The World Darts Championship is always a major event over Christmas and New Year for sports media and betting. With darts fans at Planet Sport Bet and planetsport.com, it has been hugely exciting for our teams. But the incredible story of Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler, the Warrington teenager who has been taking the tournament by storm has taken things to a whole new level.
The rising star of the oche has been seeing off established players with ease, most recently with his semi-final 6-2 victory over Rob Cross that has taken him to the final against Luke Humphries. He also notably walked over the legendary five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld 4-1 in the run up.
Above: Littler shows off his PDC World Youth Championship trophy.
Scott Allen, Editor of PlanetSport.com said, “Luke Littler's progression is an archetypal underdog story that's sending shockwaves through the sport. To be 16 years old and batting away established professionals is an extraordinary feat, one which darts fans are revelling in.”
“For the past seven days, the darts pages on planetsport.com, particularly about Littler, have been the most visited by quite some distance, which shows that he’s capturing the imagination of fans everywhere. As publishers we cherish these moments as it gives us fresh new angles for our content, which we know our readers love."
Mike Grenham, Managing Director of Planet Sport’s Betting & Gaming division, said, “Luke Littler’s meteoric rise and his conquering of some of darts’ biggest names has been marvellous to witness. He has been receiving immense national coverage because of his exploits which is fantastic for the growth of the sport.”
“Before the tournament in November, Littler was backed by those in the know at 66/1 and at prices as long as 150/1 in some places. We at Planet Sport Bet now rate him as a 6/5 chance to scoop the Sid Wadell Trophy and the cool £500,000 prize money. The very best of luck to Luke and to all the punters backing him!”
Get the latest PDC World Darts Championship news from planetsport.com.