Teenage darts superstar Luke Littler is continuing with his fairy-tale run at the World Darts Championship after securing his place in the semi-final – and a £100,000 pay cheque.
Sixteen-year-old Luke ‘The Nuke’, from Warrington, swept aside veteran Brendan Dolan 5-1 during a thrilling showdown at London’s Alexandra Palace.
It means the teenager, dubbed the ‘Prince of the Palace’, has now bagged himself a guaranteed £100,000 payday for reaching the semi-final of the tournament – becoming the youngest player in history to do so.
Remarkably, the youngster – who was a 150-1 outside before the tournament – is now just one game away from reaching the final, where he could bag £200,000 as a runner-up or £500,000 if he takes the title.
Speaking of his victory today, the delighted teen said he was confident with his chances, telling Sky Sports: ‘Wow, I’m in a semi-final on my debut. I’m glad to get here. I’ve earned it… It’s gone well today.
‘If I keep it up I’ve got a good chance [of winning] now. I’m dreaming. I’m two games away. I’m definitely thinking about lifting the title.’
The fairy tale continues for Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler as he reached the semi-finals of the darts world cup
Cries of ‘There’s only one Luke Littler ‘ rang out in Alexandra Palace as the teen toasted his win
The-16-year-old Warrington schoolboy swept aside veteran Brendan Dolan (pictured) 5-1 with ease during a thrilling showdown at London ‘s Alexandra Palace.
Chants of ‘there’s only one Luke Littler’ rang out from inside Alexandra Palace and fans celebrated in the teenager’s win.
The youngster dominated the game, winning four straight sets back to back before Dolan threatened a comeback, taking the fifth.
But ultra-cool ‘Luke the Nuke’ refused to be beaten, and stormed through the final set, demolishing his experienced opponent at the oche.
Asked about how he ‘regained his composure’, the teenager shrugged and said: ‘I was four nil up, I just thought I was one away. But Brendan came back, won the set, then we had a break. I just really wanted to get it over the line.’
The 16-year-old Littler fired a 101.93 average and threw five maximums during a dominant display against the Northern Irishman, who had beaten former world champions Gerwyn Price and Gary Anderson in his previous rounds before being outclassed in a 5-1 defeat.
Dolan appeared crestfallen after his defeat but embraced his teenage opponent on the stage to congratulate him.
The action sealed off yet another magical day for the teenage darts superstar, who has become a household name during the tournament – with fans adoringly dubbing him the ‘Ronaldo of darts’ after the famed Portuguese football ace.
It followed the boy wonder’s incredible display against his idol Raymond van Barneveld, who he beat 4-1 on Saturday to secure his place in the quarters.
And to toast his victory, Luke the Nuke celebrated with fans snapping selfies as he declared he would win the tournament outright. ‘I will be bringing it back,’ said Luke with a smile.
Littler now faces fellow Brit Rob Cross in the semi-finals, a previous world champion
After his win, the teenager was seen posing for selfies with fans in Alexandra Palace
The 16-year-old from Warrington has become a fan favourite with his ice-cool performances
Littler has now become the youngest player in history to reach a semi-final in the contest
Littler now faces fellow Brit Rob Cross in the semi-finals, a previous world champion who also won the tournament on his debut, toppling legendary Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor.
Reflecting on his upcoming opponent, Luke hailed him as ‘unbelievable’ but added: ‘I’m looking forward to playing Rob tomorrow night.’
Sky Sport pundit John Part gave his verdict on Luke’s performance, saying he was an ‘intelligent player’ who ‘knows the game, inside and out’.
‘He was great all the way. He knows what he’ doing. He said it. I’ve said it. He’s intelligent, he’s not new. He’s not new to darts. He’s young. He’s been playing a long time. He knows darts inside out,’ he said.
He added: ‘You might look at an MVG play or a Gerwyn Price and you might expect that kind of performance. And that’s that. But when it’s coming from out of left-field seemingly, it’s distracting, it’s alarming and makes you nervous in situations you normally wouldn’t be.’
Six months after leaving secondary school, the 16-year-old has captured the imagination of the sporting public and now he is only one win away from booking his spot in the final on Wednesday.
Brendan Dolan appeared crestfallen at his loss to the rising young superstar
But despite his defeat, gracious Irishman Dolan embraced his teenage opponent
The child prodigy has been honing his skills since he was a tot. Luke’s mother Lisa would upload adorable videos of him as an 18-month-old toddler, still in nappies, giggling as he threw darts at a magnetic board.
Describing his childhood, Luke – who now says he has ‘no-one to fear’ in his world title run – told journalists: ‘I would just wake up, play on my Xbox, have some food, have a chuck on the board and go to bed. That’s it.
‘I don’t engage with anything outside the house. I’m not into anything outside the house, whatever my mates get up to. I just stay level-headed.’
Littler was born 20 days after five-time world champion Van Barneveld defeated Phil Taylor 7-6 in the greatest World Championship final of all time in 2007. It is testament to his rise that the Dutchman told Littler that he ‘can go all the way’ after their clash.
Coming into the tournament at Alexandra Palace a 150-1 outsider, remarkable Luke is now 7-2 second favourite to win behind Michael Van Gerwen, with a former tutor at the teen’s youth darts club declaring: ‘What he’s got I couldn’t teach. He’s the Ronaldo of darts.’
Speaking about his ice-cool demeanour at the oche, Luke added: ‘I am daring to dream now. I am only three wins away. I’m so young, only 16, I have nothing to fear. I have no-one to fear.
‘My game can be better than anyone’s on the day and I have shown it against one of the greatest players to have graced the stage.
Prodigy Luke Littler, 16, has been throwing darts since he was a toddler and is now on course for a quarter-final clash at the world championships. He is pictured with his first bullseye
As well as playing darts, Luke said he would often relax at home on his Xbox growing up
Luke Littler, 16, has taken the PDC World Championship by storm and is in the quarter-finals
‘Do I feel unstoppable? Whatever Luke Littler turns up, on whatever day I play, will determine the outcome.’
Luke trained at St Helens Darts Academy, leaving club secretary Karl Holden blown away by his natural talent. ‘I’ve seen a lot of good ‘uns,’ he said. ‘I’ve watched them all when they were younger but I knew Luke was going to cause a lot of problems… He’s just a unique kid with crazy talent.’
Rising star Luke entered main competitions while still in primary, going against adults at least a decade his senior – some more than three times his age.
Karl added: ‘In darts you’ve got to have sheer bottle to keep your nerve. He’s got an abundance of confidence. Even before he was 13 we said “listen, we can’t help you any more, you’re too good”. Three months before he was 11 we had to throw him in the deep end with the under-21s. It took him six months before he won his first one.
‘He was playing a lot of county youth players. What he’s got I couldn’t teach. He’s the Ronaldo of darts.’
Littler’s talent was clear from the video of him throwing darts in his nappies when he was hitting the 20s with ease.
This was followed up by a video of him again demonstrating all his natural talent aged three – which he shared ahead of his clash with Van Barneveld – as Littler imitated his idol in the clip with his wide arms celebrations.
Littler’s insane skill saw him dominating the Junior Darts Corporation tour, with his high eyebrows catching the attention of the sporting world.
The ‘Ronaldo of Darts’: Luke Littler speaks to the press after his last 16 victory on Saturday
A video of Littler playing darts at just 18-months-old went viral earlier in the tournament
Littler has gained cult hero status for his post-victory food celebrations which have included a kebab (above) and chicken burger
Littler’s mother, shared a photo of him after hitting his first ever bullseye at a young age
His high point came when he won the 2023 PDC World Darts Youth Championship and it was only a matter of time until he made his mark at senior level.
In fact, he started to play in senior tournaments during his early teen years, winning his first title at the Irish Open aged 14 in 2021.
Littler – who was given his first proper dartboard aged four – has since won several other tournaments such as the British Open, Modus Super Series (twice), Romanian Open and Gibraltar Open, where he also hit a prestigious nine-darter.
Yet there was no doubt his appearance at this year’s PDC World Championship was his biggest challenge yet.
While his talent was known beforehand after securing a PDC Tour Card for 2024-25 due to his performances, he still came in to the tournament as a pre-tournament outsider.
Littler – who revealed in August that he only practices for between 30 minutes to an hour a day – has so far swept aside Christian Kist, Andrew Gilding, Matt Campbell and Van Barneveld, breaking records along the way.
His first round victory over Kist saw him become the youngest winner at the tournament, while he also posted the highest average for a debutant (106.12) and it was there where he really began to endear himself to the nation.
Littler’s celebrations saw him take a trip to the kebab shop to celebrate in what has become a tradition for Ally Pally’s boy wonder.
Serenaded by chants of ‘you’ve got school in the morning’ in the second round, Littler proved that his first-round win was no fluke as he demolished Gilding before celebrating with a late-night chicken burger.
Between his victory over Gilding on December 21 and his third-round tie with Campbell on December 27, Littler – who ditched his Xbox for Christmas practice – still found time to celebrate the festivities.
Littler also posted a throwback video of himself imitating Raymond van Barneveld aged three
He then thrashed his idol, who told him after he could go all the way and win the tournament
Littler (pictured in 2020) dominated the Junior Darts Corporation tour during his early teens
The Prince of the Palace received his first proper darts board at the tender age of just four
His parents had him out in pubs five nights a week practicing his craft from the age of eight
This included his mum posting a photo on social media of him opening his presents, with the image a reminder of his tender age and since going viral. Fans joked in the replies whether Littler even knew if Father Christmas wasn’t real yet.
His new-found fame has also seen Littler inundated with media requests yet the teen is seemingly relishing the attention.
