World champion Humphries has no chance
Whistles cause trouble for Littler’s revenge
February 2, 2024, 7:49 a.m
Luke Littler, the “Young Player of the Year”, is also making a name for himself on his debut in the Premier League. The 17-year-old wins again against world champion Luke Humphries – but the whistles directed at his opponent are unpleasant. Now Littler is looking forward to his first appearance in Germany.
Darts prodigy Luke Littler also impressed on his debut in the prestigious Premier League. In his first game, the 17-year-old Englishman clearly won the new edition of the World Cup final against compatriot Luke Humphries 6:2, but in the semifinals it was over after the 5:6 against the eventual winner Michael Smith despite a match dart. As with his appearances at the World Cup, Littler put in a strong performance. The whiz kid averaged over 100 points in both of his games.
However, some spectators in Cardiff caused displeasure. Especially in the game between Littler and Humphries, some spectators were noticed negatively by whistling at Littler’s opponent. This was also the case in the game against Smith. The 17-year-old himself admitted before his Premier League debut that he was not entirely comfortable with the hustle and bustle surrounding him. “It is what it is. I have to get used to it. The more I win, the bigger I get.”
Littler had previously won the first tournament of the World Series in Bahrain, throwing a nine-darter on the way to triumph. This despite the fact that he admitted that he had not touched any arrows since the World Cup final. In the second event, the Englishman reached the final after beating compatriot Humphries. There he lost to Michael van Gerwen. He was also voted “Young Player of the Year” by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).
Cardiff now marked the start of even more intense weeks: only after 16 match days will the four best players in London determine the winner, who will receive 275,000 pounds (around 320,000 euros). The prize money is not included in the world rankings. Next week on Thursday (February 8th) the Premier League will be stopping off at Berlin’s Mercedes-Benz Arena – this is the stop Littler is particularly looking forward to. “I’m really looking forward to Berlin next week,” said legend Phil Taylor’s protégé.