LUKE LITTLER MOCKS HIMSELF ON WAY TO FIRST PREMIER LEAGUE DARTS SUCCESS

Luke Littler poked fun at himself after throwing a wayward dart in his Premier League final clash against Nathan Aspinall on Thursday.

The 17-year-old beat world No 1 Luke Humphries and three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen to reach the final for the second time this year. And while he was beaten 6-5 by Van Gerwen that time around in Berlin, Littler emerged victorious against Aspinall in Belfast.

However, the game was not without its drama as Littler needed to come from behind to lift the trophy. With the scores level at 1-1, Littler attempted a 131 finish to win the third leg, knowing that if he missed Aspinall would likely take the lead. Things started well when the teenager hit a treble 17, leaving him needing two treble 20s for victory. However, his first attempt went well over the target and Littler was able to poke fun at his miss by pretending to look off into the crowd for his dart.

His antics drew laughter from the Sky Sports commentators, with Rod Studd jokingly saying: "There she blows". Aspinall went on to win the leg and ultimately took a 3-1 lead before Littler mounted an impressive comeback to win the match 6-4. "I'm happy to win my first one - I've changed my throw, put in more practice tonight and it's paid off," Littler said after his victory. "I had a practice match with Rob Cross earlier - we both averaged 100-plus and it put me in the mood.

"I missed two darts at double 10 to win in Berlin on the second night, but I'm glad finally to get that first win on the board. I'm enjoying playing in front of these big crowds - if you don't enjoy it, you are not going to play well. "Now I can't wait to play in front of a 'home' crowd in Manchester next week. Maybe I was rushing before, but tonight I was taking my time before releasing the next dart."

Littler's victory earned him five points and saw him move second behind Humphries in the Premier League table, leaving him well-place to make the play-offs with seven nights of action remaining.

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2024-03-29T09:26:42Z dg43tfdfdgfd