As the PDCs darting elite prepare to sparkle at the European Darts Championship this weekend, we could well be about to witness a new world number one.
We are, of course, talking about Luke Littler – remember him? The young lad from Warrington who likes kebabs, FIFA and just so happens to be the reigning World Champion. Heading into Germany – a place The Nuke has made no secret of not being particularly fond of – he could leapfrog Luke Humphries at the top of the PDC Order of Merit.
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Most expect the teenager to reach the summit long before he’s even old enough to be described as that specific adolescent term, but this weekend offers the first opportunity. Littler currently sits just £52,500 behind Cool Hand Humphries – and the two are on a potential quarter-final collision course.
Among darts fans and players alike, there’s a growing consensus that the Two Lukes are the sport’s new standard-bearers. Pressed further, most would probably tip Littler as the top dog already – despite technically being ranked number two. That could all change by Sunday evening.
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There are plenty of permutations, but the maths is simple enough: the Warrington wonderkid needs to earn £52,500 more than Humphries this weekend. Should Cool Hand Luke fall early to Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski, a semi-final run for Littler would be enough to crown him the youngest world number one in history.
Since exploding onto the scene, Littler has collected an astonishing seven televised titles – a number that barely seems real considering he’s still in his teens. He begins his campaign for an eighth against Dutch legend Raymond van Barneveld on Thursday night – a clash that promises fireworks. It’ll be particularly tasty given the Westfalenhallen crowd haven’t forgotten Littler’s less-than-glowing remarks about German fan behaviour earlier this year. And let’s be honest, they adore Barney.
LUKE LITTLER'S TITLE RUN: Watch the teenage World Champion claim the crown
It all makes for a fascinating weekend in Dortmund. Littler needs both the European Championship and the Players Championship Finals to complete the set of current PDC majors. Pull that off, and he could also be sitting atop the world rankings before he’s opening the first window of his Advent calendars.
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