Luke Littler has praised the Alexandra Palace crowd after securing his place in the World Darts Championship final with a 6-1 demolition of Ryan Searle. The 18-year-old, who was booed during his quarter-final win over Rob Cross, again faced a mixed reception but remained magnanimous in victory.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Littler acknowledged the crowd's role: "This is crazy. A few boos, a few cheers but it's been a good crowd." He also gave a shout-out to Paddy Power for blurring signs after Searle mentioned his partial blindness in one eye.
Despite losing the opening set, Littler averaged over 105 and won six straight sets. The turning point came when Searle missed the bullseye in the third set, allowing Littler to break and take control. The Manchester United fan later said: "I went 1-0 down and was not the happiest... I said to myself 'you will find it' and it went 1-1, 2-1, 3-1 and so on."
Littler will face either Gian van Veen or Gary Anderson in the final. He commented: "It's going to be a brilliant game. I don't mind who I play. They're both good lads."
Former world champion John Part praised Littler's performance on Sky Sports, noting he averaged over 100 in every set after the first. The final promises to be a thrilling encounter as Littler seeks to cap off a remarkable tournament.
