Darts prodigy Luke Littler fired a defiant message to any critics at the Ally Pally – continuing his quest for a historic World Darts Championship title on Saturday. The 17-year-old triumphed over Ian White with a 4-1 score-line in their third-round clash, teeing up a face-off with Ryan Joyce.
Despite the final score suggesting ease, Littler had to dig deep for the victory. After his remarkable journey to last January’s final, he remains a strong contender to clinch the title this time around.
Having exploded on to the darts scene last year at just 16, Littler has dominated the sport over the past year, with eyes firmly set on lifting the trophy at Ally Pally. While he’s become one of darts’ real darlings, some fans expressed their disapproval when he opted not to go for a bullseye finish.
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Instead, the Runcorn-born sensation, who now lives in Warrington, chose to set himself up for a more secure double 10 route out, despite White being out of contention in that leg.
The crowd’s reaction was met with a cheeky grimace from Littler, followed by a grin. ‘The Nuke’ took to social media post-match, sharing his thoughts on the incident in a TV interview and engaging in some playful banter online through social media.
Littler uploaded four pictures from the match on to his Instagram profile. A short caption read: “Photo says it all.
“Feels good to get the win and be in the next round, see you on Monday.” Littler added a high-five, love heart and bullseye emoji to his post – which has gained over 100,000 likes on the platform.
Speaking with Sky Sports post match, about scattered boos and the crowd cheering for his opponent, ‘The Nuke’ added: “It’s what I do. The crowd were good for both me and Ian.
“But if they chanting Ian’s name, then I’m going to hit a 180.” Littler’s next opponent Joyce beat Ryan Searle (4-3) in the third round to book a date with the tournament favourite in round four on Monday.
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