"I put Michael under a lot of pressure, but he just wouldn’t miss" - Luke Littler takes the positives from thrilling final defeat

Luke Littler couldn't quite make it two from two on the World Series of Darts this year. After his win in the Bahrain Darts Masters, he went down 8-6 against Michael van Gerwen in the final of the Dutch Darts Masters.

Littler had defeated Van Gerwen just last week in Bahrain, but now, despite a higher average in the final, drew the short end. “I will take the positives from this," emphasized Littler, who averaged 106.71, post-match. “It was an unbelievable game. I put Michael under a lot of pressure, but he just wouldn’t miss."

The 17-year-old Englishman handed out another compliment to the Dutch crowd in attendance. "The crowd have been amazing. They wanted Michael to win and I get that, but respect to Michael."

"I cannot wait to go down to Cardiff for the Premier League next week," Littler concludes. "Hopefully I can continue my good form there.”