'Like a cat toying with a mouse' - but Littler's victory was far from inevitable

It would beryllium casual to accidental that it each felt truthful inevitable.

Luke Littler, the runner-up past year, came into this year's PDC World Championship arsenic the favourite and near having won it successful ascendant and breathtaking fashion.

Among the fans arriving astatine Alexandra Palace for the last determination was an aerial of expectation.

Super Mario, Buzz Lightyear and Woody, the Spice Boys - they were coming not truthful overmuch to spot a darts lucifer arsenic to witnesser history.

Even up against a three-time satellite champion successful Michael van Gerwen, fewer adjacent contemplated the thought Littler mightiness not win.

The 17-year-old was going to go darts' youngest ever satellite champion.

Yet thing astir this should beryllium seen arsenic inevitable.

Littler has enjoyed an unthinkable twelvemonth since his sensational tally to the last 12 months ago, winning 10 PDC titles including the Premier League and the Grand Slam of Darts, but returning to Ally Pally brings a full antithetic level of scrutiny.

The occurrence helium enjoyed lone brought much unit to spell 1 amended than helium did successful 2024.

Arguably nary darts subordinate earlier him has had to woody with specified attraction and it would person been casual for the teen to crumble.

Instead, inactive a mates of weeks retired from his 18th birthday, Littler calmly made his mode done the rounds and past enactment successful a show arsenic mature arsenic it was astonishing to vanquish Van Gerwen.

Something that has stood retired since Littler's emergence to prominence has been his assuredness successful adjacent the astir stressful moments and that was much evident than ever successful his 2nd satellite final.

While Ally Pally was astatine fever transportation successful the moments starring up to the walk-ons, Littler was an representation of calm.

There was nary frenetic vigor and nary eagerness to get up to the signifier and get connected with it arsenic helium stopped and shook hands with a fig of fans wearing his shirt, earlier yet sauntering up the stairs towards the oche.

Remarkably though, the caller satellite fig 2 looked adjacent much astatine easiness erstwhile the enactment started.

A interruption of propulsion successful the opening limb - bringing an almighty roar from the fans - nary uncertainty helped but the mode successful which helium proceeded to stroke Van Gerwen distant successful the archetypal 4 sets was thing abbreviated of spectacular.

"Tonight and passim the tournament, I conscionable needed to get disconnected to a speedy start," Littler told Sky Sports.

"Earlier today, I watched each of the crippled backmost against Luke [Humphries, successful past year's final] and I had the visions."

Whatever those visions were, adjacent successful his wildest dreams, helium could not person expected to marque specified a blistering commencement and find himself 4-0 up having dropped lone 3 legs.

It is often said that younger sportspeople don't person the aforesaid fearfulness that tin clasp backmost their older counterparts but the commercialized disconnected is expected to beryllium an impetuousness that leads to mistakes, oregon astatine slightest a grade of inconsistency.

But determination was nary of that. His scoring was arsenic relentless arsenic ever and for a clip it seemed helium simply could not miss his favoured treble 10.

Rather than the young upstart, it was the 35-year-old erstwhile champion and fable of the athletics pressured into costly errors.

Van Gerwen's disbelief astatine what was happening was matched lone by the crowd, who rapidly realised they mightiness not get to spot a thriller but watching a masterclass could beryllium conscionable arsenic fun.

"It's astir similar a feline toying with a rodent from Luke Littler, marque [Michael van Gerwen] deliberation he's doing OK past smash him with a 180 and get to a decorativeness first," said John Part, a three-time satellite champion, connected Sky Sports.

"This is cruel stuff."

On the uncommon occasions erstwhile Littler did marque a tiny mistake oregon missed a important double, it was invariably met with a smirk oregon a smile.

He was successful control, helium was playing exceptionally - averaging much than 100 successful six of the 10 legs, with a precocious of 115.62 successful the 2nd - and helium knew it.

"I felt similar I was astatine home," Littler added. "I've settled truthful good passim the tourney and contiguous I didn't consciousness immoderate nerves up until the past limb erstwhile I started shaking a bit."

It is hard to exaggerate conscionable however comfy the lad from Warrington looked connected the stage.

There person been prodigies successful athletics before, adjacent successful darts, but fewer person looked truthful implicit truthful soon successful their careers.

Van Gerwen himself was darts' past young superstar. He won his archetypal satellite rubric astatine 24.

Eric Bristow was another. He won his archetypal World Championship astatine 22.

By the clip helium reaches that age, Littler volition consciousness similar a seasoned of the sport. He's already playing similar one.

That Prime Minister Keir Starmer, external congratulated Littler shows the standard of the teenager's achievement.

"Mesmerising show from @LukeTheNuke180 to triumph the World Darts Championship," helium wrote connected X.

"Congratulations Luke connected being the youngest ever PDC World Darts Champion. An inspirational show nether specified unit to assistance the trophy."

Littler has already inspired a caller procreation of darts fans and, successful clip surely, darts players.

Performances similar his successful this last volition lone animate more.

By the clip Littler was 6-2 up, immoderate uncertainty implicit the effect was gone. As is truthful often the case, a rendition of Robbie Williams' Angels indicated the extremity of the nighttime was nigh.

The assemblage belted it out, harmless successful the cognition that what they had travel to witnesser would soon travel to pass.

That Van Gerwen nicked different acceptable earlier Littler clinched it was the lone surprise.

But clinch it helium did, the emotions came out, the fans vociferously chanted his sanction and Littler held the trophy aloft.

Shortly afterwards, helium stood adjacent to his prize, not wholly definite what to bash next. It was the archetypal clip each nighttime helium had looked successful the slightest spot uncomfortable.

None of this was inevitable. But however earthy Littler has made making history, you could surely beryllium fooled into reasoning otherwise.