Luke Littler utterly obliterates Stephen Bunting to reach darts world final
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More than a million pounds in prize money; 10 major tournament wins; four perfect nine-dart finishes; the BBC’s Young Sports Personality of the Year. Luke Littler’s 2024 was a fairy tale, but he would still have traded all that for the big one that got away.
The holy grail of darts is the World Championship at Alexandra Palace and, for a second successive New Year, Littler will play for the £500,000 chance on Friday night to become his sport’s youngest winner. Now aged 17, he would be beating a record set in 2014 by Michael van Gerwen by fully seven years.
An emphatic 6-1 semi-final win here against crowd favourite Stephen Bunting that included a ‘Big Fish’ maximum 170 finish has set up a dream final against Van Gerwen, the Dutch master, who was one of Littler’s heroes as a child. Luke Littler is very good at darts. pic.twitter.com/cbBIwdzmaC.
They have played 12 times already since Littler joined the senior circuit, sharing six wins apiece to underline the fine margins between one seasoned professional who has already won everything in the game and a teenage sensation who will surely join him in the pantheon of darts greats.
Littler said that it was a dream come true to be facing Van Gerwen in the World Championship final, even if he thinks the sporting public is probably more excited than him. “We all know he is hunting for another world title – I’m hunting for my first and I’m ready,” said Littler. “It’s the stuff of dreams, every kid, every adult, wants to pick up this trophy. It has been an amazing tournament so far. I’ve got no pressure – I’m just going to enjoy it.”.
