"My best memory this year has to be hitting the nine-darter in the Premier League final" - Luke Littler reflects on highlights of outstanding debut year

Luke Littler returns to Alexandra Palace this year as one of the absolute top favourites for the world title. After his breakthrough run to the PDC World Darts Championship final, in which he eventually lost 7-4 to Luke Humphries last year, the 17-year-old has since captured no fewer than 10 titles in his debut year on the Pro Tour.

“Beating Raymond van Barneveld was probably the game that meant the most to me,” reflected Littler of his heroics from last year, in comments to the PDC's official website. “Obviously my Mum and Dad watched Raymond when I was growing up, and then I did too. From my side, seeing the likes of Gerwyn Price and Gary Anderson lose out [to Brendan Dolan], the draw just opened up for myself, and that’s why I think I went all the way to the final.”

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Over the past twelve months, thanks partly to Littler's starring performances, the sport of darts has gained tremendous popularity across the world, as evidenced by 'The Nuke' recently being crowned Google's Athlete of the Year. "Darts has gone global - it’s gone crazy. I’m happy to have played a part in that, but there’s also 127 Tour Card Holders on the circuit as well, so it’s not just down to me," he says. “My life has changed in many ways. My profile has grown, and I’ve also grown as a player on and off the board.”

Arguably his biggest victory of the year, was one of his first as Littler won the Premier League Darts in his debut campaign. “I’ve achieved more than I expected, and I think I have shown with my performances why I’ve won more than anyone on the tour. My best memory this year has to be hitting the nine-darter in the Premier League final, and then lifting the trophy a few legs later," he recalls. “You have eight of the best players in the world in the Premier League, so I was just glad to be a part of it. Playing against the best week in, week out was tough, but I was able to learn about every player, and it improved my game. I think I’ve learnt it’s sometimes good to lose, because you can always bounce back."

As such, Littler has genuine hopes to capture his first world title in the coming few weeks. “I feel I’ve definitely improved as a player. The confidence is there from playing on all these different stages, but this is the one that everyone wants to win," he concludes. “I will take it game by game like I did last year, but any player can turn up and produce against me, so I know I must be on my A-game. The last year has flown by! There’s been plenty of darts this year, but now it’s all focus on the big one!”

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