Luke Littler made light work of Lourence Ilagan as he returned to the oche for the first time since winning the World Darts Championship - minutes after Rob Cross' humbling exit. The 17-year-old became the toast of the darting world at Alexandra Palace earlier this month, beating Michael van Gerwen to lift the Sid Waddell Trophy for the first time. And his maiden appearance since becoming world champ was in Bahrain as he looked to defend the title he won 12 months ago.
Back in 2024, Littler won the Bahrain Masters in his first ever World Series event, just weeks after losing the final at Ally Pally to Luke Humphries. That kicked off a magical year which included winning the Premier League and the Grand Slam before his crowing moment in the capital.
Littler enters this time around as the second seed, but tournament favourite, and moved into the quarter finals with a 6-3 win over reigning PDC Asian champion Ilagan. Despite not being at his best, with the score at 4-3, Littler charged to the finish line in clinical fashion averaging just below 95 in the process.
It may have been yet another victory for 'The Nuke', but there was a very substantial difference, with the teenage sensation using a new set of arrows following his win over Van Gerwen. And he admitted that may have had an impact on a below-par performance.
