BARRY HEARN believes he may have spotted darts’ next Luke Littler – and he is just ten years old.
Matchroom founder and president Hearn, 76, spent 20 years as chairman of the Professional Darts Corporation until stepping aside in 2021.
Luke Littler won the Darts World Championship aged 17AP
GettyFormer PDC chairman Barry Hearn has spotted the ‘next Littler’ aged just ten[/caption]
And he reckons the rising star he spotted recently is destined for greatness.
There is just one catch, though.
Due to his size, the youngster cannot reach the top of the board to remove his darts when he hits double 20.
Hearn told SunSport: “There is a tsunami of people around the world who have been inspired by Luke Littler.
“I’m an anorak, right? So I follow everything.
“I saw a 10-year-old the other day.
“He had a 106 average and he checked out 140 and 154.
“He had one problem in his life: he couldn’t reach the darts to take him out of the double top.”
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When SunSport asked for the child prodigy’s name or where he is based, Hearn understandably refused to give any more details.
He added: “Oh no, I’m not gonna put any pressure on these kids.
“I watched him on a stream. I’m saying no more than that, buddy.
“Don’t be parochial. Don’t just think about England, but there is a lot in England.
“But there are also kids out there in Holland, in Germany, in Belgium, in Spain, in Italy, now in France. And now we’re seeing China suddenly pick up on darts, too.”
One of the reasons why darts talents can emerge at such a young age is because it is a cheap and accessible sport.
Hearn is then passionate about creating a pathway for those rising stars to reach the top of the game.
Hearn explained: “It doesn’t cost a lot of money to play darts. You can put a dartboard up in your bedroom.
“It’s all about discipline and dedication.
“Then you need three big things: structure, understanding and common sense.
Littler could be a generational great. We can’t take away the pressure of play – that’s on the field of play – but we can help your life around it.
Barry Hearn
“Structure: if a player doesn’t have opportunities, you never see a sport expand so you’ve got to create those opportunities.
“In darts, we have the Junior Darts Corporation, which starts at six years old and goes up through the ages into the Developmental Tour, which is 16 years old.
“Then you can dream of going to Q School then win your professional card, but it’s tough, tough, tough.
“The standard is hugely high. There’s thousands of kids all around the world trying to get there, which is what you want in a sport. It’s aspirational.”
Littler has blazed the trail and set the example for any wannabe darts star.
The Warrington kid’s stunning rise saw him reach the World Championship final aged 16, win the Premier League at 17 and be crowned king of Ally Pally before he turned 18.
And Hearn is keen to emphasise the need to manage him and others that will follow in his footsteps so they are protected and do not burn out or get taken advantage of.
He continued: “Luke is a sensational player, a great, great, great player and he could be a generational great.
“So we’ve got to help him through because you will find that your life changes.
“He has a manager, he has a mother and father who are very supportive and they have people they can turn to should they need any help in any direction possible.
“We can’t take away the pressure of play – that’s on the field of play – but your life around it, I think we can help. There’s always someone to talk to.”
