Luke Littler strengthened his grip over the world of darts last week after a dominant 11-2 leg victory over James Wade.
With yet another major added to the 18 year olds collection, Wade admitted that he was 'the far superior player, as much as it kills me to admit it, but it is what it is.’ Luke hadn't had it easy, facing former world champion Peter Wright in the first round and winning just 10-9 before averaging 107 and 106 respectively against Gian van Veen and Jonny Clayton to book his place in the final.
Luke hadn't had it easy, facing former world champion Peter Wright.
With a 101 average and an 11/28 checkout rate he wasn't perfect but he eased past a struggling James Wade to win his first UK open, and his fifth major. It was reminiscent of a prime Phil Taylor, high averages and consistent dominance across the tournament, it's clear that Littler is here to stay at the very top.
Despite the final ending fairly quickly, the tournament as a whole was filled with memorable moments which reminds us why we love the so called ‘FA cup of darts’. Underdog Robert Owen beat 3 time champion, Michael Van Gerwen, 10-8 in a shocking result in the round of 32, when he took advantage of Van Gerwens below par doubling getting just 8/34, and moved even further up the rankings.
Owen had been at risk of losing his tour card after years of below average performances, but after a strong world championship performance and now a UK open win against the best of the best, it seems he'll remain touring for the foreseeable future.
Women's world champion, Beau Greaves, had a debut tournament that will go down in history, winning her first 3 rounds and getting to a match against world number one Luke Humphries. She lost 10-7 in a tightly fought affair where she was at one point leading 7-5 in a shock performance.
Over the next few years, I’m sure I am going to be sharing the stage with Beau a lot more.
After the game, Humphries took a bow to the crowd with Greaves and said that ‘over the next few years, I’m sure I am going to be sharing the stage with Beau a lot more.’ Despite her loss, Greaves showed how far the world of women's darts had come. Women's darts has grown massively in recent years, and Beau has been a big part of that. This is a result that she can walk away from with pride.
Littler may be the headliner after a dominant performance in the final, but the ‘FA Cup of darts’ has still delivered for the young darts player. We now go into the main Premier League season, where the heavy hitters fight it out across the country. Littler is favourite to win it again, but he'll have to fight the best of the best to get his way.