"Once he gets going – what are you supposed to do?”: Niko Springer pushes Luke Littler in positive World Matchplay debut

Niko Springer impressed on his debut on the legendary stage of the World Matchplay with a strong performance. On the opening night of the prestigious major in Blackpool’s iconic Winter Gardens, the “Meenzer Bub” pushed none other than defending champion Luke Littler for long stretches.

In the end, the German went down 6-10, but he left an excellent impression on his first appearance in the Empress Ballroom.

Springer made life anything but easy for the world champion for a long time. After an early 0-2 deficit, the German fought back impressively. A 73 checkout gave him the first Matchplay leg of his career, including a break, before he held and then broke again in 18 darts to turn the match around and even lead 3-2 at the first interval.

Even after Littler reeled off three legs on the spin, Springer refused to be shaken off. Thanks to eye-catching checkouts of 114 and 100, the 26-year-old levelled at 5-5 by the second break.

After the second interval, what always seems to happen when Luke Littler is on a major stage happened again: the 19-year-old hit the turbo. And how. With three 11-darters in four legs, the Englishman stepped up several gears, raced 9-6 ahead, and sealed his 10-6 win with a 45 checkout. While the defending champion opened the tournament with an outstanding 109.53 average, Springer, despite defeat, could look back on a more than successful Matchplay debut with six legs won and a 97.65 average.

He said as much in his post-match interview with DAZN. Despite the loss, he was far from hard on himself.

“I’d say I didn’t start the match badly at all. I tried to keep it on level terms for as long as possible, and I think I managed that,” Springer explained. “Suddenly it was 5-5 and of course I knew: anything can happen now. Luke probably saw it the same way – and then he just found another gear.”

A look at the stats backed up his assessment. “I can’t blame myself for anything. Sure, there’s always room for improvement. But I’m still happy with how I presented myself. That’s what I expected of myself.”

Springer didn’t fully register Littler’s furious late surge during the match. Instead of focusing on his opponent, he deliberately concentrated on his own game.

“To be honest, it didn’t feel to me like there were that many 11-darters in a row or that many 180s,” he said. “I try to stay within myself during the game. Of course I noticed his scoring was extremely strong. But there’s no point in me focusing on that.”

In hindsight, Springer admitted his own scoring dipped a little after 5-5. “I would say I dropped off a bit after that. At the same time, Luke found another gear. Maybe there could have been even more in it otherwise. I tried to keep applying pressure. But once he gets going – what are you supposed to do?”

Springer was especially pleased with how he handled the mental side of his first Matchplay appearance. By his own account, that was something he had not achieved at his two World Championship outings in recent years.

“I don’t even know if it was a plan,” he said of the approach to go in with as little pressure as possible. “If you look at the last two World Championships, that plan certainly didn’t work there.”

In Blackpool, it worked much better. “The venue and the atmosphere grabbed me a bit more somehow. All the nicer that it clicked here of all places – against the best player in the world, no less. I just tried to enjoy the moment.”

The evening wasn’t entirely free of nerves, though. “Before the match I was definitely more tense than before any other game. It wasn’t comparable to a European Tour event.”

Springer and Littler had a brief exchange on stage after the match. Special words weren’t necessary.

“I basically told him what I tell any opponent I lose to. I wished him all the best and hope he keeps playing like that. If he maintains that level, he absolutely deserves to win the thing.”

For Springer, the World Matchplay adventure ends after the first round, and he won’t be staying in Blackpool for long. “I think I’ll fly home tomorrow. The flight isn’t booked yet, but that will probably follow. For now, I’m looking forward to being at home for about a week. Then it’s back to the Pro Tour – and I’m looking forward to that as well.”

Even if the result didn’t produce a major upset, Springer will take one thing from Blackpool above all: the certainty that he is more than competitive on one of the sport’s biggest stages.