"He won’t break Phil Taylor’s record" – Russ Bray explains why Luke Littler won’t be the new dominant darting force

The World Darts Championship delivered sporting fireworks this year, with a semi-final already hailed by experts as a classic. Yet another debate lingered afterward: has the gap between Luke Littler and the rest become too big?

Speaking to talkSPORT Darts on Jeff Stelling and Ray Parlour's show, iconic caller Russ Bray offered a nuanced answer. Yes, Littler is the man right now and will be lifting titles time and again. But no: Bray does not believe we’re heading into an era where one man dominates darts for decades, as Phil Taylor did.

“As you said there, Jeff, we had that with Phil for so many years, where he dominated the field,” Bray began. “I don’t think this will happen, and I really, really don’t, because there’s so many good players in depth now.” He sees the key reason in the depth at the top today. The talent pool is not only bigger; more players can win a major at any moment or at least hurt a favourite.

“Now you’ve got a whole bunch of them who can really crack into it,” he added.

Bray points to a striking detail: where Taylor in his earliest dominant years often had only one or two genuine challengers, the field is now much broader. “Whereas early doors with Phil, you probably only had maybe one or two players that could even have a go at him,” he said.

He cites several young stars who have already proven they can perform on big stages: Gian van Veen, Josh Rock, and Luke Humphries. Those names make his point clear: Littler is exceptional, but he is not out there alone. “When you look at Gian van Veen, look at Josh Rock, Luke Humphries… obviously not as young as Luke, but they’re youngsters as well. And I don’t think he could dominate the same as Phil,” Bray said.

That does not mean Bray plays down Littler’s impact. Quite the opposite. “Yes, he’s going to win titles left, right, and centre,” he said. Only, the competition is simply stronger and quicker to pounce than in Taylor’s era. And that is exactly why Bray does not expect a repeat of a period in which one player hoovers up almost everything.

The conversation quickly shifts to another striking theme of this Worlds: internationalisation. Where darts was once primarily British, with the Dutch wave as the first major European exception, the field is now far more global.

“It’s really spread around the world. Before, it was a lot more British styles and maybe Europe with the Dutch guys and whatever, but now it’s spread all around the world, and that’s only good for darts,” Bray said.

Bray wholeheartedly agrees and speaks from his own experience. He remains active on international circuits. “Absolutely,” he said. “I’ll still go out and do the Asian Tour, so I go out to Asia every five minutes, and also do some of the World Series. And to go out and see the talent that’s out there and what’s coming through, it really is incredible.”

He does not expect an Asian world champion to emerge tomorrow, but he does not rule out major breakthroughs. “I think you’ll see someone in Asia… I’m not saying they’re going to win a world title, but we’ll go deep into a big tournament. And then everyone sees that, and they now want to jump on the bandwagon and away they go,” he added.

In that global story, Littler plays a key role. Mainly because he makes darts visible in a way that attracts new audiences. “Every sport, every sport needs a megastar, needs a headline act, if you like. And Luke Littler is certainly that at the moment,” said Stelling to Bray.

There is also admiration for Littler’s age and potential. A presenter points out a fact that feels almost absurd in the darts context: “The scary thing, Russ, is he’s not 19 yet, is he?” And the bar is set immediately in historical terms: “Phil Taylor won his last world title aged 52.”

The logical follow-up question hangs in the air: how many can Littler win if he goes on that long? Bray laughed: “I’ll let you do the maths on that one, Jeff, because I’ll be tired from all that now.” But he then turns serious and gets to the crux: it’s not just about talent, but about motivation.

“For as long as he wants to do it at the moment, for as long as he wants it. Do you get the desire once you’ve got the fortunes, the money in the bank? Do you want to get up at nine o’clock, eight o’clock in the morning, get on a plane, travel to somewhere in the world and then come back and then practise and all that?” Bray asked.

Bray expects Littler to keep that hunger for years, but he makes one thing clear: “He won’t break Phil Taylor’s record, never in a month or something. He’s not going to do that.”