts Championship final over Christmas, Littler’s inclusion in the eight-player Premier League field was inevitable. He belongs on these stages; in fact, when he plays, he displays the aura and swagger of a seasoned professional. The event will take him all over Europe across the next 17 Thursdays against the world’s best players but just like everything else that has happened in his career so far, he seems set to simply take it all in his stride.
Littler’s first year as a professional at the age of 17 – yes, he is no longer a 16-year-old – has begun well, with victory in the Bahrain Darts Masters before he finished runner-up in the Dutch Darts Masters. But this, his return to Sky Sports for the first time since that world final defeat to Luke Humphries, and in one of the most punishing and lengthy tournaments there is, was where all eyes would once again fix on the most talked-about teenager in the world of sport. And, of course, he allayed any fears about whether it’s all just a little bit too much, too soon.
Welsh crowds can be hostile towards the English, to put it mildly. Yet the noise level for Littler’s quarter-final with the man who defeated him at Alexandra Palace a few weeks ago was deafeningly pro-Littler. His performance delivered too, with an average of 100.30, the highest of the quarter-finals, and a comfortable 6-2 victory. But in the Premier League, your work isn’t done for the night if you win your first game and barely half an hour later, Littler was on stage again, with another world champion, Michael Smith, his semi-final foe.
It was another high-quality performance from Littler, who averaged 105 and missed a match dart to reach the final on his debut, before Smith edged to a 6-5 victory. Smith then went on to defeat Price in the final. And that is the brutality of the Premier League in a nutshell; when you face the world’s best every week, it is impossible to win every time, despite feeling that is exactly what could happen whenever Littler plays. There is already crippling expectation on young shoulders for him to deliver, but he deals with it magnificently.
When the Premier League heads to the continent in Berlin next Thursday, he will once again be the name on everyone’s lips. This wasn’t his night in terms of overall victory, but Littler is here to stay. If there were any doubters remaining over whether he could repeat his Ally Pally exploits, there surely won’t be now.
