HAPPY NUKE YEAR – Luke Littler has done it again as he strolled into the PDC World Darts Championship semi-finals and banked a whopping £100,000 in prize money.
What a dream start this has been to the New Year for unstoppable Luke the Nuke, whose fairy tale story continues on the Ally Pally stage.
Sky SportsLuke Littler booked his spot in the PDC World Darts Championship[/caption]
GettyThe teenager thrashed Brendan Dolan[/caption]
PAThe teenager put on another stunning performance at Ally Pally[/caption]
Six months after leaving secondary school, the 16-year-old has captured the imagination the sporting public and now he is only ONE WIN away from booking his spot in the final on Wednesday.
This time, the veteran Brendan Dolan was the sacrificial lamb on the oche, walking away from this tournament having been so comprehensively outscored and battered into submission.
Littler’s 5-1 drubbing secures a semi-final spot tomorrow evening against former world champion Rob Cross, who came from 4-0 down to shock Chris Dobey 5-4 in the opening quarter-final.
Nobody is getting close to the Kebab Kid, in terms of averages, finishing and pure relentlessness on the board.
Whatever happens from now on, Littler will have earned a minimum of six figures for his incredible run and he will be parachuted into the top 60 on the Order of Merit.
Two wins in the coming days and against pre-event odds of 150-1, he will become the youngest darts world champion in history.
Most normal teenagers struggle to get out of bed in the mornings, especially when they are on a day off from school.
Littler, known for his explosive starts, played in the evenings in his previous four games on the stage but for the first time he had to be ready for a mid-afternoon slot.
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More importantly, he was going to have to judge his rhythm and keep his patience throughout against Dolan, aka the History Maker, who is notorious for being a slow, methodical player.
The Northern Ireland thrower – the senior man by 34 years – opened brilliantly by taking out 101 on double 16 in the first leg.
But the rest of the set went downhill for Dolan, who averaged only 75.88 compared to Littler’s solid 98.47.
Littler sealed the first set in leg five on a double 10 but not before a moment of cheeky showmanship that is rarely seen at this level.
Presented with the 170 Big Fish checkout, the qualifier hit two treble 20s and then stopped, turned round to the crowd and asked: ‘Shall I go for it?’
Though he eventually missed the Bullseye, it demonstrated wonderfully the confidence that has surged through his body after his magical adventure in North London.
Littler, certainly in comparison to his opening appearance against Christian Kist, had his game-face on and was not in mood to muck around.
The second set was won 3-0 easily on legs thanks to finishes of 100, 57 and 56.
And for the fifth game running in this tournament, he had won at least the opening two sets against his opponent.
Sometimes he can lose his concentration and focus in set three – notably he did that against UK Open champion Andrew Gilding in round two – but that was not the case this time, celebrating a magnificent 111 break against the throw.
At 4-0 up, Littler was cruising, averaging 18 more points than the No.28 seed, and with two more maximums on his scoresheet.
Between the breaks, he was interacting with the fans, giving the thumbs up and loving the fact they were singing ‘Walking in a Littler Wonderland’, which is a rehash of an old Phil Taylor ditty.
Dolan, 50, showed pride to avoid the whitewash and his 118 checkout – his second highest after a 142 at the start of set four – gave him control of the fifth set.
But that was not going to stop the inevitable Littler runaway train and the Warrington Teen, boosted by a 140 at the start of set six, moved into last four on double four.
Happy Nuke Year indeed
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PALittler was given a hero’s welcome at Ally Pally[/caption]
PAFriends and family gave the youngster a final hug of encouragement beforehand[/caption]
PAHe refused to be shaken by his slow start[/caption]
GettyDolan could barely believe what was happening at the oche[/caption]
APThe crowd, decked out in fancy dress, were loving the entertainment[/caption]
Sky SportsThis Star Wars sign gave Littler extra encouragement[/caption]
Sky SportsHe conducted the crowd after taking a 4-0 lead[/caption] Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
