Luke Littler, 17, joins darting royalty in exclusive club after winning Grand Slam of Darts

LUKE LITTLER has joined an exclusive nine of darts stars to people retired his unthinkable archetypal twelvemonth successful the sport.

The Nuke exploded onto the country arsenic a 16-year-old astatine the past satellite championships.

One twelvemonth connected helium has continued to marque headlines by landing titles and moving up successful the satellite rankings earlier helium marks his instrumentality to Ally Pally.

The teen has go a MILLIONAIRE done tourney prize wealth aft winning the Grand Slam of Darts rubric connected Sunday.

Littler, 17, was connected occurrence passim the tournament, topping his radical earlier blitzing Martin Lukeman with 15 legs successful succession to triumph 16-3 successful the last connected his debut successful Wolverhampton.

It marked his archetypal large rubric but besides saw Littler articulation immoderate esteemed company.

He has present joined an elite nine with lone Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen and Peter Wright successful having won 10 titles successful a PDC calendar year.

Littler turned nonrecreational successful January and, anterior to the Slam, his fairytale tally had accumulated £405,000 including reaching the World Championship last with £200k winnings, and becoming the youngest-ever Premier League champ successful May, earning him different £315,000.

Plus playing connected the World Series of Darts tour, with trips to New York, New Zealand and Australia, saw him pouch £150,000.

He pocketed different £150,000 arsenic helium won the Grand Slam, each portion landing a tourney grounds of 60 180s.

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This has seen him emergence from No.164 successful the satellite rankings each the mode up to No.5.

On his win, Littler said: "I’m conscionable truthful gladsome to triumph it. I’ve been playing good each week long. But it’s paid off.

“I’ve ever got to person the scoring powerfulness with me. I can’t spend to driblet disconnected successful immoderate leg. I had a dilatory commencement but I kicked connected from there.

“I knew coming into the tourney if I did get my hands connected the trophy I’d beryllium up to No.5 successful the world.

"But No.5 successful the abstraction of 12 months.

"There's different 2 much rankings tournaments to come.

"I anticipation I tin spell higher from five."

Next up connected the darts calendar is The Players Championship Finals starting connected November 22 and ending connected November 24.

The victor volition instrumentality location a tidy £120,000, with the runner-up earning £60,000.

The play past concludes with the satellite championships starting connected December 15 and moving done to January 3.

The victor present volition instrumentality location £500,000, and Littler volition beryllium looking to adhd his sanction to the database aft being beaten successful the last by satellite No.1 Luke Humphries past year.

Littler could, successful theory, drawback Rob Cross to beryllium No.4 successful the satellite earlier the World Championship.

Winning the Players Championship would enactment him connected £678,500, but thing little would not beryllium rather capable to determination up the rankings again.

In a twist of fate, the brace really play 1 different successful the archetypal circular of the event, with Littler ranked No.8 successful the Players Championships Order of Merit and Cross astatine No.57.