"For me, peak Littler beats peak Taylor" - Stuart Pyke ranks Luke Littler higher than Phil Taylor over ability on the oche

Phil Taylor and Luke Littler never got to play in the same era. While 'The Power' dominated for decades compared to the few years Littler has been bossing the PDC Tour, both have been touted as two of the best dart players. Debates have been held on who would win in their peak, with commentator Stuart Pyke leaning towards Littler.

The greatest darts player of all time is widely recognised to by Taylor. The 16-time world champion has virtually won every title the sport has to offer numerous times. He leaves behind a great darting legacy that many players have tried to replicate.

The closest has been Michael van Gerwen. He burst onto the scene after winning a maiden major title in 2012 and has exploded from then. His most dominant years have come between 2016 and 2018 where he was regularly lofting trophies above his head while putting in mammoth performances.

While his level has dropped in recent times, a new kid on the block has since arrived. Littler made an impression as a 16-year-old in the 2024 PDC World Darts Championship, showcasing the natural ability on the oche and a glimpse of what is to come.

While he has graced the PDC Tour nowhere near compared to Taylor in terms of years, he is already putting up an argument as a future great, challenging the accolades of Taylor and possibly leaping above him as the greatest darts player of all time. However, that is a long way off and fans are left to wonder what a meeting between the two in their pomp would look like.

Pyke has witnessed both prime Taylor and the rise of Littler, giving him a very suitable platform to share who he think would come out on top. “I think that all those records are there to be broken, whether he goes on to get 16, like Taylor did in World Championships," he said on the Love the Darts Podcast.

“But I’ll always maintain that at least half of those that Taylor won were gimmies. Maybe a bit harsh because the competition just wasn’t up to it when Taylor were in his pomp. But it’s a great pub topic and it will go on forever and ever. But for me, Peak Littler beats Peak Taylor.”

Littler has a lot of work to do before equalling Taylor in terms of titles won, specifically world titles. He is currently on two with 14 left before he equals the 65-year-old's overall tally. It could have been three by now if he was able to topple Luke Humphries in the 2024 final at Ally Pally.

While it was a tough pill to swallow at the time, Pyke was adamant that the defeat succumbed was the best possible thing to happen for not just Littler, but for darts. “Funny, to this day I still maintain this. I’m sure people will agree or not. But Luke Humphries beating Luke Littler in that world final when Humphries won was the best thing that happened for Littler," he commented.

“It was also the best thing that happened for darts. I think Humphries deserved his moment. He’ll have many, many more. But it unleashed something that we thought we’d never see again. Well, I certainly didn’t when you were a lot younger in my lifetime.”