"It could have been a lot more for me" - Ryan Meikle looks back with regret on narrow PDC World Darts Championship defeat to Luke Littler

When Ryan Meikle stepped onto the sport’s biggest stage to face a then-17-year-old Luke Littler, few could have predicted the significance the match would later hold. Narrowly edged out by the teenager who would go on to become world champion, Meikle now reflects on a contest that, in his words, “could have been a lot more” — a turning point that left a lasting impression far beyond the final scoreline.

A few months later, the 28-year-old darter looks back on the match with mixed feelings. He is proud, but still senses a missed opportunity at the match that could have had so easily gone his way. "I do all the time (think a lot how it could have gone differently ed.), but at the same time, I also look at the positives" he told Online Darts in an interview. "I'm not saying I expected not to win a set, or not to go close but yeah, it's all ifs or buts isn't it."

Still, this does open the eyes of "The Barber," who realizes that he can very much compete with the best in the world. "I didn't play brilliant and maybe he was a little nervous or a little edgy, but yeah, it could have been a lot more for me," he explains. "The year before, not qualifying hurt me a lot. So to play Luke and to deal with it the way I did - I was so relaxed. It gave me a lot of confidence going into this year, which I think I've started alright."

Against well-known darters like Littler, for example, Meikle felt extra pressure, but that pressure also worked on his opponents. "It was obviously a lot of pressure, because a chance to play Luke - I think he was the most searched athlete? So I thought, to be a part of that and what comes with it was massive for me," he explains. "Everyone kept saying how do you deal with it, but I thought there's no pressure on me. I'm going to go there and I enjoy it. And I think that's made me realize I probably need to enjoy the times on stage a bit more in the future."

The Brit looks ahead to his future with fresh eyes and is very confident. "I started the year well. I didn't do very well in Germany the other week, but I need to kick on now and it's a bit frustrating for me because I've started the year alright, but I haven't kicked on," he concludes. "I'm trying to find something that little bit extra, because I'm now getting a bit fed up of being happy with where I am."