World Series of Darts Finals Saturday evening Round-Up | Luke Littler survives dramatic Aspinall decider as Wade weathers storm of boos against Nijman
PDC
Luke Littler kept his title charge on course on Saturday night as he moved into the Quarter-Finals taking down Nathan Aspinall 10-9 at the World Series of Darts Finals.
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Aspinall will be kicking himself after going 9-8 up with Littler managing to break in the decider where 'The Asp' had the throw and Clayton will no doubt given he faces him next had been hoping for Aspinall. Others to make it through included James Wade who weathered a siren of boos to see off Wessel Nijman.
But first to Littler who immediately broke Aspinall in the opening leg, before also holding in 15 darts to move into a 2-0 lead. Aspinall averaged around 70 over the first two legs, but he was finally waking up too. He held with a 10-darter to cut the deficit to 2-1, before Littler immediately makes it 3-1 again.
Aspinall made it 3-2 with a 56 checkout and he broke on double 20 to make it 3-3. He held on double 20 and then broke again for 5-3.
But Littler broke again with a 114 checkout before holding to make it 5-5. Aspinall though stretched it on double 20 for 6-5.
Anguish for Aspinall.
Littler made it 6-6 pinning double 10 and then led 7-6 with a break on 52. But Aspinall broke again on double 18 and this time made it stick pinning double eight for 8-7. Before suddenly going one away with a 78 checkout at 9-8.
Littler hit 60 to make it 9-9 but he masters the deciders and sealed a 10-9 win with a 58 checkout.
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Wade weathers boos
James Wade took down Wessel Nijman in one of the leading ties to watch of the evening. He saw off the Dutch home hero and the choruses of boo's to win 10-7 with a 101 average. if there is anyone who knows how to deal with a hostile atmosphere, it is Wade and he sealed the win.
Nijman broke Wade in the opening leg with a 76 finish. However, he was immediately broken back after the Englishman throws a 12-darter.
Nijman broke again, this time with a 14-darter. He then missed two darts at double to consolidate the break, allowing Wade to respond with an impressive 11-darter and break straight back.
Wade was the first player to hold, doing so in 13 darts. Another 13-darter then saw him break Nijman again to take a 4-2 lead into the break. Wade threw an 84 finish to consolidate his break from the sixth leg and move 5-2 ahead. Nijman then threw a 14-darter to reduce the deficit to 5-3.
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Wade threw a 14-darter to hold again. Nijman responded with a 14-darter of his own to cut the deficit to 6-4. There was finally a break for Nijman, who checked out 85 in 12 darts to make it 6-5. He then took out 80 to level the match at 6-6 going into the second break.
Wade held to move 7-6 ahead, before breaking Nijman in 14 darts to extend his lead to 8-6. Wade threw a 124 finish on the bullseye to move onto match point. Nijman refused to give up, however, hitting double 9 to make it 9-7 and keep himself in the match. Wade sealed the match with a 14-darter to beat Nijman 10-7. The Dutchman played a good match, but unfortunately came up against an extremely efficient Wade.
The Welsh roar
Gerwyn Price became one of two Welshman through to the Quarter-Finals taking down Jim Long in a 10-5 win. He will face James Wade tomorrow.
Price immediately holds his own leg with a 15-darter to take the lead. He then misses three darts to break straight away, allowing Long to draw level again.
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Price easily held. This time, Long misses darts at double, allowing the Welshman to finally break and make it 3-1. Long refused to give up and immediately broke Price back to make it 3-2. He then missed several darts at double once again, allowing 'The Iceman' to take a 4-2 lead into the first break.
Price threw a 72 finish to extend his lead to 5-2, before taking out 86 for another break and a 6-2 advantage. Price threw a 17-darter to extend his lead to 7-2. He then followed it up with an 84 finish to make it 8-2. Long finally managed to respond with a 13-darter to cut the deficit to 8-3. Price, however, moves to 9-3 and match point. That leaves 'The Iceman' needing just one more leg after the second break.
Long managed to break Price after the second break to make it 9-4, before also holding to cut the deficit to 9-5. In the 15th leg, however, Price finally seals the match, beating the Canadian 10-5.
| Jonny Clayton | VS | Motomu Sakai |
|---|---|---|
| 90.82 | Average (3 Darts) | 90.75 |
| 27 | 100+ Thrown | 32 |
| 12 | 140+ Thrown | 9 |
| 4 | 180 Thrown | 3 |
| 126 | Highest Checkout | 65 |
| 1 | Checkout 100+ | 0 |
| 32.26 | Checkout percentage | 33.33 |
| 10 / 31 | Checkout | 7 / 21 |
Jonny Clayton moved through against Motomu Sakai seeing off the Japanese ace in a 10-8 win. Both players took some time to warm up in the opening leg, but eventually Clayton holds his own leg in 20 darts. In the second leg, however, the Welshman missed two chances to finish, allowing Sakai to level the match with a 22-darter.
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Sakai breoke Clayton for the first time in the match with an impressive 13-darter, but the Welshman responds by doing exactly the same in 13 darts to immediately draw level again. Sakai initially missed four darts at double to break for the second time in the match, but after Clayton himself misses two darts, the Welshman's leg eventually goes to the Japanese player. This time, Sakai manages to consolidate the break, taking a 4-2 lead into the first break.
Clayton took out 76 for a 17-darter to cut the deficit to 4-3, but then fails to take advantage of four missed darts at double from Sakai. The Japanese player therefore extended his lead to 5-3.
Clayton held again to stay in touch with Sakai, but once again he could not break him. The Japanese player therefore moved back ahead to 6-4.
Clayton survived one break dart from Sakai to make it 6-5. The Welshman then finally broke the Japanese player back, meaning the match was level at 6-6 going into the second and final break. Clayton held to move into the lead for the first time since the opening leg. Sakai immediately drew level again with a 14-darter to make it 7-7.
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Clayton threw an impressive 126 finish to move ahead again. After Sakai misses tops for a 110 finish, the Welshman finally managed to break at the perfect moment with double 8 to move onto match point.
Sakai threw an impressive 13-darter to break Clayton straight back and make it 9-8. He then missed two darts at tops to force a deciding leg, allowing the world number five to win the match 10-8.
Milly ThomsonLive Darts Blogger
Milly Thomson is an aspiring journalist with a deep-rooted passion for a wide range of sports, including football, darts, and cricket. She recently completed her university studies, earning a BA (Hons) in Football Business and Media—a degree that has given her a solid foundation in both the commercial and communications aspects of the sporting world.
Milly combines her academic background with her genuine enthusiasm for sports to produce engaging and insightful coverage across multiple disciplines. Her writing reflects a strong understanding of the games she follows, as well as a keen interest in the stories behind the athletes and events.
As she continues to grow in the field of journalism, Milly is committed to using her voice to inform, entertain, and connect with fellow sports fans. With a clear focus on developing her skills and expanding her portfolio, she is excited to contribute meaningful content to the wider sporting community.
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- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
- And yet the PDC has decided to aggravate this problem by doubling the Players Championship Finals field from 2027. I can't imagine there will be fewer withdrawals next year with even less reason to turn up. I can only hope that a whole slew of Challenge Tour top-up players receive enough prize money in the absence of much of the elite, that some of the more complacent among them struggle to scrape into even a heavily diluted field! More semi-pro players will get to test their mettle, but the standard of competition will be much inferior. It could hardly be said that the Players Championship series will provide an opportunity for darts' second string to test their Tour Card credentials anymore, but at least it will underscore the achievements of those Challenge Tour players of current and previous years, who were able to prove themselves as more than capable of competing with, and beating, the elite of the sport on a consistent basis, and reaping the due rewards.Deduce635828-10-2026
- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026
- Littler lost to crabtree in the youth/junior/whatever you call it. He had no point in being there. He's unfortunately now got to the stage,he feels all he has to do is get on the stage to win. Well,I hope he realises part of his fear factor has gone. Happened to Taylor,then van gerwen,and it's causing him to realise pretty sharp,he isn't unstoppable. It's good for the sport,not 1 single player in my 60 years has ever,or will ever be, unbeatable.rick6725-10-2026
- I think it's great to see Mark Webster looking good,good ladrick6725-10-2026
- I agree,I can't believe the lack of coverage of this sad loss. Always enjoyed watching him,but I guess now it's all about littler,well it seems that way. Darts has sadly lost a good manrick6717-10-2026
- In the absence of a report regarding the death of Stefan Lord, I'll assist. An excellent player in the late 70s and early 80s, he actually won the now defunct 3rd place match at two World Championships and a couple of the News of the World Championships. A fabulous player and easily the best Swedish player ever. Rest peacefully Stefan.richieburnettrocks16-10-2026