"I wasn't too shocked to see the result": Nathan Aspinall predicted Luke Littler would lose World Grand Prix opener on drive to Leicester
PDC
Nathan Aspinall predicted in a spooky premonition that Luke Littler would not end up winning against his eventual second-round opponent, Luke Woodhouse, at the World Grand Prix.
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Aspinall, who has had a rollercoaster, to say the least, over the last few weeks, went from being really unwell in Amsterdam to having his car smashed in during his time in Leicester. But he still remains resolute and into the quarter-finals.
He saw off Woodhouse, and the sauna-like conditions at the Mattioli Arena were very difficult for both him and for his opponent. But he said that he did some breathing work with his sports psychologist, and it worked. "96 (average)? Yeah. "It's got to be the highest I've had by a mile, I would say," he said to Boyle Sports post-match.
"Obviously, the conditions were really, really tough. I and Luke (Woodhouse) spoke at the break. God, it was so warm out there tonight. But no, I just composed myself very well. I was trying to clutch on to how I finished the game against Kevin, you know, but composure and taking those big pressure moments out at crucial times was amazing on Monday.
"That's what got me through the game. And I think tonight was the same, you know. I did my breathing work that I've been working on with my sports psychologist, and it paid dividends tonight.
👀 “If I score like I did tonight, he isn’t going to beat me!”
— BOYLE Sports (@BoyleSports) September 30, 2026
Nathan Aspinall reacts after this whitewash victory against Luke Woodhouse and looks forward to this quarter-final clash against Ryan Joyce. pic.twitter.com/iE2OQQx6LP
"And the 104 to win the second set was absolutely massive. And again, that just shows the bottle I've got. You know, I remember I was walking back on, and I was averaging 96; he was 82, and I'm thinking, bloody hell, if he pinged that 57, it would have been 1-0.
"So, no, I was just dead happy. Great performance. My scoring was fantastic tonight. The first two sets, starting, were amazing. Went a bit rubbish in the first set, but no, big win. Very happy and happy to be in the quarters.
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Predicting Littler loss
He spoke about Littler departing the tournament and said that while it is easy for him to say, he spoke in the car driving to Leicester that he thought it wouldn't be Littler who he would face. So in reality, he always saw Luke Woodhouse in his future.
"So, this is easy to say, because it happened. But driving up on Monday morning, when I was speaking to Sean, I said that I don't think Littler's going to win tonight. And the reason behind it is, obviously, he's been playing; he doesn't care about tournaments, he's won them all. He was playing for this record.
"Obviously, because he got beat in Amsterdam, I didn't think he'd be as focused, and he won. And losing fantastic dart players, he's had a fantastic year.
Luke Littler fell in the first round of the World Grand Prix against Luke Woodhouse
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"So, I wasn't too shocked to see the result of him, to be honest with you. But you've got to be real, and Woodhouse would back me up on this. In my position, I would have preferred to play Luke.
"Me being little, he would have preferred to play me, of course. So, yeah, it was nice to not play him in the second round for once, and what happens when I don't play him?"
Now the draw is semi-wide open. Aspinall said that now he faces Ryan Joyce he needed a bit of luck and now he is looking to pounce on that for the remainder of the tournament in Leicester.
"Yeah, I think it's a cliché, but to win a darts tournament or a major tournament, you need a bit of luck. I think I got that in the first round with Kevin missing them match starts. I put a great show on tonight.
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"Joyce is a good mate of mine, he's unreal on his double-16, but he can't score like me, and he knows that. So, I think, you know, if he's finishing, if I score like I did tonight, he's not going to beat me, simple as that."
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
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- I believe he has it in him to qualify for the Worlds as he consistently wins matches, even if it is only one or two at a time, although his recent PC quarter-final run was somewhat encouraging in that regard. I think there is a lot of pressure for him to retire, people in the media accusing him of tarnishing his legacy. I think that is a ridiculous line of thinking. How ungrateful it is to attach terms and conditions to the amazing moments he has provided us over the course of his career. What position are we in to dictate to him how he should manage his career when it is he who achieved those successes in the first place? What's more, this is his life and the passion that sustains it, it is not for us to decide when his career is over when it is he who must bear the genuine ramifications of that decision. Since I'm sure money is not a concern, the only question on which the decision should rest is whether he truly continues to enjoy competing. He has retired once before, but the desire to compete is what brought him back. We see a lot of negative body language and he does genuinely look miserable when he is not playing well, but only he will know when he wakes up the next day whether he wants to go and do it all over again. If he wants to compete, he should, it's as simple as that, this is a decision that should not involve anyone else but him and his family. He should not retire to indulge the whims of the media or the public. What satisfaction would he receive by being forced into retirement? What closure would it bring to such a brilliant career? When Phil Taylor decided to retire, his decision was final and resolute. I believe RvB needs to get to this point himself, no matter how many 70 averages it might take. We see the likes of John Part continue to compete on a regular basis well past his prime, I say more power to him, and who knows, further glory could be around the corner, it's darts after all, you just never know. Sometimes I worry that RvB is acutely aware of the clamour for him to retire and that this pressure may even have an impact on his performances as he begins to question whether there is even a place for him in darts anymore, further compounding his poor form and creating a vicious loop. Perhaps to take his future into his own hands would provide him with a levity and freedom that would lend itself to better performances, not to mention an improved wellbeing. In any case, it is under these conditions that one can clear-headedly and definitively settle an issue so profound as retirement, not when you feel you're being rushed out the door. If his performances can no longer sustain his presence on the tour, so be it; as it stands his card seems safe for this year but is in serious jeopardy next year. He could always allow himself to drop off the tour naturally rather than forfeiting his place in the top 64, this could provide a sense of finality while offering a route back through Q-School if he so desired; after all, he's done it before. In conclusion, I just hope that RvB can play - or not play - for his own sake, rather than anyone else's, so that when the time comes he can be in no doubt as to his decision, leaving no lingering questions, so that he can reflect with no regret or uncertainty on the marvelous career he has had.Deduce635826-09-2026
- Luke Littler has been good for the sport of darts, no question. But he is not above it. For his sake and ours, he needs to be put in his place sometimes, rather than having his every whim catered to. That is not how you build a good person nor a good sporting organisation, and it's beginning to have consequences.Deduce635826-09-2026
- Extremely disappointing decision. It used to be that, along with major events and Euro Tours, the Players Championship series constituted one of three standards against which successful darts players could be measured, one of three challenges every successful darts player should be expected to master to consider themself among the elite. Now they are dead weight in the darting calendar, and player turnout and the standard of competitiveness will reflect that. The truth is that Luke Littler and other big names would rather play lucrative exhibitions than put in the hard graft that being a successful dart player requires. It undermines the authority of the PDC and the game in general. So what do they do about it? Give them exactly what they want. Of course, why wouldn't they? They are their star attractions. It is ironic that an organisation formed in protest by the sport's elite should be undermined and disrespected by their contemporary equivalents, but the PDC had a chance to stand up to them with a firm message: play 2 events all year and expect the final to be played without you. Instead, they caved in. These events will be hardly worth playing anymore and this decision may have grave consequences for the future of floor events at the elite level. Some may say the calendar is overstuffed, yet these elite players have more than enough time to play plenty of exhibitions. The Premier League in particular is gruelling, but busy players are not expected to play every event, they are expected to manage their playing schedule carefully in order to apportion their time and energy appropriately. Clayton and Humphries, for instance, both sit in the top 20 of the Players Championship and European orders of merit, in addition to competing in the Premier League; they have proven it is absolutely possible and this change is an insult to their efforts in effectively managing their calendars. I think we are seeing players who simply think they are too good for Pro Tour events, arrogance which should be punished rather than rewarded as we are seeing here. Furthermore, why should success in Euro Tours qualify you for the Players Championship Final? The PDC are blurring the lines between those three disciplines of darting excellence, and in so doing destabilising the very foundations upon which the organisation and its success is built. Some may say I'm overreacting, but this, in addition to the PDC's subservience and snivelling obsequiousness toward their biggest assets, makes me fear for the future of professional darts.Deduce635826-09-2026
- I guess this will mean the top players will turn up even less? Taken all the excitement of qualifying away I think. Wish they made it top 32 to qualify and the finals to last all week.Baphomet26-09-2026
- Great article - but not written by this site. It's taken wholesale from last Sunday's Observer with this interview published online on Saturday.Scoobedybop22-09-2026
- Such sad and pathetic little losers giving abuse to young woman for any reason, let alone who she is in a relationship with. Go Beau! An absolute star and comes across as a genuinely nice and kind person. Wish her nothing but the best.BandB22-09-2026
- I wouldn't mind if he quit now to be honest. He's not bigger than darts. Let's face it without darts he'd just be a normal fat gamer kid.medinabello22-09-2026
- You know,I said this,in a sentence,not 5 paragraphs!!rick6721-09-2026
- Oh dear,he lost. Well any competitive sport runs the risk of defeat. He is, currently,his own worst enemy. Wind the crowd up,and you get it back bigger. Put your dummy in kidrick6721-09-2026
- Does an exhibition count in the clean sweep though?BandB21-09-2026
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