January 3rd 2024.
Luke Littler was within reach of making history at the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace. However, his dreams of becoming the youngest champion were dashed by his opponent, world no1 Luke Humphries.
The 16-year-old sensation had recovered from an opening set loss and had even taken a 4-2 lead in the 11th and final set of the match. But Humphries went on a five-set winning streak to take the match 7-4.
In that 11th set, Littler had the chance to keep the game alive, but missed three darts and Humphries pounced, finishing off with a double eight to seal the win. After the match, Littler expressed his disappointment, saying he was "really annoyed" with himself for missing those darts.
"It's been unbelievable," he told Sky Sports. "The one negative was I lost too many legs on my throw so Luke could break me. I couldn't hold my own throw and didn't win."
Despite the defeat, Littler has made astonishing progress in becoming a new star of British sport and will rise more than 130 places in the world rankings. He remains determined to win the championship, saying, "I might not get to another final for the next five to 10 years, we don't know, but I can say I'm a runner-up and now I just want to go and win it."
Humphries was aware of Littler's potential and explained that he was extra motivated to secure the win, believing Littler will go onto ‘dominate darts’.
"The whole day I have been thinking, get this one now because he is going to be dominating world darts soon," Humphries said. "He's an incredible player. When I was on the brink of winning he was still so relentless. He's an incredible talent but I had to win this one tonight. He's going to win plenty I'm sure."
It's clear that Littler and Humphries have a great deal of respect for each other, and Humphries' predictions may well come true. Only time will tell, but one thing is certain: Littler is a rising star in the world of darts.
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