"They were on his back, I just took full advantage" - Luke Littler admits crowd played their part in dramatic De Decker victory at Grand Slam of Darts

Luke Littler is into the quarter-finals on debut at the Grand Slam of Darts. The teenage sensation survived a real share on Thursday night though, having to mount am epic comeback to edge World Grand Prix champion Mike de Decker in a deciding leg thriller, 10-9.

Littler started strong in the tie moving into a 2-0 lead, but De Decker quickly leveled the match and began to take control. The Belgian pulled ahead, creating an 8-4 cushion. However, Littler then began to mount a serious comeback. De Decker then had a shot at a 170 checkout to win but narrowly missed the bullseye. Littler took advantage, tying the match at 9-9. In a tense final leg, Littler showed his nerves of steel, hitting a pop-pop treble 18, double 16 to clinch the victory and advance to the last eight where Jermaine Wattimena awaits.

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“It’s up there with one of the best games I’ve been involved in,” assessed Littler, who averaged 103.48 compared to De Decker’s 104.49 in a high-quality contest. “Obviously my favourite is the Premier League final, but that was some game, and to pick myself up from four legs down just goes to show what I can do. Mike played his part in a brilliant game, but I’m really happy to advance to the quarter-finals.”

Although he said it was one of the best games he's been involved in, that's not to say it was one of the most enjoyable. "I don’t know if I enjoyed that. I've got to feel for Mike. I didn't think I was in the game, but I know I can always switch that gear," Littler explained.

Littler in action

In fact, Littler credits his comeback with a slight change in his style and his throwing action. "Early on I was at my normal pace but towards the end I was taking an extra second, and that helped me. I might have to throw like that from now on," ponders Littler, who has not been against experimentation this year, changing his throw on multiple occasions during the course of the Premier League Darts campaign. "I didn't think I could overturn the deficit. I just can't believe it."

One point of contention though, was the crowd. As Littler started to get back into things, the audience began to get more and more against De Decker, repeatedly whistling as the Belgian was throwing. "I got one back and then the crowd, obviously they were on his back even worse," Littler admits. "I just took full advantage."

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