LUKE LITTLER feels he has proved the tungsten doubters wrong and allayed any Premier League burnout fears.
On Thursday night the 17-year-old oche sensation eyes a whopping £315,000 Premier League Darts jackpot in front of the biggest UK darts audience ever for a PDC event.
A crowd of 13,800 – a record for the professional era – at the London O2 Arena will watch Littler battle Michael Smith in the opening semi-final over the best of 19 legs.
Last January, there were worries that Littler, despite making the Ally Pally world final, was too young and too wet-behind-the-ears to deal with the gruelling 17-week Road Show.
Yet he topped the table with four nightly wins – which have banked him a £40,000 bonus – and demonstrated he truly belongs at the elite end of the sport.
Warrington-born Littler, who says he may even practice for this showpiece occasion, remarked: “Well, they said I wasn’t ready – now look where I am.
“I haven’t got the job done yet. But I have topped the table on debut as a 17-year-old. That’s all I have got to say for now.
“If I do go all the way, then there will be a big message for all those who doubted me.
“I’ve learned a lot, especially about the travelling and playing week-in week-out.
“I’ve got the hang of it. I know what to expect from all these players.
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“It would mean a lot to win on debut, win my first major, but I have to get past Smithy first.
“I’ve been thinking to myself: Try to win when it matters. On Thursday night it matters a lot.”
Littler refused to touch the Prem trophy as he posed alongside Smith and the other semi-finalists, the world No.1 Luke Humphries and Dutchman Michael van Gerwen, the seven-time Prem champion.
The teenager explained: “Don’t touch it until you win it!
“We did some filming before the World Championship final. I didn’t touch the Sid Waddell Trophy either. If I win it, that’s when I’ll touch it.”
Littler has never been to the O2 Arena for a concert or show though he did attend the last-ever BDO World Darts Championships, which were held in January 2020 in the arena’s nightclub, the Indigo.
In the corridors of this dome-shaped venue are framed shirts by the iconic musicians, comedians and sports stars that have graced the place.
I haven’t got the job done yet. But I have topped the table on debut as a 17-year-old. That’s all I have got to say for now.
Luke Littler
The Manchester United fan Littler, who heads to the FA Cup Final on Saturday, said: “I see there is a signed dartboard from the first Premier League final in 2012.
“Hopefully if I do win it, I will get my shirt up there, too.”
Smith, 33, has won five of the seven meetings with Littler in this competition and hopes to sustain his supremacy over the sport’s most famous player.
Bully Boy, who is 6-1 to win the title, said: “What’s the secret to beating Littler? Just drag him down to my level.
“Keep bringing him down to 90-odd averages and then I kick on over the next 3-4 legs. Put it over 100. You just have to get on with it.
“The bookies don’t throw my darts for me, they just put the odds out there. The odds don’t bother me one bit.”
LUKE LITTLER has taken the darts world by storm since exploding onto the scene at the PDC World Championship.
The Nuke reached the final on his Ally Pally debut at just 16 years of age – smashing records along the way.
He has since joined Jude Bellingham on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list.
And the teenage titan even had to snub an invite from the WWE.
The Sun exclusively revealed that Littler is plotting to create a fitness empire.
He is also cashing in away from the Oche thanks to an Instagram side hustle.
And he’s even the face of a brand new cereal.
Check out all of our Luke Littler stories here.
