"Nathan said to me after I hit it, 'It’s only a hold of throw!”‘ - Luke Littler recalls Aspinall's teasing following Bahrain nine-darter

Luke Littler caused a sensation at the Bahrain Darts Masters last week. Not only did he win the tournament, he also threw a nine darter.

Littler, who celebrated his 17th birthday on Sunday, threw that nine-darter in the first leg of his quarter-final against Nathan Aspinall. "Nathan said to me after I hit it, 'It’s only a hold of throw!”‘ Littler revealed with a laugh to ITV Sport. "I said, 'I know that myself!”‘

In the final, Littler was 8-5 too strong for Michael van Gerwen. "Everyone says he is a new kid but everyone knows what he is capable of," the Dutchman said post-match. The crowds, the televisions, everyone wants to make him bigger. But he’s already a good player."

"I know you want to push him but let him grow. Let him do his things. You have to learn, the crowd has to learn. Everyone who is involved in television will have to learn. Don’t push him too much. Give him his time and everything will come. No problem."