Luke Littler admitted he considered walking away from darts after being booed by crowds, before beating Luke Humphries in a dramatic Premier League final at the O2 Arena in London. The 19-year-old world number one won an 11-10 thriller, coming from 6-3 down to reclaim the title he lost to Humphries in last year's final.
Littler, who pocketed £350,000 for the victory, said the crowd's reaction had taken a toll on him. 'After Brighton, I came off stage and in Manchester I was sat at home saying to Faith: "I don't want to do it any more. Just the crowd every week." I said to her: "I'm down bad,"' he revealed on stage, before becoming emotional.
The final was the third consecutive meeting between darts' top two players in the Premier League showpiece. Littler had earlier survived a tense semi-final against Gerwyn Price, winning 10-9 after squandering six match darts. The match featured a flashpoint when Price made a 'big fish' gesture after scoring 170, prompting a warning from referee Huw Ware.
Humphries, 31, reached the final by beating Jonny Clayton 10-9 in a seesaw semi-final. Clayton led 9-7 before Humphries levelled with a 121 check-out and eventually won after Clayton appeared to be put off by a whistle from the crowd while throwing for double 16.
Littler's victory, combined with his record-equalling six nightly wins over the 17-week season, earned him a total of £410,000. Humphries acknowledged the mental strain of the tour, saying: 'It shows what it means to us as players, on the road for 16, 17 weeks, it's hard work.'
