German darts ace, 9, hailed as just as good as Luke Littler - 'This boy was something else!'

Luke Littler has had a fistful of set-backs of precocious - the latest of which was a archetypal circular decision to Rob Cross successful the World Grand Prix of Darts - and Gary Anderson has claimed helium has seen a nine-year-old connected his level

Darts prima Gary Anderson has claimed helium has seen a nine-year-old German prodigy who is "just arsenic bully arsenic Luke Littler", saying the youngster was "something else".

Luke "the Nuke" Littler has emerged arsenic 1 of the brightest talents successful the athletics this year, shocking fans with his unthinkable emergence to the World Darts Championship last aged conscionable 16 astatine the commencement of 2024 earlier a drawstring of contention wins - including triumph successful his archetypal quality successful the Premier League Darts.

Now 17, Littler has had a fistful of set-backs of precocious - the latest of which was a archetypal circular decision to Rob Cross successful the World Grand Prix of Darts this week, contempt being 1 of the favourites for the tourney successful Leicester.

He was besides knocked retired of the archetypal circular of the World Matchplay by Michael van Gerwen successful July - and Anderson has present claimed helium has seen a kid darts prodigy who is connected his level.

Ahead of his World Grand Prix Darts clash against Belgium's Mike De Decker connected Thursday night, helium said: "I reckon 5 oregon six weeks ago, months ago, I played with a young German lad, 9 years old, conscionable arsenic bully arsenic Littler.

"Count conscionable arsenic bully and honestly, not a connection of English helium spoke, but by deity this lad was thing else. Nine years old. Shouldn't beryllium playing darts similar that astatine 9 years old. Maybe 29, but not nine! They're everyplace now.

"It's a precise inexpensive crippled to play and you tin bash it astatine home. Dart board, acceptable of darts, sound yourself out. It's 1 of the sports that you tin person clip astatine location and larn however to play it."

Anderson besides claimed Luke Humphries - who bushed Littler successful the World Championship last successful January, doesn't get capable recognition arsenic helium embarked connected an aggravated rant implicit "other players" being mentioned successful the media much than him.

"He's not conscionable a world champion. He's determination for a reason. World Champion was added onto his CV. He's won truthful overmuch more, and the lad gets looked implicit each time, which I deliberation is simply a load of b*****s to beryllium honest."

Humphries thanked Anderson for his enactment but insisted Littler was a "superstar" of darts who had taken the athletics to caller levels.

"I bash consciousness similar I've got a batch of credit. I don't consciousness similar the media hasn't fixed maine credit. I don't consciousness that way," helium said.

"I conscionable deliberation erstwhile you've got a superstar [Littler], it's hard not to spell with that. Luke has grown the athletics to perfectly unthinkable levels and he's making the athletics bigger for each of us, let's beryllium honest."