"It's just given me a freedom to just go under the radar" - Darting wonderkid Thomas Banks benefitting in the shadow of Luke Littler hype

Young Thomas Banks has been making a name for himself as a potential star of the future over the past couple of years, due to his performances on the MODUS Super Series and even at the UK Open.

"I've always been around darts from when I was a kid. My family grew up in a pub and I've always played since I was about 18 months old, there's pictures about of me just throwing flights and stems onto a pillow with a dartboard drawn on it,'' Banks says of his darting beginnings in conversation with the Weekly Dartscast.

Whilst the hype surrounding fellow teenage sensation Luke Littler has been massive of late, due to the fact he's not yet on the Pro Tour, Banks has been able to fly a little more under the radar. "Just before covid I went to my first ever England Grand Prix to get into the England team. Luke Littler won in the final there and I remember it very strongly because it was the start of my darting career,'' Banks reflects.

For many though, the first time they would have seen Banks was at the 2023 UK Open when, aged just 16, he lit up the tournament. "I still have the videos on my phone my mates all screen recorded it and stuff. Graham Hall took out 130 and gave a little shush to my family and a little kiss to his family and I thought: 'No. That that don't sit with me.' So I took out 164 in the next leg and I gave it some," Banks remembers with a laugh. "That broke him and I knew from there I had the game in the palm of my hands."

The highlight of the weekend though, was a tie on the main stage against Gerwyn Price. "Honestly it is one of the best experiences, if not the best experience of my life so far," Banks recalls fondly. "But what made it even more special, was my mum and my dad were both there and even like my cousin and my uncle and auntie were there. Having them there to watch me was absolutely brilliant and knowing how much support I had that weekend, was like a dream come true."

Inspired by Littler however, Banks is determined to get back on the biggest stages and take on the biggest names in the sport. "I thank him so much. Because I've been told by my manager, my parents and all my friends that it's good that I'm not getting as much popularity in newspaper articles and stuff, because it's just given me a freedom to just go under the radar and do my own business without any pressure," Banks says of the Littler hype. "Let the comparisons be there, because there's obviously going to be comparisons but for me is what it is and it's a privilege to be even compared to Luke Littler."