Luke Littler, 19, won the World Matchplay on Sunday, defeating Gerwyn Price at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool while setting a new record average of 111.04 and hitting 66 maximums. The victory earned him £225,000 and defended his title.
New car plans
Littler has said the prize money will go towards his BMW 1 Series. "I’m looking at a new car, don’t know what to get yet. I need some more brake horsepower, 170 is not enough," he joked.
Continued improvement
He warned his rivals: "I can still get better. I can get a lot better. Through the matches I was up to 120 average at one point. I didn’t maintain it, but maybe in a few years’ time I will and finish a match averaging 120."
"At the minute I’m playing some of my best stuff and I’ve just got to keep it there. I’ve come away with the best outcome there is in any tournament, lifting the trophy. The way I’ve done it has definitely surprised myself, but that’s all down to the commitment I’ve got. I wanted to win this trophy more than anything, to go back-to-back and put my name on that list."
Records in sight
Littler is targeting Michael van Gerwen's televised average of 123.40 against Michael Smith. "I remember sitting there watching it. The way he did it was just incredible. He didn’t really miss a thing, and if he’d hit a few more, it could have been even higher. That’s definitely one of the records I want to break. I also wanted to break the match average here, but I’ll have to settle for the tournament average and the 180s record for now."
Littler has become the first player in the PDC to break the £3 million barrier in the Order of Merit, with only the European Championship remaining between him and every major title.
