Teenage sensation Luke “The Nuke” Littler on Saturday set a tournament record with a 140.91 set average as he secured a second-round win in the PDC World Darts Championship with a 3-1 victory over fellow Englishman Ryan Meikle late.
The 17-year-old came close to winning the World Championship in January, but lost in the final to Luke Humphries. Now, he has started the latest edition on a high note.
Tournament favorite Littler fired in four maximum 180s, while winning three consecutive legs in 11, 10 and 11 darts, setting a record set average and finishing with an overall average of 100.85.
Photo: AP
“It was probably the toughest game I’ve ever played. I had to fight until the end,” Littler said in front of 3,000 fans at London’s Alexandra Palace. “It is the worst game I have played. I have never felt anything like that tonight.”
Last year, he took the dart world by storm with his incredible run to the world championship final. His clash with Humphries attracted a peak TV audience of 3.7 million — Sky Sports’ highest figure for a non-soccer event.
Littlermania has scaled new heights since and he is fast becoming one of Britain’s most recognizable sportsmen with commercial deals galore and millions of social media followers.
Photo: Reuters
Littler has his own-branded magnetic dart board, which is flying off the Christmas shelves, endorses a popular breakfast cereal and signed a collaboration deal with Xbox, the logo of which is featured on his distinctive purple and yellow shirt.
The down-to-earth teenager, who celebrated wins last year at Alexandra Palace with kebabs, could eclipse darts great Phil Taylor and become a British icon like ex-England soccer captain David Beckham, twice world champion Dennis Priestley said earlier this month.
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