LITTLER TURNS ON THE STYLE! ☢️ Despite a little bit of confusion, Luke Littler is through to the last eight! 😅 The 17-year-old averages 102 to overcome an impressive Jonny Tata! 📺 bit.ly/24NZLive #NZMasters | R1
Tata for now: Luke Littler hits 102 average in win over impressive Kiwi as Rob Cross struggles past Haupai Puha
PDCFriday, 16 August 2024 at 12:57
The last Quarter-Finalists have been confirmed at the 2024 New Zealand Darts Masters with Luke Littler, Rob Cross and Damon Heta through in Hamilton to the final day.
But it was a toil in particular for Littler and Cross as they saw off Jonny Tata and Haupai Puha respectively. 'The Nuke' though impressed as he saw off the quality Kiwi ace. He sealed a 6-3 win with a 102.2 average and three 180's and is through to Saturday's Quarter-Finals.
Littler was impressive to start the tie as Tata just about got into it. He breezed into a 2-0 lead hitting a 13 and 12-darter to take control. Tata came back though and with a 14-darter made it 2-2. Tata was broken as Littler hit double 20 for 4-2. But a special 155 finish from Tata saw him cut the deficit to 4-3.
But with a 13 and 15 darter concluding with a 66 checkout, Littler found his way through turning on the afterburners when he needed them.
While defending champion Rob Cross found himself embroiled albeit against a fellow Tour Card holder in Haupai Puha who is a quality operator. But he has drawn him two weeks running and ran out a narrow 6-5 winner this time.
It was all Puha to begin the clash as he pinned a 13-darter to make it 3-2 with a 106 average and at 4-4, he held to make it 5-4 keeping the break to hit double 18 and go one away. But Cross held on double four albeit with Puha well back and Puha was broken at the last opportunity to fall to defeat.
In the final match of the day, it was one way traffic for Damon Heta as the Aussie ace faced off against his World Cup of Darts teammate Simon Whitlock and handed him a thumping 6-1 win.
It was a 97 average for 'The Heat' as he continued the run for the PDC representatives of another clean sweep. He finished with a flourish in the form of a 116 checkout having registered two ton plus checkouts including 132. Whitlock was poor on the doubles which spelled disaster as Heta was rock solid hitting 6/8 (75%) in all. Heta now faces Cross, while Littler has set up a clash with Dimitri van den Bergh.
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