Luke Littler fought back tears after admitting that the boos from the crowd had almost made him walk away from darts, following his dramatic 11-10 victory over Luke Humphries in the Premier League final at the O2 Arena in London. The 19-year-old world number one reclaimed the title he lost to Humphries last year, earning a £350,000 jackpot.
Littler, from Warrington, came from 6-3 down to win a last-leg decider, extending his Premier League lead. The win was his sixth nightly victory of the 17-week season, matching the record, and brought his total earnings to £410,000. However, the teenager revealed that the pantomime booing and whistling from the 16,000-strong crowd had taken a toll on him.
“It’s been a rollercoaster,” Littler said on stage. “The first four weeks I was at the bottom. After Brighton, I came off stage and in Manchester, I was sat at home saying to my girlfriend Faith: ‘I don’t want to do it any more. Just the crowd every week. I’m down bad.’” He then stopped speaking as he became emotional.
Earlier, Littler had survived a bad-tempered semi-final against Gerwyn Price, winning 10-9 after squandering six match darts. The match featured a flashpoint when Price, not on a finish, scored 170 and made a “big fish” gesture towards the crowd, prompting a warning from referee Huw Ware. Price later apologised but repeated the gesture after hitting 180.
Humphries, 31, secured his place in the final by beating Jonny Clayton 10-9 in a seesaw semi-final. Clayton led 9-7 but missed a chance to win after being put off by a whistle from the crowd, allowing Humphries to level and take the match. Clayton gestured angrily towards the crowd as he left the stage.
