Darts prodigy, 16, knocks out five-times world champion

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Luke Littler, the 16-year-old darts prodigy, is just three matches away from one of sport’s greatest triumphs after blitzing the legendary Raymond van Barneveld to reach the quarter-finals of the World Championships.
In a stunning exhibition of throwing that left his opponent telling him he could “go all the way” and become the tournament’s youngest champion, the fearless debutant threatened to inflict a whitewash on one of his idols before romping to a 4-1 victory.
“I went 2-0 up, went 3-0 up and I was just saying to my family ‘three legs away, one set away and I am over the line.’ I’ve done it. Unbelievable,” Littler said.
With the teenager averaging more than 105 along the way, it is becoming increasingly hard to see who can stop him after two-time winner Gary Anderson joined former champion Gerwyn Price and last year’s winner Michael Smith in being dumped out at Alexandra Palace.
Littler, who only completed his GCSEs this summer, will now face Brendan Dolan, the man who beat Anderson and Price, for a place in the semi-finals. The youngster is already guaranteed £50,000, with the £500,000 first prize now tantalisingly within reach.
He will do so with the words of five-time world champion Van Barneveld ringing in his ears; the Dutchman told him following their match: “You can go all the way. I hope you go all the way.”
It is hard to think of another sport that could throw up a World Championship showdown between a 16-year-old prodigy and a twice-retired grandfather almost four decades his senior.
Since Littler became the youngest player ever to win a match at the tournament, it has been repeatedly pointed out Van Barneveld won the last of his world titles – beating Phil Taylor in arguably the game’s most epic contest – 20 days before the teenager was born.
And after a video of Littler playing with a magnetic board while still in nappies and one of him opening presents on Christmas Day last week both went viral, he posted another on social media on the eve of Saturday’s match showing him arms outstretched imitating Van Barneveld’s celebration at the age of three.
3 years old i used to imitate @Raybar180 when he won the @OfficialPDC World Championship in 2007 🎯 13 years later i get to play the legend himself in the last 16 on the biggest stage of them all #TheNukesBarneyArmy ☢️🐯 @Garryplummer @TargetDarts @Prestige_PBS @SkodaWarri33910 pic.twitter.com/Km37pbJkpj
The man he idolised is now among Littler’s growing army of fans, Van Barneveld having put the teenager’s meteoric rise into context when he said on Friday: “When I was 16, I was playing with Lego or Playmobil.”
There was a warm embrace between the pair as they took to the stage but both men quickly got down to business, each hitting maximums with their second three darts in a first leg won unflinchingly by the youngster.
Van Barneveld immediately responded in kind but Littler quickly seized control, holding his throw again before breaking his opponent with an 11-darter to secure the first set.
It got better for Littler at the start of the second as he ruthlessly punished a missed double-top checkout, prompting the first chants of “You’ve got school in the morning” from the Alexandra Palace crowd.
Such was Littler’s dominance, he could afford to miss doubles of his own as he held his throw, and although Van Barneveld forced him to throw for the set, there was no sign of the teenager buckling as he stormed to a 2-0 lead with a 12-dart leg.
Even more worrying for Van Barneveld, he had the superior average in the second set but Littler’s finishing was the difference.
The theme continued in set three as Littler produced another 12-dart leg on his own throw and he looked like breaking Van Barneveld again until the Dutchman took full advantage of a bounce-out to level.
Littler grimaced and four missed darts at a double followed to allow Van Barneveld to claim his first leg against the throw of the match but the Dutchman missed two doubles to win the set to let the teenager off the hook.
The maximums were also starting to flow from the Littler arm and he coolly secured the decider to move to within one set of victory.
Littler’s average soared to 110 in the third set but, as victory neared, his finishing began to desert him.
After the pair traded legs in the fourth, Littler almost took out 170 before missing three darts to give him a chance to throw for the match.
He recovered to take it to a decider – on the Van Barneveld throw – and duly produced a maximum but the Dutchman held his nerve to get a set on the board and avoid the whitewash.
There were no breaks of throw in what proved to be the final set, with Littler sealing victory in remarkable fashion by turning down a 170 finish before planting the winning double.
What can you do when someone plays like that against you? Nothing, really, stand back and applaud. Van Barneveld played pretty decently but Littler bullied him all night and barely gave him a sniff. Relentless. 
In over 20 years in the #Darts commentary box, been lucky to see some incredible games but I don’t think I’ve had as much fun rolled into an hour of mind blowing 🎯 Luke Littler with a stunning demolition of one of the greatest of all time at the World Championship…
I hope so. Luke Humphries has to see off Joe Cullen first, though in the final of this evening’s games. 
“It’s scary stuff. I hope for Brendan’s sake he didn’t watch it.”
“It’s the sort of performance and, I have to put aside that he’s 16. That was a performance that you look at and from any player and you say they can win the tournament if they play like that. He was there every time he needed it. Really, a great performance and I have to say that is the type of darts that wins titles and he’s getting awfully close to achieving that. 
“I think that is his best performance yet. That outshines [the first round]… it’s a longer format against one of the greats of the game who played a 100 average most of the night and made him look almost insignificant.”
Van Barneveld 99.61 Littler 105.01
Van Barneveld 6 Littler 9
Van Barneveld 45 (9/20) Littler 50 (14/28)
Littler’s performance this year, because of his age and his relative inexperience, is up there with some of the greatest I have seen. Up there with Rob Cross’s World Championship from almost nowhere. With Michael van Gerwen’s most dominant performances. 
In fairness, that performance on its own was worthy of some of the very best on the Alexandra Palace stage. A 105.5 average to advance into the quarter-finals… if one of the top seeds had done that you would be thinking that if they play like that they would be unbeatable. 
Is it too much to put Littler as the favourite for this tournament? It seems outlandish but… no. 
“Unbelievable. The average and my doubling percentage shown it. I don’t know what to say. It’s unbelievable. I went 2-0 up, went 3-0 up and I was just saying to my family three legs away, one set away and I am over the line. I’ve done it. He said you can go all the way, I hope you go all the way. He’s a true gentlemen and I respect Raymond very [much]. Ive just looked at the draw… I fancy myself, I do fancy myself. Let’s just focus on Brendan [and not potential Dobey QF]. They were singing walking in a Littler wonderland, Barney Army. They were on both our sides.”
Littler again begins the better with 63 leaving 170 with RVB on 360… an 87 leaves him way back still. 
Littler, on 170, hits treble 20 once… and again! Will he go for the bull?! No… he declines it but instead of the single 10 to leave tops he hits double 10 to leave 30… a more awkward double.
Van Barneveld hits a 140 to put him under some pressure but this boy Littler doesn’t feel pressure! He goes straight for double 15 and hits it first dart to complete an astonishing, mesmerising demolition of one of the legends of the game. 
WHAT A PERFORMANCELuke Littler knocks out his idol Raymond van Barneveld 🎯 pic.twitter.com/HSy5JWBH3O
Luke Littler beats Raymond van Barneveld 4-1!
Van Barneveld is on 81 and goes for the bull third dart, hitting 25 which is a bit odd with Littler not on a finish. It means he will have to burn a dart on his next visit. He does that, going 9 D8 in three darts to level the fifth set. An 11-dart leg…
Littler will have the throw to take the win…
Littler leaves 47 after nine on his own throw and then tidies it up in two darts for an 11-darter. Wow. This lad is special. He’s also one leg away from the quarter-finals…
A nice 137 for RVB puts him on 24 but Littler puts a lot of pressure on that with a 180 to leave 44! Van Barneveld hits a crucial D6 third dart to deny Littler!
Littler declines the bull on 124 because RVB is way back on 201. Littler then leaves tops and then tidies it up in two darts to go 1-0 up in the fifth set. 
Littler just needs to keep doing what he’s doing and he will create chances. RVB cannot waver and has to play probably the darts of his life to win this. 
Van Barneveld 100.83 Littler 103.03
Van Barneveld 6 Littler 6
Van Barneveld 50 per cent (7/14) Littler 45.8 per cent (11/24)
Van Barneveld 127 Littler 100
Littler is just relentless. He’s on 187 after six darts… that becomes 128 with RVB on 161. The Dutchman then leaves it very tidy 24. Littler doesn’t take out the 128 he has left and Van Barneveld holds his throw by finishing off the 24 second dart on D6. 
Van Barneveld has a set on the board…
Raymond van Barneveld 1 Luke Littler 3
Littler on 148, Van Barneveld on 201… it feels a bit like deja vu. Littler then leaves 92, RVB 141. Littler misses D18 to give RVB the narrowest of openings but he can’t take it. 
Littler then steps up to the oche and checks out 36 in two darts to go one leg away from the quarter-finals!
This man Littler (but he is a boy!) is in the zone. He hits outer bull third dart in an attempt to check out 170. He doesn’t clean it up next visit and pays the price as RVB checks out 41 in three darts… that’s just Littler’s second lapse. 18 darts, the worst so far of the contest. It has been of a very high standard. 
Littler continues his phenomenal form with a 14-dart leg to level the set at 1-1. He did it by checking out 90 in two darts (T20 D15). He’s averaging 103 here. RVB hasn’t played badly but he has barely had a sniff. 
It’s a 13-dart hold for RVB who now has the unenviable task of winning all of the remaining sets if he is to progress. Littler is dominating this and has shown almost no vulnerabilities apart from missing a simple checkout with three darts in hand. 
Littler is on 190 after six darts… RVB on 357 and surely there is no way back. 
Littler on 94 after nine, a 180 leaves RVB only 177 and that is no finish. Tops left for Littler, but can Van Barneveld put pressure on? A bit, he leaves 82…
But Littler hits tops first dart to go 3-0 up in sets! Truly sensational stuff!
RVB has 71 on his own throw to win the set. He hits T13 to leave double 16 with two darts but misses them both. Littler has 65 on the board, hits outer bull to give him two darts at 40 but only needs one of them!
It’s 2-2 and now it’s Littler’s throw in the deciding leg of the third set…
Littler, on his throw, is not giving RVB a sniff. He’s misses a dart at tops for 85 but Raymond is on 180 so cannot finish.
Littler comes back back but misses 40 with three darts. Barney then checks out 80 in two darts to break throw and take a 2-1 lead in the third set!
The first lapse from Luke Littler. It was punished. 
RVB has 170 to take out on his own throw with Littler on 130 and can score only 43! Littler doesn’t get a dart at double on 130 as he has a bounce out but leaves it handy at 60 by hitting bull. 
RVB has 127 to take out. When he is at his best this look a formality for him and he hits that here in three darts, with the last on the bull! 
1-1 in legs in the third set. That was crucial for the Dutchman. 
Reminder that it’s the best of seven sets here so this is half-way there for Littler. He continues where he left off by taking 100 out by going 20, tops, tops for a 12-darter! He is in the zone and is bullying Raymond van Barneveld on the board. 
I have not changed my opinion. 
Littler on 48, but RVB hits a crucial 180 to leave 121 but will he get a go? No he will not! 
Littler takes it out by going big eight, missing tops and then hitting tops! He’s 2-0 up in sets in double-quick time! Taking both sets 3-1, with 60 per cent on the doubles. Phenomenal stuff from the 16-year-old. 
This is better from RVB, sitting pretty on 24 with Littler in the 200s. He takes it out first dart to get a leg back. It was only on his throw, though which means Littler only has to hold in the next leg…
Littler misses a dart at D12 to fall short of a 144 checkout! Van Barneveld does not get a dart at double on 109 and Littler does what Littler has been doing and tidies up 12, ending with D3. 
RVB up against it here, 1-0 down in sets and 2-0 down in legs the second set…
That was a set on Littler’s throw so if RVB can just hold his throw three times in the second set it’ll be 1-0 in sets. 
The Dutchman can’t finish 71 in three darts, missing one at tops. Littler makes no mistake on his turn, taking 45 out in two darts to go 1-0 up in the second set!
103.88 with 75 per cent on the doubles in that set from Littler. It came down to the final leg. RVB was half-decent but that was just ruthless efficiency from Littler. 
How Luke Littler won the first set 👇 pic.twitter.com/PmpUqTnhBY
It’s a wonderful leg from Littler to close out the first set against the throw. It’s an 11-darter, finishing 82 in two darts to take a 1-0 lead in sets!
Littler has a faster run to a finish, being on 78 with RVB still on 198. He leaves 20 and then hits that next visit without too much pressure from his opponent. Littler regains the lead. 
Van Barneveld puts himself on 80 with Littler way back on 325, giving himself some breathing room. He hits treble 20 to leave double 10 but strays into the big six leaving the more awkward double of seven… which he then misses. Littler puts some pressure on with his next throw but Barney hits D7 first dart of his next visit to level at 1-1. 
Littler begins with 58 but then follows it up with 180 to leave 263, RVB responds with a maximum of his own. Littler is on 129 after nine but Van Barneveld is on 156, one of his favourite big finishes. 
Littler steps up with 50 on the board and goes goes big 10, double top second dart to take the first leg. Littler takes first blood. 
Littler to throw first in the first leg of the first set…
He is usually the crowd favourite every time he’s up on the stage. Not tonight. 
John McDonald MC announces “he’s 16 years old”, as if nobody knew it. 
“He [Littler] may have it all his own way from the crowd. I don’t think he will on the board. I think [Van Barneveld] going to enjoy the challenge. He loves darts, Raymond does, just as much as Luke does, I am sure. It will go back and forth a bit I think. I can’t see anyone riding out and winning easily. It’s going to be involved loud, and there will be a lot of emotion too.”
“I’ll take any of them… it’s not cockiness – I think I can beat any of them. I know I can do a job at any time against anybody. The crowd wasn’t with me tonight and I expect them not to be with me [next time]. 
Well done that man. He went 2-0 up before a brilliant Anderson fightback. It’s his second appearance in the quarter-finals of this tournament. 
Or at least it is now in the final set of the Dolan/Anderson game with the game tied at three sets each and one leg each…
Maybe another 25 minutes or so?
Three-time PDC World Champion Michael van Gerwen was a teenage prodigy in his own time in the early 2000s. He did not exactly pour cold water over the Littler lovers, but neither did he do his best to big up his achievements. 
“I think if you look talent-wise then I think I was slightly better, but he doesn’t care whoever he plays and that’s why I admire him,” the Dutchman said. 
I don’t think his comments are too far off the mark. Van Gerwen was a phenomenon but it was in the days when the BDO and PDC were the two rival organisations and the competition was split between the pair. The PDC was probably stronger when MVG burst onto the scene but the BDO had a good chunk of very, very good players. 
The depth that the PDC has these days is ridiculous and I think that is a mark for Littler. This is Van Gerwen hitting a nine-dart finish age 17 in 2007. 
“It’s just mad people comparing me to these footballers who’ve scored over 300 goals,” Littler says. “It’s crazy. While I’m just throwing darts.”
Watching ‘Luke The Nuke’ on the oche, there is something of the 16-year-old Rooney about him. With his rugged appearance and stereotypical darts-player physique, he looks like someone double his age.
But speaking to him ahead of his next match on Saturday dispels any doubts about his date of birth. Answers to questions are exactly as expected from a teenager – never mind one catapulted from relative obscurity to national fame in a matter of days.
Read more from Ben Rumsby’s exclusive interview with ‘the Nuke’ here. 
…but, come on!
3 years old i used to imitate @Raybar180 when he won the @OfficialPDC World Championship in 2007 🎯 13 years later i get to play the legend himself in the last 16 on the biggest stage of them all #TheNukesBarneyArmy ☢️🐯 @Garryplummer @TargetDarts @Prestige_PBS @SkodaWarri33910 pic.twitter.com/Km37pbJkpj
A darting prodigy. 
Scott Williams 4 Damon Heta 1Daryl Gurney 2 Dave Chisnall 4Rob Cross 4 Jonny Clayton 0
And in this evening’s first last-16 game, Gary Anderson has currently come back from two sets down against Brendan Dolan to level the game. 
January 1, 2007. Raymond van Barneveld defeats Phil Taylor 7-6 in arguably the greatest darts game ever seen. Luke Littler, the 16-year-old sensation and star of the 2024 World Darts Championship would not be born for another 20 days. 
So far the current edition of darts’ biggest and most lucrative competition has seen its fair of upsets: defending champion Michael Smith, 2021 winner Gerwyn Price and 2020 and 2022 champion Peter Wright – not forgetting 13th seed James Wade – have all exited the competition. Yet the rise of Littler to the last-16 of the tournament and the ease in which he has done it, has been the story. 
The performance that made everyone’s jaws drop was his opening-round victory over Christian Kist. Yes, he won 3-0 but with a staggering 106 average. He followed that up with a no-nonsense 3-1 win over 2023 UK Open champion Andrew Gilding before seeing off Matt Campbell with a very competent 4-1 scoreline, averaging 97. Had any of the pre-tournament favourites progressed to this point with that record they would – and should – be pleased with a job well done. 
Yet, by far the most significant match and the biggest test of his fledgling career comes tonight against Van Barneveld. The Dutchman is a titan of the game with four BDO and one PDC world title to his name. He has retired twice and come back again but manages, like the very best do, to retain a spot in the upper echelons of the game. 
Van Barneveld has been in decent enough form himself getting to this point with a 3-1 win over Radek Szaganski (with the best part of a ton average) before a 4-1 win over Jim Williams in the third round. 
It is difficult to know which man should be the favourite. Littler has the better form and has shown almost no signs of letting the occasion get to him. If anything he revels in it. RVB has the classy touch that he has always had but has always been a better front-runner than a comeback merchant. Both men (though Littler has yet to reach the age of majority…) are capable of playing at a level where the opponent is almost irrelevant. 
It is a tantalising match and, should Littler prevail, continues one of the best stories in sport this year.