Could unfavorable scheduling be the reason for Luke Littler’s Sudden exit from the Flander’s trophy?

The dust has settled and the winner of the Flanders Dart Trophy has been decided, with Dave Chinsall emerging as the victor, dispatching surprise finalist Ricardo Pietraeczko, there’s the little matter of what happened to Britain's finest, Luke Littler. 

All trusted betting sites worth their name had good odds ranging from 3/1 to 9/2 on Littler to not only reach the finals but clinch the title. Despite the 17-year-old Briton being knocked out at the German Darts Championship, the quality of his play and the amount of skill in his repertoire still meant he was a contender for the Flanders Dart Championship. It was a remarkable comeback from Peter Wright, the former world champion, as he defied the 5 - 2 hands Luke Littler dealt him to finish 8 - 5 in Germany. 

Perhaps it was because of this setback that fans and pundits alike were convinced that Littler would be out for blood. Convinced the best way to keep the disappointment of his last outing will be a stronger showing in this tourney, fans of the sport had wagered that Littler was the best bet and will now be wondering where it went wrong for the young darts aficionado. 

Maybe the clues were already there on his social media page where Littler cryptically posted, “Last game on again…” This indicates that the darts prodigy did not fancy or appreciate the fact that his game would be the last one on yet again. It would appear that the organizers are hoping to capitalize on Littler’s success as news of the 17-year-old boy wonder has traveled far and wide. They are hoping that by booking him and setting up his match at primetime, they’d be able to get as many people interested and invested as possible. 

While we do not know what happened for certain, one thing that’s evident is that Littler was some way from his best. Littler was eliminated in the third round at the hands of Dirk 'Aubergenius' van Duijvenbode. It was a comfortable victory that ended 6 - 2 in favor of van Duijvenbode, who’s known for bringing an Aubergine on stage. He threw five 180s against Littler, and from there, it was pretty much game, set, and match. 

Dirk van Duijvenbode was graceful in his victory, still full of praise for Littler’s talent, even going as far as saying Littler was better than Van Gerwen in his teenage years. . He said, “We’ve never seen a kid play like this. I know Michael van Gerwen doesn’t like to hear it, but this kid is better than Michael when he was 17. He isn’t at his best. He has so much more to improve, and he’s already almost unbeatable.”“What can I say? I saw his averages yesterday, and I thought, OK, he hit 135 with first three darts.

“I know I can do that, but I don’t do it every time. So I was so focused. I was like, ‘Dirk if you want to win, you need to be at your best’. I was so focused at the beginning with 180 and 180. I think there were five maximums in the first four legs. Luke Humphries is World No.1 and World Champion, but Luke Littler is No.2. We are talking about a 17-year-old kid. He is better than me and better than a lot of players. If you beat him, it's a massive confidence boost."

The internet was full of praise for Littler when he dispatched his opponent Jermaine Wattimena, winning 6 - 1 and breaking the record for the highest-ever average in a PDC event as he cruised on to face Dirk 'Aubergenius' van Duijvenbode, a record before held by the exceptional Luke Humphries. 

In the same way, fans and pundits were quick to praise Littler, which is the same way they were quick to scold Littler, with many agreeing that he did not lose with grace and others saying he gave up some into the matchup. 

One user said, “All respect to Luke but genuinely looked like he gave up."

Another agrees by saying, "I always route for Littler, but he has to sort his mentality out if he wants to be a force. It's very predictable when he goes behind he'll just chuck it in."