Luke Littler has been warned about his form in televised events with the 17-year-old told that he should already be in the world’s top 16. The darts sensation has enjoyed a remarkable 12 months but has not always performed in the biggest tournaments.
Littler reached the World Darts Championship final last winter and won the Premier League in his debut campaign. However, he was beaten in the first rounds of both the World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix.
For the lucrative £650,000 Grand Slam of Darts, Littler has been drawn in a group with Dimitri van den Bergh, Keane Barry and Lourence Ilagan. Fellow professional player Matt Edgar wants to see Littler rise to the occasion – and also points out that the teenager has the added pressure of some fans wanting him to lose.
“I don’t think you can look past Luke and Dimitri. But I do have reservations about Luke on the basis that, when we look at his TV form… it’s not TV form full-stop because he’s won the Premier League and World Series events,” Edgar said on the Love the Darts podcast.
“[But] ranking TV titles. He should already be in the top 16. He’s gone out in the first round of all of them. If he had just won a game, he would be in the top 16 already.
“There are just a couple of question marks there. And let’s just say, there are lots of people who want him to do well – but now there are people who don’t want him to do well because he’s become that guy.
“It’s great for us and it’s great for the sport. We’re wrestling fans and we know that if you can draw emotion from someone, whether you want them to win or you want them to lose, you’re doing a great job.
“Luke Littler is probably the first person since Gerwyn Price – and hey, Gerwyn Price was the first person for a long time – who has managed to draw that [emotion from fans]. The sport is going in a good way with Luke in there but I would like to see him start winning in the ranking events.”
Littler could surpass a million in prize money for the year if he wins the Grand Slam of Darts. He has already banked £870,000 this year – largely thanks to his Premier League triumph – and could win £150,000 if he succeeds in Wolverhampton.
