Luke Littler’s world darts title win at Ally Pally felt ‘inevitable’, even if it wasn’t
What has stood out the most since Littler burst onto the scene is his ability to remain confident even in the most tense of moments, and that was more evident than ever in his second world finals appearance.
Ellie Parley is in a frenzy in her first moments as a walk-on, while Littler is calm.
There was no frenetic energy or rush to get on stage to continue the show as he paused to shake hands with some fans wearing his shirt before eventually strolling up the stairs to Oche.
But it is worth noting that after the game started, the new world No. 2 looked more relaxed.
A breakaway in the first round – which drew huge cheers from the fans – certainly helped, but the way he beat van Gerwen in the first four sets was nothing short of spectacular.
“Tonight and throughout the game, I just needed to start fast,” Littler told Sky Sports.
“I watched the whole game against Luke (Humphreys, last year’s final) earlier today and I saw this.”
Whatever those visions were, he could not have predicted even in his wildest dreams that he would get off to such a stunning start and find himself conceding just three legs to take a 4-0 lead.
It’s often said that younger athletes don’t have the same fear as older athletes, but the trade-off should be an impulse that leads to mistakes, or at least a degree of inconsistency.
But there was none of that. His scoring was as good as ever, and for a while it seemed like he couldn’t miss his favorite double-ten.
It wasn’t the young upstart but the 35-year-old former champion and legend of the sport who made costly mistakes under pressure.
Van Gerwen was in disbelief at what was happening, and only the crowd was in disbelief, and they quickly realized that they might not be watching a thriller, but watching a masterclass might be just as fun.
Three-time world champion John Part said: “It’s almost like cat playing mouse with Luke Littler, getting Michael van Gerwen to think he’s doing well and then Crush him with a 180 and then finish first.” Sky Sports.
“It’s a brutal thing.”
